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Don't want to be too much of downer since overall, firm agree the finished bridge is a big net positive. That said…. No NB bus lane for the 111, Unprotected, unidirectional cycle tracks next to 5 lanes of traffic at the Causeway intersection, No lighting on the pedestrian underpass, 7 year...

Removing the tunnels is such a typical own goal it pains me. These tunnels are not the equivalent of the Mcarthy or Forest Hills overpass that divide and darken neighborhoods; with some window dressing at the portals, they would allow regional traffic to pass almost unseen under the new...

Thanks Charlie! Before the new signal, the weave from where the NB frontage road ends at Cross St to the left turn lanes at (the Northern) Medford St intersection must have been a complete mess; absolute sterling example of myopic 1950’s era highway design! In that case, the original designers...

Best guess: There was only width for one ramp between the Medford & Washington St intersections. The (mercifully) closed SB offramp is ~26’ wide; assuming the same width, the retaining wall of NB ramp would be about to the present NB frontage Rd bike lane. If the NB barrel remained...

Even if only one 1970’s-style, single family ranch house was proposed here, it would be an enormous win. Erasing ASAP more of the 8-lane wide crater occupying what should be one of the city’s marquee squares has to be priority #1. Everything else is gravy. Since this one also happens to get...

The question is well answered; it’s zoning/ permitting reform. The only question is if the Statehouse can find the political will to stop delegating that power to obstructionist municipalities.

It astounds me how respecting property rights has become a hot take. (Legit) externalities that escape property lines are one thing, but how are some neighbors able to decide, on land they don’t own, that a code complaint, three decker is ‘too tall’ for the downtown of an inside-128 ‘burb? So...

In 2022, Florida had 3,032 fatal traffic accidents. 89 of those were caused by running red lights. …But ~10 drivers a year die because they also chose to run a red light, but this time in front of a Brightline train. It’s not like these are passive crossings without bells and gates...

Is it poorly written? Or is the law’s relative lack of teeth (the ‘twig’) part of a compromise that got any statewide zoning reform passed at all? Even municipalities that met the Dec 31 deadline aren’t necessarily going to start bringing a meaningful number of units online. For example, the...

Speeding up the Braintree branch to 50 MPH is the best add the MBTA can buy. After a month or so of trains ripping by stop-&-go traffic on the SE Expressway at the highway speed limit, watch the public perception of the T as the option of last resort start to change real quick. I-93 congestion...

‘The user experience, physical plant, and organizational structure of the T have quantitatively improved more under Eng’s 18 months of leadership than during the previous ten General Managers, combined.’ ‘The user experience, physical plant, and organizational structure of the T are an...

Even if replicating the 5+% grades on the Science Park incline weren't possible, or if (partially) eating a floor or two of Building 46 wasn’t shockingly plausible, Grand Junction GLX starts at $2-3 Billion and escalates from there. If built, this critical piece of rail will serve the beating...

Agree with those above that root causes need to be addressed, and mitigation used in the interim. But as parked cars that obstruct sidewalks/bike lanes should be removed, or parked cars that obstruct vehicular lanes (at least overnight) are removed, the reason isn’t that societally we hate cars...

Nailed it

These are disappointing ridership numbers, esp on the weekend, no? Unless I’m (hopefully) missing something, the fiscal argument for increased frequency is that the added flexibility of extra trips would increase overall ridership more than the increase in service, even if the added trains...

Wow, a good faith discussion over zoning?!? Gotta go play the lottery after this… I totally get your point and this is an aspect where l think, counterintuitively, the MBTA Communities bill being more forceful would be more equitable towards the towns that have previously upzoned. Rather than...

When were you there if I may ask? Lowell definitely has a much different ‘vibe’ when Umass is in session, especially downtown.

Agree with your overall point, but from the material Ive seen, it does appear that a lot of effort is being spent on providing high quality paths over both bridges. Good bike infra isn’t an alternative for the long distance traffic using the bridges obviously, but it also ain’t nothing. Sure...

110%, but it is now at least happening even if its at a rate well below where it should. 10 years ago l would have been laughed out of the room if l predicted DOT would wholesale remove an urban freeway without a building a functional replacement at least nearby. Progress is still way too slow...

Outright deletion, at least on the scale l think you are referring to, is rare for multiple (and IMO legitimate) reasons, but at least in MA, it is not uncommon for projects to explicitly remove capacity. By far the biggest and best example is the Rt 79 project down in Fall River where DOT is...