General Infrastructure

I wonder if any towns will seek to avoid the MBTA Communities Law by closing commuter rail stations and eliminating bus routes in their communities?
 
Badusername said:
Can a town do that? It seems akin to a town closing a highway that runs through it.
Click to expand...

Plus, let's be honest: the law really doesn't require much for housing. If a community did do that it would be just cutting your hand off because you have a hang nail. It's not like Dover still has a CR stop to close.
 
bakgwailo said:
It's not like Dover still has a CR stop to close.
Click to expand...

That they included towns that don't have a CR is one of the reasons why this bill has nothing to do with TOD.

I think they are too late... but hopefully a town will sue, if only to possibly get the true purpose of the bill in discovery. Maybe some reason to think there would be enough demand for the expensive market rate units to get developers to bother.
 
jklo said:
That they included towns that don't have a CR is one of the reasons why this bill has nothing to do with TOD.

I think they are too late... but hopefully a town will sue, if only to possibly get the true purpose of the bill in discovery. Maybe some reason to think there would be enough demand for the expensive market rate units to get developers to bother.
Click to expand...

It requires at least one district with multi family housing as right with density of at least 15 units/acre, and that it needs to be within half a mile of a T stop (subway, CR, bus, ferry, etc). If anything the bill is extremely weak but I fail to see a grand conspiracy from Baker & Co with ulterior motives other than TOD. It's a pretty reasonable density requirement for towns that benefit from MBTA service (which the state heavily subsidizes).
 
bakgwailo said:
It requires at least one district with multi family housing as right with density of at least 15 units/acre, and that it needs to be within half a mile of a T stop (subway, CR, bus, ferry, etc).
Click to expand...

Most of the towns on the list are nowhere near a half mile from a T stop.
 
I live in Groton, and used commuter rail from Ayer for more than a couple of years to get to Cambridge - the law rightly includes towns like Groton, with a lower percentage of multifamily unit requirements than Ayer.
 
Weekend ferry service returns to hingham Memorial Day weekend. Schedule shows 55min trip time which a solid 20 min slower than weekday. They using a row boat ?
 
The pump station at McGrath Hwy project is getting started. I thought this would have started in conjunction with the giant concrete culvert being set in Somerville Ave for the past 3 years but better late than never. It's essentially a huge underground storage tank to manage storm surge from Somerville Union Sq and Cambridge that will in turn prevent some polluted storm surge from being dumped into the Millers / Charles River outfall. Somerville Community ArtFarn will share the site as well with urban farming programs.
 
Badusername said:
Slow zones spreading to the harbor now too. Need some weekend closures for water work.
Click to expand...
The new T GM has been alerted by the Trades that the ferry tracks will need to be replaced almost immediately. They are anticipating months of work out on the water (during summer months only). Yes, beer will be involved.
 
East Somerville Broadway bus lane extension to happen later this year.

Will serve Route 89 and 101 buses, bus stop consolidation will take place. This will be east of Route 28 and fill in the small missing gap where there are currently 2 lanes to move privately owned fuel tanks through each direction.

East Broadway Bus Service and Crosswalk Improvements

Background Why is the City making these changes?
www.somervillema.gov www.somervillema.gov

1680052947807.png
 
Last edited:
The westbound slip lane at the corner of Broadway and McGrath appears to concede that nothing substantial will be built on the former gas station lot.
 
What Providence Line stations have Amtrak length platforms? I believe Providence, Attleboro Back Bay and SS. Are there any others?
 
Tallguy said:
What Providence Line stations have Amtrak length platforms? I believe Providence, Attleboro Back Bay and SS. Are there any others?
Click to expand...

Route 128 must also be one, as it is an Amtrak stop (both NE Corridor and ACELA I presume?). Why would Attleboro, though, given there has never been Amtrak service there? (at least as far as I know/recall...)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top