Boston Infrastructure: A Summary

[Matthew]

I did address truck deliveries. They are very important. An urban freeway does not serve their purposes. A truck, even one coming from out of town, does not need the ability to transit from one side of Boston to the other at 70mph. What they do need is the ability to get to the city in a reasonable fashion and then navigate to their specific destination, and have space to unload/load.

I brought up the Lower Manhattan expressway precisely because the same thing was promised: better truck delivery access. But in fact, it turns out that grade-separated urban freeways do not delivery better truck access, because the trucks are on the freeway, not on the surface! The primary benefit of the freeway is that people can go really fast, leaving nothing behind but exhaust, much less deliveries. The primary beneficiary of LoMEx would have been to NJ<->LI travelers. Here, the folks who most benefit from CA/T, as opposed to a surface road, are those just passing through.

However, what's done is done. If we didn't have a tunnel, then a six-lane boulevard would be understandable though unpleasant. Since we do have a tunnel, if the city wants to make the "Greenway" an inviting place to be, I agree with CBS, they should consider narrowing the six lanes of traffic that surround it. Those lanes become packed with cars and the exhaust fumes become overwhelming to anyone standing by (as I have experienced personally). As long as that's the case, it will impede redevelopment of the corridor.

 

[AmericanFolkLegend]

$22B

I always find it funny that the Big Dig is the only government program who's budget includes future debt payments. For example, when people list the DoD budget for 2012, they won't add debt because the US is living beyond it's means. Not sure how the Big Dig got saddle with this distinction...

 

[omaja]

Omaja -- Please -- we just spent 20 + years and $20B+ building the BIG DIG & huge expansion to the T (T expansion was near the top of all Transit Systems in the US)

Signiicant Road / transit construction has been constantly underway since the 1980's -- meanwhile population growth in the metropolitan area has been slow -- although population redistribution has been significant

Please, give me a break. The latest of the "huge expansion of the T" (Red Line to Alewife) you're referring to happened nearly 30 years ago! Not only that, but most of the Big Dig was substantially complete almost 10 years ago. Talk about resting on laurels!

Agreed, but what has happened since then was almost entirely focused on either highway or commuter rail. These are arguably important pieces of the overall transportation system, but they shouldn't happen at the expense of urban transit. Minimal transit expansion has happened since Alewife opened. The Southwest corridor OL doesn't count in my view, because it was replacement, rather than new service. The Big Dig completely killed the earlier focus on rapid transit.

Yes, and 25 years after the OL re-opening, we have not seen a single expansion of the core rapid transit system. Yes, a lot has happened regarding track work, station re-builds, ADA compliance, etc., but the system that existed on the map in 1987 is identical to the system we have today, 25 years later. Given the timeline you've suggested, which I don't dispute, what happened to the rest of the ideas from the '60s and '70s?

Bingo. And all of this, my friends, is really the crux of the issue. We can argue the merits all day long about the Big Dig, but at the end of the day, what did it really do? It alleviated regional traffic in the core and provided better access to the airport from the south and west; it didn't do much to increase local, core connectivity. And since we won't be slapping down any major freeways or arterial roads in the immediate area, our only real options to do what the Big Dig's scope did not include are buses and rail. Where are real proposals for extending the Orange Line to West Roxbury, making a real heavy rail Indigo Line, restoring the A and E lines, revamping the bus network, etc.?

Perhaps one of the reasons (among many, I realize, but nevertheless a part of the mix) for our slow growth -- aside from the obvious recession -- is a horrendous reputation for traffic/deficient transportation and inability to find affordable housing within reasonable commuting distance to jobs?

There's no doubt that without a significant investment in public transportation Boston's system would not be able to handle a whole heck of a lot more than it already does. You can only do so much with ancient infrastructure and aging rolling stock.

 

[Equilibria]

Where are real proposals for extending the Orange Line to West Roxbury, making a real heavy rail Indigo Line, restoring the A and E lines, revamping the bus network, etc.?

And where, in the 70s and 80s, were the highway proposals? They were languishing in bureaucracy the same way the transit projects are now. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see transit investment in the core system, starting with DMU/EMU service inside 128 on several commuter rail lines, but these things come in cycles.

Other than the 128 widening project, what highway projects have traction in MA right now? The 2 95/93 interchange projects aren't going anywhere fast. The fact of the matter is, infrastructure investment is cyclical and has a gestation period measured in decades. The next major projects in MA will probably be transit: GLX and Red/Blue Connector. Then the next round of highway upgrades will finally happen, and repeat.

The Big Dig opened 10 years ago already. Since then, all the discussion has been about how to provide the required transit compensation for it. Just because these projects aren't the most important/needed ones and don't have shovels in the soil doesn't mean the state is ignoring transit completely.

 

[AmericanFolkLegend]

Other than the 128 widening project, what highway projects have traction in MA right now? The 2 95/93 interchange projects aren't going anywhere fast. The fact of the matter is, infrastructure investment is cyclical and has a gestation period measured in decades. The next major projects in MA will probably be transit: GLX and Red/Blue Connector. Then the next round of highway upgrades will finally happen, and repeat.

Totally agree. Theonly recent highway expansion projects other than the 128 expansion that I can think were:
They just finished widening 24 ($40M?)
They just started realigning Route 2 to eliminate the Rt 2/2A interstection (~$45M).

But beyond that most of the highway money is going towards maintaining/repairing what we already have. Part of this is a legacy of the IHS being 50-60 years old. Major projects in the works:
Longfellow Bridge Reconstruction ($280M)
Whittier Bridge Reconstruction ($280M) - includes 5 miles of I-95 widening
Fall River I-195 Interchange Rebuild ($180M)

 

[whighlander]

I did address truck deliveries. They are very important. An urban freeway does not serve their purposes. A truck, even one coming from out of town, does not need the ability to transit from one side of Boston to the other at 70mph. What they do need is the ability to get to the city in a reasonable fashion and then navigate to their specific destination, and have space to unload/load.

I brought up the Lower Manhattan expressway precisely because the same thing was promised: better truck delivery access. But in fact, it turns out that grade-separated urban freeways do not delivery better truck access, because the trucks are on the freeway, not on the surface! The primary benefit of the freeway is that people can go really fast, leaving nothing behind but exhaust, much less deliveries. The primary beneficiary of LoMEx would have been to NJ<->LI travelers. Here, the folks who most benefit from CA/T, as opposed to a surface road, are those just passing through.

However, what's done is done. If we didn't have a tunnel, then a six-lane boulevard would be understandable though unpleasant. Since we do have a tunnel, if the city wants to make the "Greenway" an inviting place to be, I agree with CBS, they should consider narrowing the six lanes of traffic that surround it. Those lanes become packed with cars and the exhaust fumes become overwhelming to anyone standing by (as I have experienced personally). As long as that's the case, it will impede redevelopment of the corridor.

Mathew -- is there ever an expressway that you didn't hate?

Manhattan has wide streets and even wider avenues that provide an effecient means for trucks, buses and taxis to navidgate the length and breath of the island (with some obvious exceptions at rush hour)

Boston has only part of Boylston, part of Mass Ave, a few blocks of Comm Ave and a few other disconected chunks with the capacity of Manhattan's major streets and nothing with the capacity of 5th Ave

In Boston if you want to get from the wholesale meat markets near to Andrew Sq. to a restaurant in the North End -- you do take the Central Artery and then the surface streets along the Greenway

if you Google map satellite the mass of lanes South of the I-93 / i-90 aka the "Mother of all Interchanges" toward the Mass Ave interchange its a lot more than just the "main barrel" of I-93 including semi-parallel access roads -- all of that traffic flow has to be able to flow into Boston and much of it gets routed along the Surface Artery (aka the Greenway) -- this is not going away no matter how wishfully you think

 

[whighlander]

Totally agree. Theonly recent highway expansion projects other than the 128 expansion that I can think were:
They just finished widening 24 ($40M?)
They just started realigning Route 2 to eliminate the Rt 2/2A interstection (~$45M).

But beyond that most of the highway money is going towards maintaining/repairing what we already have. Part of this is a legacy of the IHS being 50-60 years old. Major projects in the works:
Longfellow Bridge Reconstruction ($280M)
Whittier Bridge Reconstruction ($280M) - includes 5 miles of I-95 widening
Fall River I-195 Interchange Rebuild ($180M)

AMF -- you missed the quite sucessful recent project to significantly increase the capacity of Rt-3 from Nashua to Rt-128 (4 to 6 lanes replacing every overpass)

There was also the fix of the Sagamore traffic jam which is the protoype for the I-95 (Rt-128) /I-93 Woburn soon to be built

 

[AmericanFolkLegend]

^Yes, good call Whig. I missed both of those. Though I question your characterization of the Route 3 expansion as "quite successful" - at least from the contractor's point of view. I heard Modern Continental took a bath on that design-build.

 

[whighlander]

Bingo. And all of this, my friends, is really the crux of the issue. We can argue the merits all day long about the Big Dig, but at the end of the day, what did it really do? It alleviated regional traffic in the core and provided better access to the airport from the south and west; it didn't do much to increase local, core connectivity. ....

Perhaps one of the reasons (among many, I realize, but nevertheless a part of the mix) for our slow growth -- aside from the obvious recession -- is a horrendous reputation for traffic/deficient transportation and inability to find affordable housing within reasonable commuting distance to jobs?

There's no doubt that without a significant investment in public transportation Boston's system would not be able to handle a whole heck of a lot more than it already does. You can only do so much with ancient infrastructure and aging rolling stock.

Omaja -- Somehow when I Google Map with a satellite the SPID -- all i can see is a lot of brand new highway access to N/S and W and Logan

If that is not improving "core connctivity" -- I'm not quite sure what your definition of the term means

as for aging infrastructure -- the Big Dig gave Boston the youngest core infrastructure of any major city -- not only do we have new roads we have new water, waste water, electric, fiber optic, natural gas and even steam lines in the coridor from South to North Station as all of the above had to be rerouted to make room for the undergrounding of I-93

 

[Matthew]

Mathew -- is there ever an expressway that you didn't hate?

I don't mind intercity expressways, other than the fact that they're massively subsidized by the government. I don't even really mind that, as long as it's acknowledged.

Boston's streets are not as small as often portrayed. Except for a few of the really old ones, most of them are plenty wide for trucks. The North End is one of the very few parts of the city with small streets.

And besides, if the area that is now known as the Surface Artery had been planned without a multi-billion dollar tunnel underneath it, they could have made accommodations for trucks. It's irrelevant now. The question is: what do we do with the Surface Artery to make it less like a highway + median strip and more like part of the city?

 

[whighlander]

^Yes, good call Whig. I missed both of those. Though I question your characterization of the Route 3 expansion as "quite successful" - at least from the contractor's point of view. I heard Modern Continental took a bath on that design-build.

AMF -- the contrator might have had financial problems but the work was completed on time and the road is very pleasant to drive (outside of peak rush hour)

 

[whighlander]

I don't mind intercity expressways, other than the fact that they're massively subsidized by the government. I don't even really mind that, as long as it's acknowledged.

Boston's streets are not as small as often portrayed. Except for a few of the really old ones, most of them are plenty wide for trucks. The North End is one of the very few parts of the city with small streets.

And besides, if the area that is now known as the Surface Artery had been planned without a multi-billion dollar tunnel underneath it, they could have made accommodations for trucks. It's irrelevant now. The question is: what do we do with the Surface Artery to make it less like a highway + median strip and more like part of the city?

Mathew --its really quite simple -- you just build the city around it -- treating it as pairs of wide streets with a collection of "greeny-parky things" in the middle -- a somewhat wider version of Comm Ave. There are plenty of signaled intersections to govern the speed and make it as compatible with pedestrian crossing as 5th Ave in midtown Manhattan -- when the light turns red you cross

 

[omaja]

And where, in the 70s and 80s, were the highway proposals? They were languishing in bureaucracy the same way the transit projects are now.

Considering how young the entire Interstate network was at that time, I'm not sure why there would have been much. Even still, the Big Dig originated in the late 70s/early 80s.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see transit investment in the core system, starting with DMU/EMU service inside 128 on several commuter rail lines, but these things come in cycles.

That's just the problem - it shouldn't be 100% freeways - switch - 100% transit - switch - 100% freeways, etc. etc. Deferring investment in one area while solely concentrating on the other is a losing strategy, one of always playing catch up. Letting the Central Artery languish (and allowing the Big Dig to drag on and on) for so long was inexcusable, just as letting the Red Line and Green Line operations deteriorate to the state they are in today is inexcusable.

At the end of the day, I am saying we need to both increase our investment and balance it on both roads and transit, not alternate between the two. All of the red tape - bureaucracy, politics, special interests - around infrastructure improvements is detrimental to our development. It only seems that, at least for transit, the red tape is laid on that much thicker.

Omaja -- Somehow when I Google Map with a satellite the SPID -- all i can see is a lot of brand new highway access to N/S and W and Logan

If that is not improving "core connctivity" -- I'm not quite sure what your definition of the term means

Yes, and all of that connectivity you speak of is largely regional or through in nature. I am speaking in terms of local traffic flows in general, not auto-specific ones.

 

[Max Power]

I don't mind intercity expressways, other than the fact that they're massively subsidized by the government. I don't even really mind that, as long as it's acknowledged.

Boston's streets are not as small as often portrayed. Except for a few of the really old ones, most of them are plenty wide for trucks. The North End is one of the very few parts of the city with small streets.

And besides, if the area that is now known as the Surface Artery had been planned without a multi-billion dollar tunnel underneath it, they could have made accommodations for trucks. It's irrelevant now. The question is: what do we do with the Surface Artery to make it less like a highway + median strip and more like part of the city?

Remove a couple lanes. Incentivize retail installations by giving tax breaks. Retrofitting ground floors costs money, make it easy for abutting business owners to do it.

Oh, and develop those adjacent parcels and ramp parcels....

 

[whighlander]

Remove a couple lanes. Incentivize retail installations by giving tax breaks. Retrofitting ground floors costs money, make it easy for abutting business owners to do it.

Oh, and develop those adjacent parcels and ramp parcels....

Max -- let's start with developing intesively the under-utilized ajacent parcels and redoing some of the buildings whose "backs are turned to the Greenway" to do a DYI "Curb Appeal" type of reshaping of the interface

This district just as the SPID is a work in progress it will take time to restore city life -- just as it did to recover after the trauma of the building of the original elevated Central Artery