Moon Island Road is eroding. How does that affect plans for the Long Island Bridge?

QUINCY − Another round in the longstanding battle between Quincy and Boston over the Long Island Bridge is underway, with Quincy claiming the upper hand.

On Leap Day, the state Department of Environmental Protection ordered Boston to cease work on repairs to Moon Island Road, the causeway that leads to Moon Island and ultimately to the bridge. Owned by Boston, Moon Island is part of Quincy. It hosts a Boston police shooting range and the Boston Fire Academy.

The order, signed by MassDEP Regional Director Eric Worrell, says Boston failed to abide by the conditions set when the agency approved the work Feb. 15.

"Erosion controls shall be placed around the area of the proposed work and shall be maintained in good repair until the disturbed areas have been fully stabilized with vegetation or other means acceptable to MassDEP. Erosion controls shall remain until MassDEP approves removal," the conditions read.

What's happening on Moon Island Road?

Quincy City Solicitor Jim Timmins and Director of Inspectional Services Rob Conlon told The Patriot Ledger that they visited the causeway and documented the lack of erosion controls.

"They shipped rock out there, piles of rock," Timmins said. "They delivered all this stuff, then they were just bulldozing it down over the edge of the road in order to provide the lateral support they’re trying to create."

You otter see: Meet Ginger, the Trailside Museum's newest addition. She is otterly adorable

Date set for murder trial: After more than 4 years, judge sets date for murder trial in Christmas party crash death

When MassDEP officials visited the site, they also documented a lack of erosion controls and ordered Boston to follow the conditions or face penalties of up to $25,000 a day.

Asked why proper erosion controls were not put in place, a spokesperson from Mayor Michelle Wu's office issued the following statement:

"“The Boston Public Works Department is working with MassDEP to resolve their concerns and work will continue on the project consistent with MassDEP’s orders and conditions.”

Koch, Timmins decry 'arrogance,' raise trust issues

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said that, far from an emergency, the deteriorating conditions on Moon Island Road have long been recognized.

"The road has been coming apart for years," he said. "They completely ignored it. It's so typical of the city of Boston. If you can't trust someone in little things, how do you trust them in big things?"

Koch said Boston's actions, left unchecked, would have affected Quincy residents.

"(Debris from construction) would have all ended up in the waters that my residents use, swim in and fish in," he said.

Squantum's list of grievances against Boston goes way back, Koch said. He cited the sewer line constructed in the late 19th century that conveyed Boston's untreated sewage to Moon Island. Much of the sewage was released into Quincy Bay, leaving it severely polluted.

He also said noise from the gun range on Moon Island has affected Squantum residents.

In 2018, then-Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the city’s intention to rebuild the Long Island Bridge and restore the public health services on the island. Since then, Quincy has fought the project at every turn, claiming it would harm the city's natural resources, traffic conditions and quality of life.

Development news: Demolition begins at crime-ridden former Motel 6 in Braintree. Chick-fil-A to come

Real estate: This change to Paragon Dunes project in Hull might just be the ticket

Timmins said he mentioned the condition of Moon Island Road in 2019 during oral arguments before the Supreme Judicial Court, when Quincy appealed MassDEP's overturning its rejection of Boston's application to reconstruct the bridge on grounds that the project would violate the Wetlands Protection Act.

Boston should have provided plans to ensure that roadwork on Moon Island Road will not harm Quincy's wetland areas, he argued.

That court rejected that argument, ruling that Moon Island Road lies outside the scope of rebuilding the Long Island Bridge.

"That's not true," Timmins said of the court's ruling. "You're going to be connecting the bridge to Moon Island Road, which is in horrible condition. It's not going to support the traffic flow that putting a new bridge up is going to create."

MassDEP's recent order against Boston may have broader implications, Timmins said.

"It's a big deal. It gets to the fundamental issue in our dispute," he said. "There's a lot of work that has to be done if you're going to build a bridge, and (Boston) needs to come forward with plans and be forthcoming, and we'll work with you.

"Finally people are listening here and understanding that (Boston) isn't being forthcoming," he said. "To some extent we don't think they're being honest about what's going on out there."

Why is Moon Island Road in poor condition?

Quincy Public Works Commissioner Al Grazioso said the abandoned sewer line that used to carry sewage to storage vats on Moon Island is encased in a 10.5-by-12-foot brick culvert below Moon Island Road.

If that culvert is deteriorating, it may be contributing to the instability of the causeway and the road.

"We don't know if it's related," Grazioso said. "That's the question we wanted to ask."

Grazioso said he made public records requests in 2019 seeking information on the status of the culvert, but Boston never responded.

"Knowing that they were pushing the bridge, and they would need heavy equipment and everything else out there, we wanted to see what the integrity is like," he said. "But also, how is it undermining our shellfish beds and all of that? Environmentally, what is it doing to the area?"

How the latest round in Long Island Bridge battle played out. A timeline

• Feb. 2: Boston Public Works applied to the Quincy Conservation Commission for permission to begin emergency repairs on Moon Island Road. In its application, Boston said the road is eroding at four locations, threatening the safety of first responders who use the training facilities on the island. Fire trucks weighing 53,000 pounds and other vehicles traverse the road daily could cause a collapse, Boston said.

• Feb. 8: Quincy officials denied Boston's application, which was filed on a Friday afternoon without fully disclosing the nature of the work, they said.

• Feb. 15: MassDEP overrode Quincy's denial and granted an emergency certificate with the conditions outlined above.

• Feb. 27: Agency officials visited the site and determined that Boston had not placed any erosion controls.

• Feb. 29: MassDEP ordered Boston to cease work until proper erosion controls are put in place. It is unclear if Boston has complied and resumed work on Moon Island Road.

• March 27 and 28: Quincy's appeal hearing on the Chapter 91 Waterways License, which MassDEP granted Boston in August, will take place.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: MassDEP ordered Boston to stop repairs on Moon Island Road in Quincy