Congratulations to all of our volunteers, collaborating organizations and JP’s vibrant neighborhood activist community, Forest Hills will become more inviting to pedestrians and bicyclists, re-uniting the neighborhood with the rest of Jamaica Plain and likely sparking economic development and helping out businesses on Hyde Park Avenue!

Secretary of Transportation Rich Davey informed legislators and others yesterday and the story hit local news outlets today. Read details in the JP Gazette and JP Patch and stay tuned for a “Re-unite Jamaica Plain Party” organized by the Union — Save the Date — March 16! We’d like to celebrate re-uniting Forest Hills with the rest of Jamaica Plain but also re-uniting the two sides of this controversial issue to now shake hands and work on the 25 and 100 percent design processes together to make a final plan that everyone will be happy with for decades to come.

Here’s Secretary Davey’s official announcement:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has selected the at-grade alternative for the Casey Overpass, which carries Route 203 over Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain. The decision was made after an extensive public outreach campaign consisting of five public meeting and 12 Working Advisory Group meetings over a nine-month period.

That process has led us to determine that the at-grade alternative reconnects the neighborhood, provides more open space, incorporates more design elements that are pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, and allows for more efficient bus movements through the area.

The existing Casey Overpass is in the advanced stages of deterioration and is at the end of its serviceable life. Moving forward, the design process will undergo a series of steps to reach completion; MassDOT expects construction to begin in October 2013.