I-90 Interchange Improvement Project & West Station | Allston

>> Connecting most if not all cross streets is a no brainer.

MassDOT's current plan has one connection - a footbridge at Malvern St that maybe someday could be widened to allow vehicular traffic

For those of you thinking that MassDOT is sandbagging their estimates for how long this will take, they are proposing to relocate some big utility pipes before the highway & rail work even starts. More info at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zh41lJLxZv-rZa_dJHjhz-woExd3RlQt
 
Harry Mattison said:
>> Connecting most if not all cross streets is a no brainer.

MassDOT's current plan has one connection - a footbridge at Malvern St that maybe someday could be widened to allow vehicular traffic

For those of you thinking that MassDOT is sandbagging their estimates for how long this will take, they are proposing to relocate some big utility pipes before the highway & rail work even starts. More info at
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zh41lJLxZv-rZa_dJHjhz-woExd3RlQt
Click to expand...

This has been discussed in some geometric detail here before, grading all of the streets on the BU side to clear the Turnpike would be difficult and expensive.
 
Very big update for the FMCB and MassDOT Board on this today. MassDOT, Harvard, the City, and other folks have been working on Harvard's "flip" proposal for West Station. MassDOT has modified Harvard's initial concept but is still working on it - one major potentially-related change is the addition of a Malvern St. transitway bridge to link West Station to the south.

The core of the "flip" is to move the straightaway Worcester Main Line to curve to the north and hug the new highway alignment, allowing the platforms to be closer to Harvard's land. MassDOT essentially rejected the idea of moving all WML service north, but accepted the idea of moving the platforms, with a track maintained on the current straightaway (presumably for express trains and Amtrak) to keep that track at 79mph. The "flip" also presupposes Grand Junction service.

Will post slides when they're up.
 
Semass said:
So the slides are up and it appears that the Harvard "Flip" puts more emphasis on the Grand Junction than previous iterations.
What would this do to prospects for the Urban Ring?
Click to expand...

Ooh nice. If Harvard wants Grand Junction it might actually happen, but we're talking 10+ years from now. Probably doesn't mean much for Urban Ring other than GJ itself.
 
Yes, but there isn't going to be a viaduct to go under any more.....Or the Harvard line WON'T go to West Station?!?!
His render puts West Station further east than the "modified flip"
 
I'm just very surprised that there are no apparent plans for future -proofing.
 
Eh, you could still turn north from this location, it just won't as direct a route. And at the moment GJR being used for Commuter Rail looks much more likely than LRV, so that's what MassDOT should have as their first consideration.
 
whittle said:
And at the moment GJR being used for Commuter Rail looks much more likely than LRV, so that's what MassDOT should have as their first consideration.
Click to expand...

Commuter Rail would be easier for sure... but I'm starting to think that the Worcester Line doesn't have any schedule room to really increase CR service beyond what's there now without something like electrification. Especially given how delay filled it is.
 
whittle said:
Eh, you could still turn north from this location, it just won't as direct a route. And at the moment GJR being used for Commuter Rail looks much more likely than LRV, so that's what MassDOT should have as their first consideration.
Click to expand...

There is no way GJ will ever see anything other than LRT. No how. No way. There are insurmountable technical issues with anything besides LRT or BRT, as discussed here at length by F Line and others. The western end of West Station in the renders is nearly 1000ft west of Cattle Dr, which is still 300 ft west of the
easiest place to put the Harvard Line under Cambridge St., where the existing Pike ramps go under it. The easternmost possible track(assuming you dont want to destroy the existing neighborhood on Seattle and Windom Sts) is still 800+ft and would greatly increase expense and disruption. And you still need to go another 400ft west of the station to get either over or under the Pike to get to Harvard. Or every LRT that enters West goes back out the way it came.That would be a nightmare. The GJ provisions must be further east to make a Harvard Green Line extension fit, unless you go under everything from the south, as Van had posited, but that has a new set of cost and logistical issues of it's own.
 
Looking at the render again, it sure looks like the intention is for the platform to be used by Worcester Line trains that will stop there. Don't think that would work with Green at all... maybe Indigo.
 
The station location MIGHT work for Harvard Line if the bus loop was flipped from west to east of Seattle St, the WML platform was moved east about 100ft, and the GJ platform was moved so that it stretched east of Cambridge St bypass, with the stairs+ elevator at the western end coming up just west of the bypass. If the platform was depressed 20 ft, you could immediately turn north under the highway and come out just east of Windom. The bypass will still be a viaduct at that point so it should be easy enough to get under (that curve under the Pike will be a speed killer though) then another underpass to get under Cattle Dr. Then a split off the GJ near the BU bridge and connect to the B Line. Straight through shot for Harvard LRT, but UR will have to do a turnaround each time.
 
Tallguy said:
he western end of West Station in the renders is nearly 1000ft west of Cattle Dr, which is still 300 ft west of the
easiest place to put the Harvard Line under Cambridge St., where the existing Pike ramps go under it.
Click to expand...
.
The ramps under Cambridge Street and the bridge will disappear when the new street grid is built
 
Charlie_mta said:
.
The ramps under Cambridge Street and the bridge will disappear when the new street grid is built
Click to expand...

Okay, that brings a potential path 300ft closer...just west of Cattle Dr....still quite a feat from the western end of the proposed GJ platform
 
If/When GLX-Harvard is ever designed and built, it probably won't have a cross-platform transfer with the Worcester Line. It will be a fare transfer with a stroll of 300'-600'. I don't think we can expect any better than that. It will be better than the Kendall transfer between GLX-UR and Red, which will also require a walk to transfer.
 
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