COMMUNITY MEETING TO PRESENT THE DESIGN FOR ORIENT HEIGHTS STATION

[Beton Brut]

COMMUNITY MEETING TO PRESENT THE DESIGN FOR ORIENT HEIGHTS STATION

November 6, 2008, 6:30 PM ? 08:00 PM

Location: Orient Heights Yacht Club, 41 Bayswater Street, East Boston, MA
MBTA Attendees Public

MBTA project team will present the design for the construction of Orient Heights Station to the East Boston community and our Orient Heights Commuters.

If assistive listening devices and/or interpreters are needed for hearing, please call 711 Massachusetts Relay Service and request 617-222-3752.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

I always liked the design that they had, it was just in terrible shape. They even have those old school system maps from the 1970s (they did last time I was there at least).

 

[Beton Brut]

Van --

It's looked abandoned since the 80's. The T has failed to make even the most basic overtures to proper maintenance. The design is outmoded and the access and egress from the station creates significant and dangerous conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles on Saratoga Street.

The sensible thing to do would be to move the head house against the Frank Scarpa bridge that carries Saratoga Street over the tracks, with escalators and elevators down to the tracks. This type of design would be consistent with what we see on much of the Orange Line through the South West Corridor (Green Street, Stoney Brook), and the new Savin Hill Station.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

BB,

I agree with you totally, I was just saying that I liked it because it was the last remaining station from the original extension.

Pics:

Yeah, this isn't very safe or efficient.

This was taken years ago but I'm sure it is in just as bad a shape today.

This is that map I was talking about. Big here.

 

[Ron Newman]

The prison-like photo shows a metal fence whose purpose is to divide the fare-paid area from the unpaid area. The fence runs down the middle of both stairways as well as the bridge-corridor connecting those stairways.

This station looked unloved and uncared-for even 20 years ago when I used to visit it regularly. At that time, if you entered the station from the east side and wanted to travel outbound, you had to walk up across and down the stairway on the unpaid side, go through the fare gate, then walk up across and down the stairway again on the paid side. I don't know if that's still true today with Charlie.

That map was made some time after 1969 (since it doesn't show the Watertown A branch of the Green Line) but before 1975 (since it shows the old elevated Orange Line through Charlestown to Everett). It also shows at least two discontinued commuter rail lines, one in North Waltham and the other through Arlington and Lexington.

 

[kennedy]

Man, if I was around I would be at that meeting in no time. It is my most used T stop to date...seconded maybe to Gov't Center or Wonderland (wonderland...shudders).