BOSTON — In the throws of an unprecedented crisis visible on the streets of Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh is hopeful that changes coming to the White House will help offer direction.
Walsh expressed his optimism during a virtual meeting with the Mass & Cass Task Force on Monday night.
During the meeting, the city’s 25 person task force provided updates to the community on issues related to quality of life, homelessness and drug use in the area commonly referred to as Methadone Mile.
According to Walsh, progress is being made and decentralization continues to be a focus.
“We’re going to work every single day to make sure your quality of life is better than it was three months ago,” explained Walsh.
Walsh said there is no immediate fix to the array of problems that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
However, he believes local and state leaders may have new direction in the very near future.
“In the last three and a half years, there has been no direction from the federal level on the opioid crisis,” said Walsh. “Having direction from the White House can help us move forward.”
Walsh said plans are still in motion to rebuild the bridge to Long Island, located in Boston Harbor.
However, the goal of rebuilding that bridge and creating a 500 person recovery campus on the island remains in limbo due to lawsuits between Quincy and Boston.
“We have minimized environmental disruption,” Chris Osgood, Chief of the Streets, Transportation and Sanitation. “We are confident in the case we have.”
It’s unclear how long the project, estimated to cost more than $90 million, could be tied up in litigation.
Two years ago, the Quincy Conservation Commission rejected a crucial permit for the bridge.
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