General Infrastructure

[DZH22]

I've been on a traffic jam on the Pike at midnight. It happens.

80 minutes to go 1.6 miles without any sort of warning, when there wasn't an accident or specific event involved? Also all the other roads were CLEAR! If I stayed on 93 I would have been parked in 5 minutes. Not a single warning sign that the ramp was going to be catastrophic, or that there wasn't access to Storrow! I'm probably approaching half a million miles driven in my life and I have never experienced something like this, especially something that should have been avoidable.

 

[Blackbird]

80 minutes to go 1.6 miles without any sort of warning, when there wasn't an accident or specific event involved? Also all the other roads were CLEAR! If I stayed on 93 I would have been parked in 5 minutes. Not a single warning sign that the ramp was going to be catastrophic, or that there wasn't access to Storrow! I'm probably approaching half a million miles driven in my life and I have never experienced something like this, especially something that should have been avoidable.

Yeah, that's pretty crazy. I wonder why they wouldn't just totally block off the ramp at that point

 

[Highwayguy]

This is why best practice is to have those overhead variable message signs blank unless there is a specific message worth displaying. Every one from 495 in was probably displaying a “Road Work Leveret Connecter, Seek Alt Route” message, but since they usually only display “Use ya blinka” or a reminder to get your vehicle inspected, people tune them out. Not that I blame them, eyes should be on the road rather than (what have turned into) glorified PSA billboards.


As far as hours are concerned, starting at 8 or 9 is pretty typical. Pavement needs time to cool and contractor needs time to demobilize so the start can’t be pushed back too late, otherwise you risk impacting the AM rush.

 

[CajunAsian]

So here are the things I want to know. Who makes these decisions to do this paving work at 9 at night (maybe started earlier) when there is still too much traffic on the road? Who is responsible for actually telling people it's going to happen? I couldn't find anything about it online when I got home. I saw 0 warnings while driving until I got stuck in the jam. Even then nothing explained what was happening, and people were still trying to get onto Storrow until they figured out they couldn't. I only knew what was happening due to the "traffic on the 3's" after I was already at the point of no return. When there are no events and no accidents, it's completely insane to expect people to just deal with an unexpected 80 minute delay at 9pm. The decision makers were either completely incompetent, or else actively sticking it to drivers. It was so bad it made me think maybe we need another outlet partway down the ramp, although I don't even know where it would/should go. I was just praying for one to appear, so I could veer off and end my nightmare.

My best guess is that the PM on this project is someone at MassDOT District 6 (could also be D4 or headquarters). The actual warnings on the dot matrix displays are probably MassDOT ITMS's responsibility (their highway ops center located in the Seaport). Sounds like there was a catastrophic breakdown in communication between multiple groups of people over there for something like this to happen. Could even be that the contractors showed up and started working without adequately notifying MassDOT (I've personally experienced this on a project and it's absolutely not outside the realm of possibility). Sorry you had to go through that, sounds like a nightmare.

 

[DZH22]

Here it is. Roadwork starting at 8pm on Storrow Outbound, weekdays through 4/22. Don't get on the Leverett Connector during that time period or you're going to want to blow your brains out.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcr-traffic-advisory-storrow-drive-in-boston-4/download

Day 1 was a total failure. They need clear warning signs to keep people away from this calamity. It actually broke everybody's spirits to the point that the traffic remained shockingly civil and orderly, a rarity around here. It's like we all recognized our shared miserable experience. This has made the extreme shortlist of traffic jams I'll still remember years or decades after they happened.

 

[reno]

So does this mean DCR didn't feel it necessary to inform Mass DOT or make an alert to the media ? If so maybe somebody needs some re-training. When it comes to roadways sometimes I think DCR stands for "Don't Care Really"

 

[shmessy]

I'm not sure if this is exactly the right thread, but I need a place to vent and maybe some of you have more information.

Last night I drove downtown as I often do to walk off the stresses of the day. There were no events at the Garden nor at Fenway so it seemed like it should be a nice and easy trip. I couldn't have been more wrong! As soon as I pulled onto the Leverett Connector I knew I was screwed, but by then it was too late.

Basically, they decided to close the entrances onto Storrow from 93 (mainly from the Leverett Connector) in order to do paving. There was not a single warning that this was happening. Frankly, there should have been 10 flashing signs within a mile of the Leverett Connector telling us to seek alternate routes, but there were 0. For nearly 80 minutes, from 9 pm to 10:20 pm, I was stuck on the Leverett ramp. It usually take me about 3 minutes and last night took 80!

When there aren't any events, I'd say a solid 85-90% of the Leverett Connector traffic is headed onto Storrow. With the onramps unexpectedly closed, we were all forced up to those stacked lights near the Science Museum. We're talking about half a dozen cars at a time, maybe a few more, every light cycle, backed up all the way to where the ramp splits off 93 (not the mention those joining in from Route 1). It was pure misery. We needed 5 times as many police directing traffic because there are too many double-stacked lights in the area, so there was no outlet and everybody was stuck. I eventually went the North Station route or I don't know how much longer it might have taken me to get through those lights.

So here are the things I want to know. Who makes these decisions to do this paving work at 9 at night (maybe started earlier) when there is still too much traffic on the road? Who is responsible for actually telling people it's going to happen? I couldn't find anything about it online when I got home. I saw 0 warnings while driving until I got stuck in the jam. Even then nothing explained what was happening, and people were still trying to get onto Storrow until they figured out they couldn't. I only knew what was happening due to the "traffic on the 3's" after I was already at the point of no return. When there are no events and no accidents, it's completely insane to expect people to just deal with an unexpected 80 minute delay at 9pm. The decision makers were either completely incompetent, or else actively sticking it to drivers. It was so bad it made me think maybe we need another outlet partway down the ramp, although I don't even know where it would/should go. I was just praying for one to appear, so I could veer off and end my nightmare.

It was without a doubt the worst experience I have ever had on the Leverett Connector. I have gotten stuck on it during rush hour, and during events, but this was another level of torture and should have been completely avoidable. 80 minutes to travel approximately 1.6 miles at offpeak hours is positively soul-crushing.

You lost me at "I drove downtown to walk off the stresses of the day....."

For one's nerves "Driving downtown" is like drinking Red Bull. It brings you me no closer to Buddha. Park at at a T line terminus, take a trolley downtown and enjoy.

 

[DZH22]

You lost me at "I drove downtown to walk off the stresses of the day....."

For one's nerves "Driving downtown" is like drinking Red Bull. It brings you me no closer to Buddha. Park at at a T line terminus, take a trolley downtown and enjoy.

By 9 pm (7 really but last night was at 9) there's tons of free parking, I can walk any neighborhood I want and I'm in and out. Been doing it multiple times per week for years. I'm not talking about going during rush hour! By the time a commuter rail train even starts moving (including my ride to that train) I could already be parked downtown or in Cambridge/Somerville. If I needed to go for the day it makes sense to take the train. For a leisurely walk that doesn't hinge on a particular destination it's 100x easier to drive, other than what happened last night!

 

[737900er]

So does this mean DCR didn't feel it necessary to inform Mass DOT or make an alert to the media ? If so maybe somebody needs some re-training. When it comes to roadways sometimes I think DCR stands for "Don't Care Really"

Yep, sounds like a good, old-fashioned Massachusetts Turf War.

 

[chmeeee]

So does this mean DCR didn't feel it necessary to inform Mass DOT or make an alert to the media ? If so maybe somebody needs some re-training. When it comes to roadways sometimes I think DCR stands for "Don't Care Really"

DCR should be stripped of all responsibility for roads except for those who's primary function (key word here) is park access. The primary function of the river roads, Fellsway, Arborway, etc etc is not park access.

 

[Charlie_mta]

DCR should be stripped of all responsibility for roads except for those who's primary function (key word here) is park access. The primary function of the river roads, Fellsway, Arborway, etc etc is not park access.

I agree. MassDOT should be running the DCR roads and parkways. It would be more efficient and cost effective that way.

 

[fatnoah]

For one's nerves "Driving downtown" is like drinking Red Bull

As a former downtown resident, I don't find driving downtown to be particularly stressful. You need a mental map of where you're going and need to just accept that for many parts of the day, you're probably going to be sitting in traffic. You gotta just go with it.

That said, I much prefer walking, as I do find walking around the city to be supremely relaxing. I'm also one of those people that'll go into the city to simply walk around. On my walk yesterday, I did note that Storrow Drive near Leverett has been milled, so I expect that Connector backups will continue while they complete that work.

 

[lainpimicaja]

I agree. MassDOT should be running the DCR roads and parkways. It would be more efficient and cost effective that way.

I don't agree that MassDOT should be in charge of the parkways - their staff is still way too old-school when it comes to traffic engineering. We need to think of these parkways from a climate change perspective, not a highway planning one. In a lot of cases, they should go to whichever local jurisdiction they run through or a consortium of municipalities. Less state involvement will result in better design.

 

[Charlie_mta]

I don't agree that MassDOT should be in charge of the parkways - their staff is still way too old-school when it comes to traffic engineering. We need to think of these parkways from a climate change perspective, not a highway planning one. In a lot of cases, they should go to whichever local jurisdiction they run through or a consortium of municipalities. Less state involvement will result in better design.

Actually, after looking at MassDOT's plans for reconfiguring Rutherford Ave into a landscaped expressway, I agree with you. MassDOT would tend to highway-ize the parkways.

 

[DZH22]

When I drove into town tonight, I once again didn't see any obvious warnings to avoid the Leverett Connector, and lo and behold it was backed up all the way to 93. So apparently for the 3rd night in a row they are arbitrarily putting thousands of drivers though a hellish hour+ delay. When it took me 78 minutes the other night I also aborted to North Station and didn't try to continue through all the stacked lights, so I could see it taking most of those cars an extra 80-90 minutes to get wherever they were going once they found themselves stuck on the ramp.

Frankly, this is a completely unacceptable way to treat people coming into the city. It's probably among the top 5 rudest experiences I have ever encountered, especially considering it's on Day 3 already. There should be a multitude of warning signs to avoid the ramps and that there wasn't access to Storrow, and yet I saw nothing. I'm beyond words at this point.

 

[Brattle Loop]

When I drove into town tonight, I once again didn't see any obvious warnings to avoid the Leverett Connector, and lo and behold it was backed up all the way to 93. So apparently for the 3rd night in a row they are arbitrarily putting thousands of drivers though a hellish hour+ delay. When it took me 78 minutes the other night I also aborted to North Station and didn't try to continue through all the stacked lights, so I could see it taking most of those cars an extra 80-90 minutes to get wherever they were going once they found themselves stuck on the ramp.

Frankly, this is a completely unacceptable way to treat people coming into the city. It's probably among the top 5 rudest experiences I have ever encountered, especially considering it's on Day 3 already. There should be a multitude of warning signs to avoid the ramps and that there wasn't access to Storrow, and yet I saw nothing. I'm beyond words at this point.

The lack of any kind of warning is unacceptable. I narrowly avoided getting caught in the parking lot that was the Leverett downramp tonight, and literally the only reason I didn't was that I had read your posts in this thread and so knew about the work that was going on. Is this what it's coming to, that the best source of traffic information is ArchBoston's forum?!

 

[DZH22]

The lack of any kind of warning is unacceptable. I narrowly avoided getting caught in the parking lot that was the Leverett downramp tonight, and literally the only reason I didn't was that I had read your posts in this thread and so knew about the work that was going on. Is this what it's coming to, that the best source of traffic information is ArchBoston's forum?!

I'm glad I'm not the only person who didn't see any warning signs here. I'm going to write an angry letter to the email address in post 1325. I hope you made the most out of your extra 80 minutes!

 

[Scott]

Try Joe Green and the 'BZ copter

Edit: Seriously 1030 AM traffic and weather on the 3's

 

[DZH22]

To Carolyn Assa,
I am writing about the unacceptable lack of signage regarding the closing of Storrow Drive from April 11 through April 22, as per this advisory:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcr-traffic-advisory-storrow-drive-in-boston-4/download

I had the unfortunate experience of getting caught on the Leverett Connector Monday night at 9:00 pm, and when I drove by again last night (Wednesday, April 13) there was still 0 warning about what was going to happen, and that ramp was backed up all the way to Route 93. I'm not sure if you recognize what you are putting people through, so let me explain my experience a little further.

Normally, about 90% of that ramp traffic diverts onto Storrow at the end. By removing the onramp to Storrow, you are forcing all traffic to deal with multiple sets of stacked lights by the Science Museum. Instead of cars neatly merging onto a ramp, we instead have to deal with maybe 6-10 getting through in a given light cycle. Personally, I took the exit to North Station as soon as I could, rather than continue with the nightmare of those lights. Even so, it took me a whopping 78 minutes to travel 1.6 miles!!! That means that the people continuing through the lights (to wherever they needed to go, maybe Memorial Drive?) likely all saw 80-90 minute delays to get there.

So think about that for a moment... You have no signage whatsoever, and are arbitrarily delaying thousands of unsuspecting drivers per night for well over an hour each. Once you're on that ramp there's nowhere to go, no turning back, and you're just stuck. I have driven almost half a million miles in my life and this is the single biggest outrage I have encountered in that time. There needs to be half a dozen flashing/orange signs warning drivers, miles in advance, and then especially at the ramp. Without the Storrow outlet, the ramp absolutely is not made to handle the traffic it normally sees and people need to know that a detour is in their best interest.

The fact that it happened on the first night was crazy but understandable. However, still not having warning signs 3 nights in is possibly the rudest thing I have ever encountered. Even at the bottom of the ramp, people were still trying to cut over to Storrow until the last moment because there was no indication it was closed. Again, this is affecting thousands of people who are all unexpectedly delayed by well over an hour each. Even during rush hour the ramp moves at least twice as quickly. There were no events, no accidents, and for the 100th time NO WARNING THAT THIS WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!!

Please note that I have also CC'ed media, the city of Boston, the city of Cambridge, and have separately forwarded this along to the governor's office and other media outlets. People shouldn't be treated like this, and I shouldn't have to find some obscure online notice from DCR to know what's going on. This is a complete failure and whomever is responsible needs to add signs today, and issue a public apology tomorrow.

Thank you,
(DZH22)

 

[JeffDowntown]

To Carolyn Assa,
I am writing about the unacceptable lack of signage regarding the closing of Storrow Drive from April 11 through April 22, as per this advisory:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/dcr-traffic-advisory-storrow-drive-in-boston-4/download

I had the unfortunate experience of getting caught on the Leverett Connector Monday night at 9:00 pm, and when I drove by again last night (Wednesday, April 13) there was still 0 warning about what was going to happen, and that ramp was backed up all the way to Route 93. I'm not sure if you recognize what you are putting people through, so let me explain my experience a little further.

Normally, about 90% of that ramp traffic diverts onto Storrow at the end. By removing the onramp to Storrow, you are forcing all traffic to deal with multiple sets of stacked lights by the Science Museum. Instead of cars neatly merging onto a ramp, we instead have to deal with maybe 6-10 getting through in a given light cycle. Personally, I took the exit to North Station as soon as I could, rather than continue with the nightmare of those lights. Even so, it took me a whopping 78 minutes to travel 1.6 miles!!! That means that the people continuing through the lights (to wherever they needed to go, maybe Memorial Drive?) likely all saw 80-90 minute delays to get there.

So think about that for a moment... You have no signage whatsoever, and are arbitrarily delaying thousands of unsuspecting drivers per night for well over an hour each. Once you're on that ramp there's nowhere to go, no turning back, and you're just stuck. I have driven almost half a million miles in my life and this is the single biggest outrage I have encountered in that time. There needs to be half a dozen flashing/orange signs warning drivers, miles in advance, and then especially at the ramp. Without the Storrow outlet, the ramp absolutely is not made to handle the traffic it normally sees and people need to know that a detour is in their best interest.

The fact that it happened on the first night was crazy but understandable. However, still not having warning signs 3 nights in is possibly the rudest thing I have ever encountered. Even at the bottom of the ramp, people were still trying to cut over to Storrow until the last moment because there was no indication it was closed. Again, this is affecting thousands of people who are all unexpectedly delayed by well over an hour each. Even during rush hour the ramp moves at least twice as quickly. There were no events, no accidents, and for the 100th time NO WARNING THAT THIS WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!!

Please note that I have also CC'ed media, the city of Boston, the city of Cambridge, and have separately forwarded this along to the governor's office and other media outlets. People shouldn't be treated like this, and I shouldn't have to find some obscure online notice from DCR to know what's going on. This is a complete failure and whomever is responsible needs to add signs today, and issue a public apology tomorrow.

Thank you,
(DZH22)

Whoever is responsible needs to be summarily fired for incompetence.