The current project is Phase 2 of the larger overall widening project, and includes widening of the roadway at Dedham Street where it crosses the Neponset River. The project will include parts of Canton, Westwood, and Norwood.
As part of this project there will be impacts to water resources in the area, including the Neponset River. Impacts come from the construction, as well as the additional pavement proposed by the widening of the road and bridges. Additional pavement increases the amount of stormwater runoff produced in this area, which can carry pollutants from the road including metals, oil, grease, and salt into water bodies.
To mitigate the impacts of stormwater runoff the project includes several infiltration basins to capture and treat runoff before it reaches the Neponset River. NepRWA has worked with project team members and town of Canton, Westwood, and Norwood staff to make sure the project meets the requirements of the MassDEP Stormwater Handbook. To learn more about the project see information at this website: http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/cantoninterchange.aspx
All construction projects should be required to improve ecosystem functioning compared to existing conditions. In this way we can gradually reverse negative environmental impacts of the past.