I-90 Interchange Improvement Project & West Station | Allston

stellarfun said:
Looking at Houghton's existing plant in Scranton, not on a spur. But a 1000 feet away, there is a large parcel on a spur, and whatever was on the parcel was demolished and cleared. Right at an Interstate interchange as well.

Houghton has facilities in NJ, Scranton, Pittsburgh, two in Illinois, and two on the West Coast. My guess is that the HQ, the administrative functions, and the research function remains in Allston, and perhaps small batch or specialty product manufacturing.
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All of those East-of-Mississippi locations are served by Norfolk Southern. Scranton's on the same route they use to reach Albany and the Patriot Corridor in MA (which they 50/50 own with Pan Am). They could've been accommodating and attempted to find a site in Charlestown, Eastie, Revere, Everett, Chelsea, etc. served by Pan Am where they could get their loads straight from Norfolk Southern in Ayer cheaper and at greater scale than CSX in Allston, to direct boost of their bottom-line and national reach. Take your pick of any open parcels at Moran or Everett Terminals, on Route 1A next to the East Boston Branch, or on the Eastern Route in the Eastern Ave. vicinity. Nope..."Screw you; not gonna try."


I can't see them keeping any manufacturing capacity in Allston 5 years from now; it's nearly pointless for their bottom line. Maybe the Boston-bred Founder & CEO downsizes to an admin office with 50 or fewer employees in a suite of some local office building, but their days with any sort of tangible footprint on the local economy are done. All because usual-suspect opaque ivory towers didn't take information sharing seriously in a working group that was all about info sharing between public-private stakeholders.

Heckuva job, all involved!
 
whighlander, your excoriation of the Green Mafia (Greenies) is irrelevant. In the case of Houghton, Boston sits at the polar end of both the raw material/product delivery and end product distribution chains, so transportation economics are a big factor.

And if you had taken a course in chemistry at MIT, and if you had been curious enough to look up the raw product used in the manufacturing of ethylene glycol. you would have learned it is ethylene oxide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_oxide

As the surrounding neighborhood was developed, the insurance premium to cover potential future liability would likely have forced Houghton to eventually send any ethylene glycol production in Allston to somewhere else.
 
stellarfun said:
whighlander, your excoriation of the Green Mafia (Greenies) is irrelevant. In the case of Houghton, Boston sits at the polar end of both the raw material/product delivery and end product distribution chains, so transportation economics are a big factor.

And if you had taken a course in chemistry at MIT, and if you had been curious enough to look up the raw product used in the manufacturing of ethylene glycol. you would have learned it is ethylene oxide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_oxide

As the surrounding neighborhood was developed, the insurance premium to cover potential future liability would likely have forced Houghton to eventually send any ethylene glycol production in Allston to somewhere else.
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Stellar -- actually I took several subjects offered by the Chemistry Department including one in organic chemical synthesis -- in which some of the things we synthesized [on paper] were not distributed as class notes -- if you get my drift

Now if instead you had said -- if you had taken any subjects at MIT in Biology you would have been on the right track -- Biology as a requirement for all undergraduates was not yet part of the curriculum

But anyway -- my point to F-Line was not about the abstruse details of some chemical product and its feedstocks -- there are plenty of companies in Greater Boston still producing chemicals of substantial toxicity and flammability and we are from time to time reminded of such by explosions and fires

5 injured in North Andover chemical plant explosion
Crews sent to DOW Chemical

UPDATED 11:33 PM EST Jan 07, 2016

The explosion was so powerful that neighbors blocks away felt it.

"We heard a very loud boom and the house shook," Kaela Henessey said.

North Andover Town Manager Andrew Maylor said the incident happened quickly and there was no danger to the surrounding area.

The North Andover plant develops materials used in manufacturing LED lights for Dow Chemical.

Investigators said the workers were handling the chemical trimethyl aluminum, and it appeared it came into contact with water or air, which produced the powerful explosion inside the plant.
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No my point is that starting under DuKakis and accelerating under deVal the Green Mafia has worked like termites inside the walls to undermine manufacturing in MA through very onerous regulations and most critically driving our already high costs of energy through the proverbial roof

Contrary to the stated goals of our liberal friends to be friends with the working poor -- these policies have directly acted against the working poor.

To reiterate -- Google, Novartis, IBM are hardly affected but they don't employ the blueish collars -- its the small mom & pop manufactury that shuts down after a century, or the manufacturer acquired by a big company and all but admin and R&D goes to someplace cheaper
 
Mass manufacturing of cheap products has not been viable in New England since the 1920s-1930s which was when the textile mills first started leaving and since then it has been a long slow drawn out process of even the more niche manufacturers leaving. You don't actually need manufacturing for a healthy economy if we as a society just decided that retail/service industry workers needed to be payed fairly for their work and raised the minimum wage to a livable wage. What has prevented that is this myth that only by bringing back manufacturing jobs can we have stable low income jobs again and that just won't happen so we need to adapt and understand that people working at Star Market need to earn a livable wage just like the people who used to work at XYZ manufacturing plant.
 
Before this thread goes careening off the Houghton spur and into the Charles, two points:

1.) The manufacturing economy of Boston, or of Massachusetts, or New England, or the United States is not a Mittelstand economy.

2.) A series of laws first enacted in the Nixon Administration established national environmental standards, both with respect to the quality of the air, land, and water; and the levels of control that were/are to be achieved by pollution sources, --regardless of location. National standards exist because otherwise it becomes a race to the bottom, as states and localities dangle economic incentives to lure plants and industry.
 
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A Public Information meeting will be held by MassDOT to discuss the Allston I-90, Massachusetts Turnpike Interchange Improvement Project in the City of Boston, MA.

WHERE: The Jackson Mann Community Center Auditorium 500 Cambridge Street Allston, Massachusetts, 02134

WHEN: Thursday, December 8, 2016 @ 6:30PM

PURPOSE: The purpose of this meeting is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with progress made over the course of 2016 on concept development for the replacement of the I-90 Allston Interchange. The meeting will also provide information regarding the next phase of project development. All views and comments made at the meeting will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Meeting regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Patricia Leavenworth, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, ATTN: Bridge Project Management, Project File No. 606475. Such submissions will also be accepted at the meeting. Mailed statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the public meeting transcript must be postmarked within ten (10) business days of this Public Meeting. Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us.

http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Even...40/ItemID/2500/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx
 
There's some good discussion at Railroad.Net on the new report and negotiations between Harvard and MASSDOT to reduce (as shown) the MBTA yard in the new development area.

The report is at http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/A...r February 13 Joint Board Meeting.pdf#page=30

My favorite alternative is this one. It provides a more direct connection between Soldiers Field Road (SFR) and the Mass Pike, and would reduce the congestion at the SFR and Cambridge Street intersection.

32854207781_28eb72b3cf_b.jpg
 
Charlie_mta said:
There's some good discussion at Railroad.Net on the new report and negotiations between Harvard and MASSDOT to reduce (as shown) the MBTA yard in the new development area.

The report is at http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/A...r February 13 Joint Board Meeting.pdf#page=30

My favorite alternative is this one. It provides a more direct connection between Soldiers Field Road (SFR) and the Mass Pike, and would reduce the congestion at the SFR and Cambridge Street intersection.
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Is that not what they went with? It's the one in the actual presentation (minus the N/S connectors).
 
The report sort of implied that, but the new underpass on SFR is missing from the first 3K Alternative shown, which shows an elevated footbridge over SFR instead.

If they can't finance the SLR underpass, then an at-grade intersection should be built at that location to allow traffic to get from WB SFR to WB Mass Pike without having to go through the SFR/Cambridge Street choke point.
 
Charlie_mta said:
The report sort of implied that, but the new underpass on SFR is missing from the first 3K Alternative shown, which shows an elevated footbridge over SFR instead.

If they can't finance the SLR underpass, then an at-grade intersection should be built at that location to allow traffic to get from WB SFR to WB Mass Pike without having to go through the SFR/Cambridge Street choke point.
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I'm taking Slide 14 as the current plan, but that could be a mistake. Dunno.
 
I was there at the meeting 2 weeks ago, so perhaps I'll write some notes that weren't immediately obvious from the slides:

- There was a lot of discussion around the size of the new streets. If you look carefully, nearly all of the intersections are between two 6+ lane roads. The traffic engineers insist that this is necessary to spread out the traffic coming off the pike. People haven't been very pleased with this over the last year and how a neighborhood can function with huge roads you need to cross every 200 feet.

- The Solider's Field Road underpass seems like it's in the final plan. There was a rail spur on a tiny strip of land to the north west of this project that was donated by some company. This somehow made it easier to have SFR dive away from the river earlier and better allow for the underpass/allow for a 10 foot wide bike/ped path along the river. The bike lane wasn't going to be that wide originally if I remember.

- There is zero consensus on North/South connections with Comm Ave. You can forget that picture above with 3 connections to Comm Ave. A BU representative spoke up and said that they are trying to work with the city to have Malvern Street as the sole connector. However, this connector could be any number of things: Bus/Ped only, one way car, or 2 way car.

- There is a surprising late push to have the highway be at grade the whole way. This will not only save money but also not leave a hulking viaduct over the Allston esplanade ( or whatever they want to call it). The neck where everything comes together is the only sticking point. We are literally talking a few feet as to whether this will work or not, as a bike path, Soldier's Field road, I-90, and the train tracks have to come together. Apparently this can all work if the highway lanes are 11 feet wide (which the DOT doesn't like, but recently approved lanes this narrow in Wisconsin or somewhere) and the bike path is cantilevered out over the river. Additionally, a new survey was performed recently and they might have gained a few extra feet somewhere. I would put even money on at-grade happening given the 2 fold savings in highway spending and quality of life issues.

-EDIT: One more important point I forgot. There are rumblings that the state does not want to build the commuter rail stop on the first pass. They want to see how the neighborhood develops first and then build as demand allows. Don't shoot the messenger.
 
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Brookline-ish said:
The Solider's Field Road underpass seems like it's in the final plan. There was a rail spur on a tiny strip of land to the north west of this project that was donated by some company. This somehow made it easier to have SFR dive away from the river earlier and better allow for the underpass/allow for a 10 foot wide bike/ped path along the river. The bike lane wasn't going to be that wide originally if I remember.
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This is huge news. Combined with the connector on the north, that would allow an elimination of potentially all of the movements to/from SFR at River St. It would eliminate the intersection entirely, with a full 3 lanes of through traffic across the bridge into Cambridge.

The sticking point would be Pike/Cambridge St. access to SFR WB. I think it's worth figuring that one out...
 
Why can't SFR swing under the Pike overpass over by StuVi, where it is one concrete barrier away from a very constricted bike/walking path? It's one of the worst sections of SFR + Path.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
Why can't SFR swing under the Pike overpass over by StuVi, where it is one concrete barrier away from a very constricted bike/walking path? It's one of the worst sections of SFR + Path.
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I believe this has to do with the Grand Junction railroad line going into Cambridge at the BU Bridge. It crosses under the I-90 viaduct/over Soldier's Field Road. If SFR is under the viaduct I don't think it could cross to the north side. Kind of a shame actually, because this would be pretty smart.
 
Current state of Beacon Park as of this weekend. It's hard to tell since I'm usually on the left side of I-90 heading inbound, but it looks like they've been doing some digging/concrete pouring(?) where the old intermodal yard used to be (closest to I-90). CSX has also been hauling "dirty dirt" out of the engine terminal area, though I'm not sure if that is specifically from Beacon Park.

ZhQCdT3.jpg
 
Are they adding a new lane past this right after new balance? Theyre doing something over there and I hope it alleviates some traffic problems.
 
dunno if anyone here would benefit, but i wasn't clear why they'd be able to get more commuter trains from Worcester to Boston just by moving the yards. i'm riding in the caboose, but i made it aboard w/ a keg of good ale.


http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=29356

CSX to double size of its freight yard in Worcester, Mass.

(The following story by Nick Kotsopoulos appeared on the Telegram & Gazette website on February 20, 2010.)

WORCESTER, Mass. — CSX Corp. plans to more than double the size of its freight yard on Franklin Street and make the city its new freight hub for New England.

The $100 million project is part of a private-public partnership between the state and CSX to reposition its freight operations in Massachusetts, so the rail line between Worcester and Boston can be opened up to more commuter trains, with a goal of eventually reaching 20 to 25 commuter trains per day, according to Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray.

There are currently 12 round trips per day between Worcester and Boston. The Worcester-Framingham line carries more than 9,000 passengers into Boston each weekday.

CSX has long operated a freight yard in the Franklin Street area, just east of Interstate 290. About 400 trucks per day enter and exit the 23-acre facility.

But because CSX will be moving its main freight operations out of its Beacon Park yards in the Allston section of Boston, the company needs to reposition its freight activity at existing rail yards it has in Central and Western Massachusetts.

As a result, Maurice O'Connell, vice president of government affairs for CSX, said yesterday the company wants to expand its freight facility in Worcester by another 28 acres, boosting it to 51 acres.

To accomplish the expansion, Mr. O'Connell said, CSX is looking to assemble 11 parcels of privately owned commercial properties near the existing freight yard, as well as acquire portions of public streets.

He emphasized no land will be taken through eminent domain and the parcels will be acquired through privately negotiated sales.

Mr. O'Connell said what makes Worcester most attractive as a freight rail hub for New England is its east-west and north-south rail connections, along with its access to Interstates 290 and 190 and the Massachusetts Turnpike. He said what often happens now is that freight shipped on rail to Boston from points west has to be trucked back to Central and Western Massachusetts.

“(Worcester) is where our customers want to be,” he said. “They prefer to be in the Worcester area because it is an ideal location for them to get their products out. Not only will this distribution create new jobs, but it will also create a number of other economic development opportunities in the city.”

The biggest tract of land that CSX is looking to acquire is directly across from its freight yard on Franklin Street — an area bounded by Franklin Street to the north and Grafton Street to the south and which includes a vacant Shaw's supermarket.

The entrance to the CSX freight yard would be relocated from Franklin Street to Grafton Street, to provide easier access to I-290 and reduce the amount of truck traffic on city streets. A 120-foot acceleration lane will be constructed at the new terminal entrance on Grafton Street to facilitate the movement of exiting traffic into the westbound travel lanes on Grafton Street.

Another key part of the expansion project is an overpass that will be constructed on Franklin Street, so trucks and containers could be easily moved from the rail lines to within the freight yard without them having to go on to city streets. The Franklin Street overpass will be constructed by CSX.

Also, while the CSX freight yard now ends near Fantasia Drive, the company is looking to extend it from that point along the railroad tracks to about Atlanta Street. The intent is to create areas where freight trains can be unloaded without having to tie up the rail lines for commuter rail use.

CSX will also rebuild a retaining wall along Franklin Street that has fallen into disrepair and is a source of much concern among some city councilors, as well as create landscape buffers along the perimeters of the freight yard.

Jamey L. Tesler, deputy secretary for the state Department of Transportation, said no state or city funding will be used to finance the expansion project. He said CSX will pay the entire bill for the project from money it will receive from the state for the purchase of the property rights of the Boston-to-Worcester rail line and the New Bedford-to-Fall River line.

“In order to open up the tracks for more commuter rail use, we had to find a place for (the freight operations) to go,” Mr. Tesler said. “We feel we have come up with a solution that will allow for more commuter rail while also benefiting the freight network. This has the potential for a lot of job growth.”

Mr. O'Connell said it is anticipated the expanded freight operations will add another 80 to 100 truck trips per day to the freight yard. He added that the design of the new entrance will eliminate the queuing of trucks that often now occurs on Franklin Street because of its configuration.

He said the project is expected to create 370 construction jobs, and 50 jobs once the freight terminal is completed, which is projected to be in September 2012.

Mr. Murray and City Manager Michael V. O'Brien praised CSX for being willing to make such a significant investment in city. The lieutenant governor, who has been fighting to increase the number of commuter rail trains in Worcester since his days as the city's mayor, said CSX's planned expansion is the “highest and best use” of properties along the Shrewsbury and Franklin streets, and it should serve as an investment catalysts for those areas and the Canal District.

“This is would be a consistent reuse of these properties,” Mr. Murray said. “More importantly, it could lead to additional significant private investment in that area and in this city.”

City Manager O'Brien will formally present the plan to the City Council Tuesday night. He said it has to go before the council because the plan requires zoning map amendments and the discontinuation of portions of some public streets and utility easements.

Mayor Joseph C. O'Brien said the plan will likely be referred to the council's Public Works and Public Service and Transportation committees for a joint review.

The plan will also have to go before the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and Historical Commission. Once all city approvals have been obtained, CSX anticipates a two-year construction process.

Monday, February 22, 2010
 
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