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  1. Highwayguy

    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    https://www.universalhub.com/2023/lack-dispatchers-no-longer-only-reason-t-cant-run “While that puts the “nerve center” department close to the baseline staffing level she described, Benesh also indicated hitting that minimum will not be enough to prompt a reversal of service cuts that have...
  2. Highwayguy

    Commuter Rail to New Hampshire?

    All true! In a vacuum, adding lanes to a limited access facility does increase capacity. 100% fact. However, the consensus in the Traffic Engineering field is that design year congestion will not improve in a healthy metro area due to induced demand unless the section widened was a bottleneck...
  3. Highwayguy

    Commuter Rail to New Hampshire?

    As much as l am loathe to defend NH state Pols, l really don’t think theres an ulterior motive. I think NH is just still stuck in the mindset that self evidently, more lanes reduce congestion. Most of the US still thinks the same way. MassDOT is actually one of, if not the most progressive state...
  4. Highwayguy

    New Red and Orange Line Cars

    I understand that this incident wasn’t the MBTA’s fault for once, but l can’t help but laugh at the optics of the Orange line ‘derailing’ on 495 and wrecking the PM commute. I’m picturing one of the TV news stations doing a man on the street interview with a townie exclaiming “When l said l...
  5. Highwayguy

    Biking in Boston

    Town owned. On paper mostly the same standards, however what local DPWs actually construct…..
  6. Highwayguy

    Commuter Rail to New Hampshire?

    Doubly stupid when you consider how much of that $$$ was spent widening / shifting the entire freaking alignment through Windham to accommodate 8 lanes… which immediately reduces to 6 at the border (AKA where everyone is going). The only thing accomplished over a 6 lane cross section was letting...
  7. Highwayguy

    Biking in Boston

    In this example l believe it’s because the curb-curb width on this corridor is rather variable. As sneijder said, need more width for a car protected lane, so in this case it would lead to constant swapping back and forth between curb and travel lane sides mid block as the width changes...
  8. Highwayguy

    Unbuilt Highways in Massachusetts

    *Looks nervously at SE Xway* Agree but typically those are old grandfathered routes; NHDOT could seek waivers but the facility still wouldn’t meet interstate design criteria. Theres no prohibition against mainline lane drops, but the ones on the Turnpike do not meet stripping/ taper length or...
  9. Highwayguy

    Unbuilt Highways in Massachusetts

    Main reason the Turnpike doesn’t meet intestate standard is likely interchange spacing/ geometry standards. Interchanges spaced less than a mile apart are supposed to have C/D roads or grade separated ramps. The ramp radii are below spec if l recall too. Off the too of my head, l know the...
  10. Highwayguy

    Bulfinch Crossing | Congress Street Garage | West End

    Just noticed this angle with the JFK Fed building in the foreground. Has to be intentional, no? Im a fan.
  11. Highwayguy

    MBTA "Transformation" (Green Line, Red Line, & Orange Line Transformation Projects)

    The Dashboard is a great resource and l cannot commend Transit Matters enough for making it. Now that they have been raising awareness and trying to calculate it themselves for years, its well past the time when the T should have made the leaked data in that tweet publicly available. Transit...
  12. Highwayguy

    MBTA "Transformation" (Green Line, Red Line, & Orange Line Transformation Projects)

    Thanks for saying that better than I. The stuff not related to this week’s shutdown was actually the most damning. I assume everyone here already knew about all of the individual things listed, but seeing it all in one place reinforces how the T is at/ near a 2015 level of crisis once again, and...
  13. Highwayguy

    MBTA "Transformation" (Green Line, Red Line, & Orange Line Transformation Projects)

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/25/metro/t-close-part-orange-line-work-slow-zones-it-said-were-eliminated-werent-during-full-shutdown/ Slightly clickbait title, but the more public pressure/ awareness the better.
  14. Highwayguy

    MBTA "Transformation" (Green Line, Red Line, & Orange Line Transformation Projects)

    Over a month later and its still there, in addition to another one between Community and the tunnel portal where one of the trains decided to get sparky a few weeks back. The current rider experience was totally worth shutting it down for a month.
  15. Highwayguy

    Bill Russell Bridge | North Washington St.

    My understanding, please correct me if I’m wrong: - Design called for no pier caps for (very) minor ascetic reasons. -The above required tricky field welds to meet seismic requirements. -These welds were found to be impossible to complete within QC requirements. If that is true, I’d say not...
  16. Highwayguy

    Cape Cod Rail, Bridges and Highways

    Its half a mile across a few busy streets which is a very far walk for families or people lugging all of their beach gear/whatever else. The beauty and appeal of a Woods Hole timed transfer is how seamless it would be. The old stop is literally feet from the docks and one could skip the hassle...
  17. Highwayguy

    Cape Cod Rail, Bridges and Highways

    Which is why the abandonment of the line to Woods Hole pains me so much. A train to Hyannis doesn’t give a tourist (or resident) access to much of what the cape has to offer, but a train to the island ferry terminal becomes a much more attractive service by at least an order of magnitude.
  18. Highwayguy

    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Thanks! Glad to be unlucky(?)
  19. Highwayguy

    Cape Cod Rail, Bridges and Highways

    While im generally in the ‘less lanes’ camp (despite my username), Im OK with 6 on the bridges for two reasons: The additional lanes under all alternatives will be Auxiliary lanes between the adjacent on and off ramps; think an extra long ‘weave’ lane at a cloverleaf. Both mainlines will remain...
  20. Highwayguy

    General MBTA Topics (Multi Modal, Budget, MassDOT)

    Typical OL commuter but for unimportant reasons ended up taking the GL for first time in a long time N Station-Boylston this morning. Total on train time was near 15 minutes due to having to stop at every signal before proceeding, including one for about 2 mins in the tunnel that the driver...

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