General Infrastructure

bostoneophyte said:
MassDot is building ground parking lots under the I-93 overpass, will create a new public space, extend the harbor walk and connect the south bay harbor trail to Kneeland street:http://blog.mass.gov/transportation...eks-interest-parking-availability-under-i-93/
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Lot 5 in this proposal -- accessible from Traveler street, is going to cause traffic nightmares. The Traveler street access has to be under I-93 where traffic converges from the South End and South Boston to access 93 South, 90 West, Airport via HOV and Chinatown/Kneeland Street. Good luck getting in or out of that lot!
 
Does anyone have information, or updates as to any progress in the 93/95 (Woburn) interchange redesign proposals? Seems to have been quiet for a little while now.
 
Oh boy, I've got to publish my idea asap. Damn work and stuff.
 
Matthew said:
Ari chimes in on the Mass Pike "interchange improvement" project (what they're calling it now, according to officials): http://amateurplanner.blogspot.com/2013/11/allston-brighton-toll-straightening.html

edit: it's "interchange improvement" my mistake
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A couple comments on that plan:

1) That left side exit from the Pike eastbound isn't going to fly with the DOT; that kind of thing is frowned upon these days.

2) The whole double decking of the Pike that leads to the left exit isn't really necessary. There's plenty of room to have them side by side. No need to get too fancy.

3)I like the rerouting of SFR from the waterfront, but I wonder if Harvard is really going to be that flexible to allow SFR to go through the middle of their campus, even if the majority of it is decked.
 
Pretty much all the idea looks pretty good. My two cents is expanding on "The Amateur Planner" concluding paragraph.

This project really shouldn't be viewed in isolation. If this expands to also include SFR, it should include Bowker Overpass with Storrow Drive. Rework SFR to go into the Pike. Rework the Bowker area to ramp to the Pike. Close down Storrow to roughly the Beacon St. Exits or Charles MGH area. Set tolls on west of the ramps.
 
ant8904 said:
Pretty much all the idea looks pretty good. My two cents is expanding on "The Amateur Planner" concluding paragraph.

This project really shouldn't be viewed in isolation. If this expands to also include SFR, it should include Bowker Overpass with Storrow Drive. Rework SFR to go into the Pike. Rework the Bowker area to ramp to the Pike. Close down Storrow to roughly the Beacon St. Exits or Charles MGH area. Set tolls on west of the ramps.
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Exactly, the scope of this project should really be the pike from the Newton boarder to Charlesgate, and reevaluating Memorial/Greenough and Storrow/SFR near Allston. Anything that doesn't take into account all those factors is no more than a really, really expensive band-aid.
 
Hi,

There are a lot of excellent ideas and creative thinking here about the Mass Pike straightening and the opportunities it creates! This project is going to move forward rapidly in 2014 and a group of Allston neighbors are working with LivableStreets, WalkBoston, and the Boston Cyclists Union to build a strong advocacy movement for this project.

It would be great to have people interested in this project join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AllstonFootbridge/ and our email list at http://eepurl.com/IGRyj so that we can work together on this.

Thanks
Harry
 
Only a few days left...

Callahan Tunnel Rehabilitation Project

The tunnel will be closed to all traffic beginning at 11:00 PM on December 27, 2013 through March 12, 2014.

Complete list of Detour Maps and Trip Planning Aids

View examples of Tunnel Deterioration (!!!)

Phases of Work:

callahanAnatomy_400.jpg


This diagram depicts the tunnel’s elements, including: the exterior tube; the deck, which is the 21’3”-wide roadway area and supports; the wall panels; the curb system, which is integral to the deck, and the supply and exhaust plenums.
The tunnel rehabilitation work will be performed in three major phases. In Phase One, the tunnel will be closed for up to two-and-a-half months (from December 27, 2013 to March 12, 2014) to replace the deck and curb. The contract between MassDOT and the builder provides significant incentives if the tunnel is reopened early and major disincentives in the unlikely event that the tunnel is opened late. The second phase of work is primarily the wall panel replacement. During this phase (from March 13, 2014 to late August 2014) the tunnel will be open and no work will be performed during the day, but the tunnel will be closed overnight from 11 PM to 5 AM to allow the contractor to replace the wall panels. From August to mid-November, 2014, the Phase Three finish work will be performed during off-peak hours.

More at:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/CallahanTunnelRehabilitationProject.aspx
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From the Detours page:
Public Transit

MBTA Bus Routes 424, 434, and 450 have Temporary schedule changes (PDF) which will take effect beginning Monday, December 30, 2013:

Route 424, 434 and 450 trips to/from Haymarket Station will travel via Revere Beach Parkway (Rt. 16) and the Tobin Bridge to/from Bell Circle.
Weekday service for bus stops on Route 1A between Bell Circle and Addison Street in East Boston will only be provided by Route 459.

Blue Line - Extended hours at Bowdoin Station will begin on Saturday, December 28th:

Weekdays 5:15AM – 12:30AM
Saturdays 5:15AM – 12:30AM
Sundays 6:15AM – 12:30AM


Some detour maps:
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These detours are going to be such an epic clusterfuck.
 
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Huh, I never knew before that there is no connection between 93S and 90E.
 
Isn't the most logical detour 93S -> exit 24 -> Greenway to Congress St -> Service Road -> South Boston Bypass -> 90E? I suppose you could be looking at an oversaturated Greenway and local South Boston streets... but still. The rest of those are just ouch.
 
omaja said:
Isn't the most logical detour 93S -> exit 24 -> Greenway to Congress St -> Service Road -> South Boston Bypass -> 90E? I suppose you could be looking at an oversaturated Greenway and local South Boston streets... but still. The rest of those are just ouch.
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They're also opening the 90E HOV lane from the South Station connector to the ted - from 93 S you'd get off at Dewey Sq. then proceed south on the surface to the HOV lane.

And we all know there are any number of local / surface shortcuts and corner cuts that can do better than these alternate routes - e.g. through chelsea from the tobin, rather than all the way up to 16, or down arlington st from storrow to the 90E onramp under the southeast expressway.

But don't tell anyone, because that would ruin the advantage of local knowledge;) I commute daily from Eastie to Needham and I'm expecting max pain.
 
They really couldn't wait until the Alford St bridge is finished to do this?
 
Why does the detour go up to Route 16 instead of exiting the Tobin in Chelsea and going over the Meridian Street bridge into East Boston?

(maybe because it's a drawbridge?)
 
Ron Newman said:
Why does the detour go up to Route 16 instead of exiting the Tobin in Chelsea and going over the Meridian Street bridge into East Boston?

(maybe because it's a drawbridge?)
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As a Chelsea resident that drives, let me just say there is enough traffic on Meridian and Chelsea streets as is. The 116 and 117 would be even more fucked than usual. I suspect MassDOT knows this (in addition to them being bridges that really hold up traffic for a long time) and is taking the path of least destruction by using Rt 16, as it's usually flowing pretty nicely (1A is another story). Let these shorter detours just be a secret to us locals.

They also opened up the Martin A Coughlin Bypass Rd off Chelsea St that leads to local streets around Logan to all traffic a few weeks ago too.
 
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Is there a map somewhere showing exactly where the Coughlin Bypass Road is and goes? Google Maps has shoehorned some of it into the map layer, but it doesn't show on the satellite layer. Does it go only to the airport, or can I also use it to reach Saratoga Street from the Chelsea Street bridge?
 
Also, if you exit I-93 south at Exit 18 to go to the South Boston Bypass road, does the ramp directly connect or do you have to make left turns at intersections?
 
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