Lane Reduction on Mass Pike

[BosDevelop]

Seems like folks are just starting to appreciate how much of a disaster this is going to be post Labor Day. 2 hour rush hour commutes from suburbs 10-20 miles from downtown will be the norm for the next TWO YEARS. http://www.boston.com/news/2014/08/...tory.html?p1=Topofpage:Carousel_lead_headline

 

[JeffDowntown]

Seems like folks are just starting to appreciate how much of a disaster this is going to be post Labor Day. 2 hour rush hour commutes from suburbs 10-20 miles from downtown will be the norm for the next TWO YEARS. http://www.boston.com/news/2014/08/...tory.html?p1=Topofpage:Carousel_lead_headline

Perhaps they need to look at another schedule boost on the Framingham/Worcester Line?

 

[BosDevelop]

Perhaps they need to look at another schedule boost on the Framingham/Worcester Line?

what good does it do to add service when many of these station parking lots are already filled to capacity? The reality is that most folks need to drive to the train station and if you have to get there by 7am to get a spot, that schedule doesn't always work. I generally work downtown from 9:00am-7:00-7:30pm. I'd love to take the commuter rail but the trains don't always line up with my schedule especially in the evening and if I have to wait 30+ min for the next train, I am better off driving. Or at least I was until the multi-year lane closures.

 

[JeffDowntown]

what good does it do to add service when many of these station parking lots are already filled to capacity? The reality is that most folks need to drive to the train station and if you have to get there by 7am to get a spot, that schedule doesn't always work. I generally work downtown from 9:00am-7:00-7:30pm. I'd love to take the commuter rail but the trains don't always line up with my schedule especially in the evening and if I have to wait 30+ min for the next train, I am better off driving. Or at least I was until the multi-year lane closures.

All valid points. So what we further need is the Pike people and the MBTA people at Mass DOT coordinating efforts to try to provide extra commuter parking and train capacity during a 2 year lane drop clusterf**k. (I have no idea if there are any easy options to boost parking availability, but I bet you could use car stackers or something similar if you got creative).

Of course they only work for the same State Agency, so why should we expect them to cooperate?

 

[Matthew]

Seems like folks are just starting to appreciate how much of a disaster this is going to be post Labor Day. 2 hour rush hour commutes from suburbs 10-20 miles from downtown will be the norm for the next TWO YEARS. http://www.boston.com/news/2014/08/...tory.html?p1=Topofpage:Carousel_lead_headline

Here's some coverage. That will actually help. They didn't do the media blast, the "Carmageddon" screaming this time, and as a result people were surprised. With some serious hysteria flying around, enough people will change their habits that it should be relieved. It really only takes a few percent to break the jam.

Perhaps they need to look at another schedule boost on the Framingham/Worcester Line?

They need the second track at Beacon Park. I don't know why they keep on delaying it. As it is, I often see trains go under Comm Ave as tight as they can manage it (I work nearby). A single track section where you see a train go outbound, followed by a train going inbound a few minutes later, and then another outbound a few minutes after that -- that's pretty intense for American commuter rail. But they need that second track so they can add more service and at more sensible intervals. They say this line will eventually be boosted up to 4 TPHPD or more...

what good does it do to add service when many of these station parking lots are already filled to capacity? The reality is that most folks need to drive to the train station and if you have to get there by 7am to get a spot, that schedule doesn't always work. I generally work downtown from 9:00am-7:00-7:30pm. I'd love to take the commuter rail but the trains don't always line up with my schedule especially in the evening and if I have to wait 30+ min for the next train, I am better off driving. Or at least I was until the multi-year lane closures.

Well again, if they added more service, you'd have more options...

A quick scan of parking data indicates that West Natick fills up but Framingham and west are typically available. I don't know where you're coming from...

Anyway, there are ways to handle full lots. Raising the price, for one. Encourage people to carpool to the station. Set up some shuttle buses coordinated to the schedule.

By the way, this construction is being monitored as a test run for the really big project that's coming down the pipeline: the Allston Interchange Improvement project. There they will have to rebuild the half-mile long viaduct while maintaining operations of the highway and the rail lines below. Echoes of the Big Dig. This overpass and median work is peanuts in comparison.

I will keep an ear out for mitigation measures. I've already heard someone suggest stepped-up Worcester line service as a possibility.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

They need the second track at Beacon Park. I don't know why they keep on delaying it. As it is, I often see trains go under Comm Ave as tight as they can manage it (I work nearby). A single track section where you see a train go outbound, followed by a train going inbound a few minutes later, and then another outbound a few minutes after that -- that's pretty intense for American commuter rail. But they need that second track so they can add more service and at more sensible intervals. They say this line will eventually be boosted up to 4 TPHPD or more...



Well again, if they added more service, you'd have more options...

A quick scan of parking data indicates that West Natick fills up but Framingham and west are typically available. I don't know where you're coming from...

2nd track at Beacon Park had to wait until Yawkey was finished. Once the delays started mounting, all hands got assigned to that project. They've done all the surveying and removed some of the adjacent yard rail to make space for the 2nd track. Don't know when it'll be done, but it's not far off.

That doesn't solve the problem of the complete and total lack of crossovers between the west side of Beacon Park and Wellesley Farms. And a relative paucity of crossovers between WF and Framingham. There just are not enough places for an express to pass a local, and that's why Worcester can't have a more prominent express service pattern. It's even worse when a train is making the Newton stops because then everything inside 128 is gummed up. Both directions when an outbound is running wrong-rail at those stops. Major $$$ to redo the signals and switches on the whole inner half that they're in no position to fund anytime soon.

The outer intermediate stops are lagging badly behind the league average for parking utilization. Of course they bungled it putting Ashland and Westborough far away from their respective downtowns for parking sinks in the middle of nowhere, and arguably took the inferior Grafton location next to the Tufts satellite campus instead of Route 140 where the density is. I don't even know what they were thinking with Westborough...it's so cut off from Routes 9, 30, and 135 that it's almost impossible to find from 495.

Location matters more than capacity, and they're paying the price for their bad aim right now on the stops that opened in 2000. They need a rehabilitation plan to encourage more park-and-ride users out there because those are loss-leader CR stops on operating expense.

 

[mass88]

Am I missing something? But 2 years to fix the median and the Mass Ave Bridge substructure seems a bit excessive. You would think in urban areas with high traffic volumes they would put extra crews on these types of projects to speed them up.

 

[Kahta]

I'm very confused. The construction is east of the toll plaza but you're talking about traffic headed away from the city? We're talking about the reduction of an auxiliary lane. It's really not the end of the world.

There is a lane taken away on the WB side. This is not an auxiliary lane.

Perhaps they need to look at another schedule boost on the Framingham/Worcester Line?

From what I understand from coworkers, taking the train is even worse than driving because it's almost the same cost and generally takes significantly longer.

It really only takes a few percent to break the jam.

Hard to believe-- the entire pike onramp (both lanes) was backed up onto soldier's field rd in the evening yesterday.

A quick scan of parking data indicates that West Natick fills up but Framingham and west are typically available. I don't know where you're coming from...

Anyway, there are ways to handle full lots. Raising the price, for one. Encourage people to carpool to the station. Set up some shuttle buses coordinated to the schedule.

People take the pike from more than just areas along it. Making parking more expensive or doing shuttles what make it even more inconvenient will harm ridership and push even more people to cars. I have coworkers from Auburn, Hopkinton, and Bellingham who drive in.

I'm looking at moving to the Franklin area-- let's run through my options and consider that a similar scenario applies to most everyone that takes the train from the suburbs. They already have the fixed costs of a car (insurance, excise tax, payments, etc), so the difference is really the operating costs of the car vs the train.

To get to work:
Get up at 5, leave the house at 530, get to station at 5:45.
Take the train for an hour, then take the silver line (20 minutes) get to work at 7:30 assuming best case.

to go home:
Leave my desk at 3:30, get over to south station at 3:50, take the 3:55 or 4:20 train and get back to my car, then drive home, get home around 5.

As per google maps, this would take an hour and 27 minutes.

Commuter rail pass is $300, plus another $80/month for parking.

vs driving

Get up at 530
Leave house at 6
Get to work around 7

Leave work at 3:15
Get home at 4:15 (traffic is worse in evening)

As per google maps, this takes 49 minutes without traffic (probably 40 minutes at typical 495 and Mass Pike speeds.) Untolled via 95/128/93 is probably also about an hour with the same fuel costs.

Cost is $125/month for parking at work, $300/month for gas. Probably $125 a month for tolls if I take the pike.

For an incremental cost of either $10/week or $50/week, I can save an hour of commuting time a day and have the flexibility of not being stuck to deal with train issues. If there's a major traffic issue, I can more than likely navigate around it. I don't have to deal with other people on the train, silver lane, or south station.

This scenario plays out hundreds of thousands of times a day across the Boston area. What would you pick?

By the way, this construction is being monitored as a test run for the really big project that's coming down the pipeline: the Allston Interchange Improvement project. There they will have to rebuild the half-mile long viaduct while maintaining operations of the highway and the rail lines below. Echoes of the Big Dig. This overpass and median work is peanuts in comparison.

I will keep an ear out for mitigation measures. I've already heard someone suggest stepped-up Worcester line service as a possibility.

Yeah, that's going to be a complete disaster.

 

[fattony]

^Um, yeah if you can (or are even willing) to work 7am-3pm maybe you can make driving work for you. The train takes about the same time no matter what time of day you do it. Working 8-5 or 9-6 (like most people) and trying to drive is self-torture. Not mention that a social life is pretty much impossible if you are home in your suburb by 4:15.

Also on the train you can read or work for an hour, shortening your total time in the office (assuming you don't have to be chained to your desk for specific hours). In the car you can listen to the radio or a book on tape, but you can't read email or generate content.

 

[Matthew]

Good to get a discussion with real numbers going.

I think that carpooling to the stations is an under-utilized method, and the T should be trying to encourage it instead of trying to store everybody's single-occupancy vehicle (which is plainly impossible). The T is also paying dearly for their idiotic decision making with station siting and access: it's nearly impossible to bike or walk to many of the stations, for many people. Certainly, not everyone can do that, but for each person that can, you make a small gain.

Regarding the few percent, it's a result that comes out of studies of congestion pricing, where they found that free flow could be restored just by diverting a few percent of trips. I don't remember off hand where I read that but I will try to pull it up later.

Actually that gives me another idea, one which MassDOT will never be brave enough to implement: variable toll pricing on the Pike, by time of day. Given that AET is coming before the interchange project, all they need to do is charge more for rush hour tolls, then use the money to fund cheap, or even free to use, express bus service. Or free shuttles to/from the stations that pick up/drop off people in nearby towns.

I know it doesn't sound ideal but we're dealing with a quarter-billion project that will take several years to rebuild the huge viaduct in Allston. I think some resourcefulness is warranted.

Cost is $125/month for parking at work, $300/month for gas. Probably $125 a month for tolls if I take the pike.

I have to say, that's really cheap for parking in Boston. I don't think that's typical for most folks, at least not downtown. You work out at a place near Design Center right? I-90 is a lot more convenient there than the stupid Silver Line.

 

[Equilibria]

Actually that gives me another idea, one which MassDOT will never be brave enough to implement: variable toll pricing on the Pike, by time of day. Given that AET is coming before the interchange project, all they need to do is charge more for rush hour tolls, then use the money to fund cheap, or even free to use, express bus service. Or free shuttles to/from the stations that pick up/drop off people in nearby towns.

Honestly, I think if you gave people a choice between "temporary" congestion taxing and five years of gridlock, they'd take the gridlock.

 

[Kahta]

^Um, yeah if you can (or are even willing) to work 7am-3pm maybe you can make driving work for you. The train takes about the same time no matter what time of day you do it. Working 8-5 or 9-6 (like most people) and trying to drive is self-torture. Not mention that a social life is pretty much impossible if you are home in your suburb by 4:15.

Also on the train you can read or work for an hour, shortening your total time in the office (assuming you don't have to be chained to your desk for specific hours). In the car you can listen to the radio or a book on tape, but you can't read email or generate content.

Who can afford to go out after work every day?

For what I pay for rent + everything else for a single bedroom in a 3 BR apartment now... I could buy a house in the suburbs and have a yard to grille on and ample parking to have friends over. No more roommate, never a worry about parking, and it would be about the same cost as right now.

Regarding the few percent, it's a result that comes out of studies of congestion pricing, where they found that free flow could be restored just by diverting a few percent of trips. I don't remember off hand where I read that but I will try to pull it up later.

I've read that as well-- I believe the study was done in LA. I question how our traffic demand models are given the bizarre and varying levels of access that the pike has, not to mention the impact of deficient interchange design pretty much everywhere for the pike.

Actually that gives me another idea, one which MassDOT will never be brave enough to implement: variable toll pricing on the Pike, by time of day. Given that AET is coming before the interchange project, all they need to do is charge more for rush hour tolls, then use the money to fund cheap, or even free to use, express bus service. Or free shuttles to/from the stations that pick up/drop off people in nearby towns.

I agree in principle, but I don't think the state govt can be trusted to execute.

Originally, tolls on the turnpike were supposed to go away when the bonds used to construct it were paid off... we know how that turned out.

There is a dedicated revenue stream in the sales tax for school building... and pretty much every town imaginable has had a new school built or overhauled an old one in the last 20 years with no evidence that building new schools actually has a return on investment for improved performance.

14 years ago, the legislature "paused" cutting the income tax rate to 5% at 5.3% and then set impossible financial thresholds to meet so that it would never actually go to to 5%.

In 2009, the sales tax was raised to to "fix" a funding shortfall and Mass DOT was created to remove duplicate jobs within the state.

In 2014, the sales tax and merger was not enough the Mass DOT threatened massive cuts unless they were given even more revenue.

Can you see why people might not believe that congestion pricing is temporary? I fear that it would turn into another program strays far from the original intent where the funding turns into a revenue stream to employ patronage hires and/or hand out political favors to unions that don't actually add value.

I have to say, that's really cheap for parking in Boston. I don't think that's typical for most folks, at least not downtown. You work out at a place near Design Center right? I-90 is a lot more convenient there than the stupid Silver Line.

Yes, I park at that garage. Elsewhere in the Seaport there is even cheaper parking.

 

[Matthew]

Who can afford to go out after work every day?

For what I pay for rent + everything else for a single bedroom in a 3 BR apartment now... I could buy a house in the suburbs and have a yard to grille on and ample parking to have friends over. No more roommate, never a worry about parking, and it would be about the same cost as right now.

Added cost in gas, because you'd absolutely need to drive everywhere, might eat up most of that savings.

Not gonna knock the choice though. It's up to you. I wouldn't mind grilling more. When I lived in Pittsburgh we used to grill on the (covered) front porch all the time. Pretty common there, actually. I'm sure someone can spin off an architectural thread about covered porches in Pittsburgh if they're interested.

I agree in principle, but I don't think the state govt can be trusted to execute.

Originally, tolls on the turnpike were supposed to go away when the bonds used to construct it were paid off... we know how that turned out.

Can you see why people might not believe that congestion pricing is temporary? I fear that it would turn into another program strays far from the original intent where the funding turns into a revenue stream to employ patronage hires and/or hand out political favors to unions that don't actually add value.

Well a similar story played out around the country. I think it was unrealistic of politicians to promise the whole "tolls go away when bonds finish" thing. For one thing, the bonds are a political tool, as Robert Moses demonstrated quite convincingly. For another, roads are not a one-time cost (despite the fervent beliefs of some folks), they have ongoing maintenance costs and they depreciate, eventually requiring structural replacement, as we are learning the hard way now.

The whole notion of "free ways" is pure fantasy. Nothing is free, and the every day failure of these pieces of infrastructure demonstrates that fact. You either pay with money, or with time. I think we'll see a move back towards tolling and hopefully the Feds will start to allow tolling of other interstates in congested areas. It's a much more sensible way to pay the bills and regulate the usage of the system. It's funny that the same people who complain about tolls on the highway have no problem with fares on the bus. To me, they are the same thing.

Will it turn into a funding stream for patronage? Well, that's something we have to be vigilant against. But it's no reason to oppose good public policy. The current system of having general funds be diverted into transportation has not resulted in a world free from corruption and patronage, quite the opposite really, and it costs the taxpayer quite a bit: they just can't see it because it is hidden within their income tax bill.

 

[Matthew]

Any new observations? On my end, I crossed the Pike on foot a bunch of times today and everything seemed to be flowing very smoothly in the 3-lane section, both ways. Bit of a surprise actually because the Red Sox game usually backs things up going inbound.

Actually the only back-up I saw occurred later in the usual spot -- going westbound past the Allston tolls near Everett Street overpass. There's four lanes there and that's where it usually backs up at rush hour. Same old story.

 

[millerm277]

I think that carpooling to the stations is an under-utilized method, and the T should be trying to encourage it instead of trying to store everybody's single-occupancy vehicle (which is plainly impossible). The T is also paying dearly for their idiotic decision making with station siting and access: it's nearly impossible to bike or walk to many of the stations, for many people. Certainly, not everyone can do that, but for each person that can, you make a small gain.

That is politically impractical. "Hey, we're cutting highway capacity AND jacking up the price of the alternative option!", is not going to be well-received.

Carpooling to a station is also much less practical than it appears on first glance in many cases. You're basically adding a layer of complexity. Now it isn't just everyone's schedule that has to be worked with, but it's also the train schedule itself that's an issue.

For an example, person A and B both work near each other downtown and carpool. If someone is running late in the morning or evening by a few minutes, no big deal, let the other person know. Now if they're carpooling to/from the train though, one person being off schedule by a few minutes probably means the other person losing 30min+ because you missed your train. Particularly a problem with evening commutes, as when people get out of work tends to be more variable than leaving their houses in the morning.

I'm sure you could lop off a few % with more carpooling, or dropoffs instead of parking, but I don't think it's going to be enough to make much of a dent in an at capacity lot.

Regarding the few percent, it's a result that comes out of studies of congestion pricing, where they found that free flow could be restored just by diverting a few percent of trips. I don't remember off hand where I read that but I will try to pull it up later.

I think that's talking about normal congestion, where roads don't usually go TOO over capacity, as people would switch to alternatives at a certain point, sprawl would stop because of commute times, etc. This is rather different. Development already exists, people already have jobs, etc. Their commute patterns are largely locked in without that much in alternatives. And now suddenly a large % of Pike capacity has disappeared.

The whole notion of "free ways" is pure fantasy. Nothing is free, and the every day failure of these pieces of infrastructure demonstrates that fact. You either pay with money, or with time. I think we'll see a move back towards tolling and hopefully the Feds will start to allow tolling of other interstates in congested areas. It's a much more sensible way to pay the bills and regulate the usage of the system. It's funny that the same people who complain about tolls on the highway have no problem with fares on the bus. To me, they are the same thing.

Will it turn into a funding stream for patronage? Well, that's something we have to be vigilant against. But it's no reason to oppose good public policy. The current system of having general funds be diverted into transportation has not resulted in a world free from corruption and patronage, quite the opposite really, and it costs the taxpayer quite a bit: they just can't see it because it is hidden within their income tax bill.

Per-highway tolling causes a lot of negative externalities. It pushes people to take non-tolled roads and less-efficient routes to avoid the tolls. Jamming up the local roads with traffic and trucks is not a good thing.

If the issue is funding, taxing based on vehicle miles traveled and vehicle weight (trucks are far, far more damaging to roads than cars), is probably the best option. If the goal is congestion relief, a "congestion charge" is probably a better solution than just tolling all the highways.

 

[Matthew]

That is politically impractical. "Hey, we're cutting highway capacity AND jacking up the price of the alternative option!", is not going to be well-received.

Look, it's not a situation I created. The Allston interchange project will cause a great deal of disruption in my neighborhood due to construction for many years. But it'll be better when things are done, for everyone.

I'm just trying to think up some ideas that can provide the capacity that people need. And by the way, if "jacking up the price" at the tolls/parking pays for enhanced, perhaps free, shuttle or express bus service, then it's hard to claim poverty as an excuse. Having those services available could actually lower the burden on people who currently struggle to afford to pay for an automobile-based commute.

With a little imagination, towns could design a set of schedule-coordinated shuttle buses that fan out and meet up with an enhanced commuter train schedule. Sure, there's always the few who live in transit inaccessible locations. You don't have to get everyone. Just enough. Who knows, the towns may like it so much that they keep it after the project is over.

I think that's talking about normal congestion, where roads don't usually go TOO over capacity, as people would switch to alternatives at a certain point, sprawl would stop because of commute times, etc. This is rather different. Development already exists, people already have jobs, etc. Their commute patterns are largely locked in without that much in alternatives. And now suddenly a large % of Pike capacity has disappeared.

No, it applies to the same kinds of situations. For example, the Alexander Hamilton Bridge lane shutdown of a couple years ago. That stretch of I-95 is considered to be one of the most congested in the country. And it's certainly a "key" commuting corridor, between Manhattan and the Bronx. The hype was pumped up to epic proportions: "carmageddon!" claimed many newspapers. Fort Lee, NJ scrambled police officers to man the barricades and shut down streets in case of angry drivers piling up all over the place. Guess what: it was all for naught. During the period of the construction project, even with the lane shutdown, the traffic congestion and travel times actually turned out to be better than normal. Why? Because it turns out that people can and do adjust to conditions.

It may even turn out that the Pike can manage with 6 lanes and that there's no reason to go to any particular lengths to mitigate it. Who knows? We'll find out soon enough.

Per-highway tolling causes a lot of negative externalities. It pushes people to take non-tolled roads and less-efficient routes to avoid the tolls. Jamming up the local roads with traffic and trucks is not a good thing.

If the issue is funding, taxing based on vehicle miles traveled and vehicle weight (trucks are far, far more damaging to roads than cars), is probably the best option. If the goal is congestion relief, a "congestion charge" is probably a better solution than just tolling all the highways.

Well I don't disagree in principle, but highway tolling is a lot more realistic and easier to understand. Much like paying fares on a bus. Might not be the ideal mechanism for gathering revenue as well as managing demand. But everyone understands it.

 

[BosDevelop]

Any new observations?

I have driven the rush hour commute every day this week. The last 2 days have been some of the lightest non-holiday traffic flows I have seen in years. Hence the lack of any significant backups. This morning there was no one on the road and I came in at peak time around 8:15am. But I still had issues earlier in the week. None of this matters until after Labor Day.

One thing I have been thinking is that the lane shift/closure may ultimately end up making the traffic flow a little better through the Pru tunnel eastbound all the way to 93 in the morning and immediately approaching and after the allston tolls westbound in the evening after the lane picks back up again. Both are spots where it is often pretty bad.

 

[Matthew]

Labor Day is also Sept 1st, and that will be the usual mess. I'm planning to be around this year for the show.

What I'm curious to see is how things taper down as we move on thru September and October. Do people adjust? I think they will. Will we see a spike in Framingham line ridership? Maybe. What are the lessons for the upcoming Pike project?

One thing I have been thinking is that the lane shift/closure may ultimately end up making the traffic flow a little better through the Pru tunnel eastbound all the way to 93 in the morning and immediately approaching and after the allston tolls westbound in the evening after the lane picks back up again. Both are spots where it is often pretty bad.

We've been encouraging the DOT team to think creatively here about regional traffic flow, not just the half-mile or so segment of the viaduct. We want them to think about how this might integrate with various ideas for Back Bay ramps, improve travel to Longwood/Fenway, all while reducing the impact on the local neighborhood.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem like they want to even think about what's a half mile beyond the project scope. They showed up with plans to design a full-fat viaduct for speed limit 65 mph. It doesn't make any sense. The speed limit both before and after the project scope limits is 55 mph, and that's not going to change anytime soon. What's the point of doing 65 mph for the relatively short segment on the viaduct?

If there were no other constraints then perhaps it would be fine, but we really want them to be much more flexible in making considerations. This is supposed to be a project about fixing many of the mistakes made 50 years ago, creating a new neighborhood, and freeing up space along the Charles River, among other things. Maybe it won't make a difference to our other priorities if they do 65mph instead of 55mph. Or maybe it will. But if you don't push the DOT on this, they won't even think about it.

And if there's anything -- anything at all -- that can be part of this project and make a future ramp from the Pike possible for quicker access to Longwood, we'd love to know about it. But again, they don't want to think about it...

 

[Matthew]

Just received this on the Bowker Overpass notification list, go figure:

I-90 Ramp Closures for Rapid Set Concrete Repairs – End of August Through Early September


Starting Monday, August 25th – Thursday, August 28th from 9:30 AM to 3 PM, the I-90 eastbound off-ramp at Fenway will be closed for Rapid set concrete repairs. Additional eastbound left lane closures will take place on those same days as needed at Commonwealth Avenue from 7 AM to 3 PM for project deliveries. Monday through Thursday will also have lane closures on Beacon Street beneath the overpass from 7 AM to 3 PM for demolition operations. All lanes will be open Friday, August 29th – Tuesday, September 2nd.

Lane closures will resume the following week, Wednesday September 3rd through Friday, September 5th from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Fenway eastbound off-ramp closures will take place Wednesday through Friday. Additional eastbound left lane closures will take place on those same days as needed at Commonwealth Avenue from 7 AM to 3 PM for project deliveries. Wednesday through Friday will also have lane closures on Beacon Street beneath the overpass from 7 AM to 3 PM for demolition operations.

Closure of the Fenway ramp will also take place on Saturday, September 6th from 7 AM to 4 PM and will reopen for the Red Sox game.

 

[Matthew]

By the way, all this talk about travel times has reminded me that my computer has been quietly tracking estimated (by Google) morning commute times from Framingham to the Financial District for the last two years... here's what I got for 2014: