Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

[Jahvon09]

Wishful thinking!! They'll think of something else first!! Not gonna spend that kind of dough for that!! Hah!!

 

[kjdonovan]

They already have graffiti on the retaining wall.

FWIW they acknowledged as much in the most recent GLX public meeting. Will get cleaned up as a close-out item in the summer/fall. And yes, we all know it will then be back a few weeks later.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

They need to install this type of graffiti eraser:

 

[BostonTrainGuy]

Like to see that on all railcars.

 

[Javier]

 

[Charlie_mta]

Stumbled onto this one. Here's the 1985 plan for Lechmere Station. Apparently the Green Line would have touched down to the surface just west of the station, where there would be a new maintenance yard. First Street would not have been extended north like it is today.

For comparison, here's the current plan:

 

[stefal]

I'm glad the maintenance yard isn't there. That wouldn't have made much sense in the longer term planning. The new building by the immovable BET is a pretty safe bet for being further from future redevelopment opportunities.

 

[RandomWalk]

As long as Inner Belt Rd ducks under the Lowell Line in the twin culverts, vehicular access to that area will be hamstrung. The VMF is well suited to the area. I’m surprised that UPS is content with its location there, though.

 

[whighlander]

Stumbled onto this one. Here's the 1985 plan for Lechmere Station. Apparently the Green Line would have touched down to the surface just west of the station, where there would be a new maintenance yard. First Street would not have been extended north like it is today.


For comparison, here's the current plan:

Charlie -- 1985 was another Era

in 1985 KSq was still known as AI Alley -- there wasn't a single bio/pharma in Cambridge excepting university labs and the Whitehead Institute [founded in 1982]

AI Alley': A Haven For Hackers
CAMBRIDGE, MA - MARCH: A Kendall Square billboard heralds the growth of AI Alley, Cambridge's burgeoning artificial intelligence community, pictured in Cambridge, MA in 1987. (Photo by George Rizer/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)




that was eons ago in terms of the Cambridge economy -- they were still making Necco Wafers on Mass Ave

 

[Charlie_mta]

Charlie -- 1985 was another Era

Yeah, one primary difference in the 1985 Lechmere design is that it was car-centric with two sizeable park and ride lots planned on the north side of the new station, Also a much wider and separate bus loading/unloading area and a wider O'Brien Highway. We've made some baby steps in dethroning the car as king, but still have a long way to go.

 

[whighlander]

Yeah, one primary difference in the 1985 Lechmere design is that it was car-centric with two sizeable park and ride lots planned on the north side of the new station, Also a much wider and separate bus loading/unloading area and a wider O'Brien Highway. We've made some baby steps in dethroning the car as king, but still have a long way to go.

Charlie -- the car in some incarnation will always be the king -- just like as soon as there were horses no one ever walked long distances again
as soon as there were airplanes flying across the Atlantic -- no one ever took a passenger liner to Europe

So the car of the future might be an autonomous pod [ground or air vehicle] which you called for on demand with your wrist phone -- but it wont be replaced by only a crowded public vehicle running a fixed schedule
as a result -- roads and highways are not going away although they may change in terms of self driving, etc.

 

[Charlie_mta]

Car as king or not, there's been a significant paradigm shift in planning transportation facilities since 1985. In 1985, separate paved bike/ped paths, bike lanes, and dedicated bus lanes were extremely rare. It's still a fight to make them happen, but at least now it's assumed they will be part of the mix when a roadway or transit project is planned.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

1985 was 36 years and greater than ⅓ century ago.

If '85 still feels so much like yesterday that parsing the substantial multi-generational differences since then becomes personally quite difficult...I hate to break it to you, but you might be Old.

 

[Charlie_mta]

I am old, no doubt about that.

 

[bigpicture7]

1985 was 36 years and greater than ⅓ century ago.

If '85 still feels so much like yesterday that parsing the substantial multi-generational differences since then becomes personally quite difficult...I hate to break it to you, but you might be Old.

By far the most effective young folks I know are those who can both listen to the wisdom and history from older folks, as well as to grace this world with their own novel creativity and vision. There are far too many who attempt only the latter without the former.

 

[kjdonovan]

By far the most effective young folks I know are those who can both listen to the wisdom and history from older folks, as well as to grace this world with their own novel creativity and vision. There are far too many who attempt only the latter without the former.

Isn't that a quote from Plato kvetching about that arrogant little upstart, Aristotle?

 

[bigpicture7]

Isn't that a quote from Plato kvetching about that arrogant little upstart, Aristotle?

Not intentionally, but certainly could be a paraphrase! Nonetheless, it's not baseless whining in most cases : )

 

[Charlie_mta]

F-Line has a point, though made rather rudely. I tend to focus on the history of whatever topic, as I am a history buff and "Context" was my biggest strength in the StrengthsFinder test. In fact, I'm teaching a high-school history class at a private school next week. And I certainly am old - 71 - although I stay physically and mentally active. Oh well, you can't please everybody, and I gave up trying to do that a long time ago.

 

[Vagabond]

Heard a gripe that no one will transfer from CR to get to Union Square. Thought it was a bit absurd so I looked it up - its currently 9 minutes from North Station to Lechmere over the slow viaduct.

"Estimated travel time from Lechmere Station is 9.5 minutes to College Avenue Station and 4.5 minutes to Union Square. Headways, or service frequencies, on the branches would be five to six minutes in the morning and evening peak periods and would be nine to ten minutes during off-peak period."
Source: https://www.somervillestep.org/files/GreenLineFEIR_execsummary.pdf

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Unless the NS Link is built there is no need for CR stations at Union Sq. It isn't enough of a destination for enough people coming from the Lowell Line. However, once the NS Link is built then it might be worth another look.