ARLINGTON, Mass. — Metal spikes designed to keep the homeless from sleeping under an Arlington bridge are now gone after complaints were launched. The town manager told Boston 25 that he asked MassDOT for a fence, not spikes.
Leaders at the Arlington Town Hall say they considered fences and discussed them with the Department of Transportation. Instead, spikes were added under the bridge last month; today, they were ripped out.
Phillip Grannan uses the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway Daily, which runs under Route 2. He said he sees plenty of garbage left there by those who call the space home.
The trash lead town leaders to involve MassDOT, which oversees the bridge.
“I know I had talked about whether fencing was a possibility or changes to the concrete structure,” said Adam Chapdelaine, Arlington’s town manager.
Chapdelaine says MassDOT added spike strips under the bridge without letting him know.
“Once they were installed, it was clear that they were not the solution,” Chapdelaine said.
Lauren Stargel says the spikes were an awful idea.
“In my opinion it seems like an inhumane [way] to deal with the problem,” she said.
The strips, which MassDOT said were there for trespassers, were removed today. A spokesperson added that his agency will continue working with the community and town, “in order to develop a plan to reduce trespassing in the area while assisting vulnerable populations and ensuring public health safety.”
“I know homelessness is a big issue in the nation and I don’t think Arlington has escaped that,” added Christine Bongiorno, who works for Arlington Health and Human Services.
She went on to say that 20 homeless people have been observed near the bridge over the past year. Bongiorno is putting together a task force of community members and town leaders to generate solutions for a growing problem with no easy answer.
Arlington already had been working with neighboring towns and shelters to help get the local homeless a place to stay and social services. Next up, staffing the task force.