State Plans No Highway Across Hell's Half Acre

The Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Works has asserted that the State is not planning to construct a road through Hell's Half Acre, Cambridge's only remaining piece of undeveloped natural land.

His statement was welcomed by the large group of University faculty members who support the establishment of a "Bernard A. DeVoto Wildlife Sanctuary" in the mile-long area on the Charles River.

Public Works Commissioner Anthony N. DiNatale stated in several recent letters that his department "has no plans for a highway in Cambridge which would require the use of the area." He said, however, that the Metropolitan District Commission has given "some consideration" to the construction of such a highway.

The M.D.C. has already begun plans for widening the road between Memorial Drive and Fresh Pond Parkway. Chief Engineer Benjamin W. Fink said last night that these plans will have no effect upon the fate of the Hell's Half Acre area.

He continued that "there is no greater champion for recreation areas than the M.D.C. When the time comes, we'll do the right thing."

The M.D.C., which owns three quarters of Hell's Half Acre, including a road-bed laid five years ago, has been considering construction of a connecting highway through the area to relieve traffic congestion. The DeVoto Sanctuary group feels, however, that alternate plans can be used to relieve the bottleneck.

The group supporting the Sanctuary includes Dean Elder; Jose L. Sert, Dean of the School of Design; Louis M. Lyons, Curator of Nieman Fellowships; Arthur M. Schlesinger, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History Emeritus; and Joseph L. Walsh '16, Perkins Professor of Mathematics.

Dean Elder commented that "this place is needed just for people to be in. If there were a highway here, even the fishes would feel squeezed for space."