Ron Newman
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2006
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This wasn't some little piece, this was a huge number of separate pieces!
So this stuff was just unremarkable, and nobody would give it a second glance?^^ What you are doing is setting a legal requirement for scrap yards to trace and verify the origins of every piece of metal that comes into their yard.
It's logistically impossible and any judge in their right mind would laugh it out of court.
That's a reasonable suggestion but it would not have really helped in this case.Lurker said:It might cut down on theft if scrap yards were required to issue checks to verified accounts instead of handing out cash no questions asked.
Longfellow repairs may mean detours for some
May 1, 2009
State engineers planning a $280 million overhaul of the Longfellow Bridge are now proposing to shut down the Cambridge-bound lanes to cars during repairs - a move that could shave at least a year off the construction timetable.
The closure of both lanes of the bridge that connects Boston and Cambridge over the Charles River would send motorists around Leverett Circle to cross to Cambridge using the Craigie bridges near the Museum of Science. Those bridges are now slated for renovations that could be completed in 2011, when the Longfellow work would begin.
However, the detours could pose complications for the Charles River Basin and the Longfellow, used daily by an estimated 128,000 commuters.
Among the potential snags raised yesterday: The 14 1/2-foot space remaining in the single travel lane would be narrower than emergency officials typically advise, said Mike O'Dowd, the Massachusetts Highway Department project manager on the Longfellow, who led about 40 people on a site visit to the bridge yesterday afternoon.
He said officials are hoping to accommodate the space using technology, such as video cameras to monitor backups on the bridge and traffic lights to change patterns in the event of an emergency. But state planners will have to meet with officials from Boston and Cambridge to determine whether they are comfortable with the space available for emergency vehicles, he said.
The massive overhaul of the 102-year-old Longfellow Bridge is long overdue but has been postponed by interim repairs done since the August 2007 bridge collapse in Minnesota heightened concerns about rusted spans nationwide.
STEPHANIE EBBERT
State announces first phase of $260M Longfellow Bridge rehab project
By Staff reports
Wicked Local Cambridge
Posted Jun 21, 2010 @ 02:24 PM
Last update Jun 21, 2010 @ 09:47 PM
Cambridge ? The historic Longfellow Bridge may be the greatest ?symbol of neglect? under the state?s previous administrations, according to Gov. Deval Patrick.
On Monday, Patrick announced that any disregard for the Charles River structure is taking a turn for the better, specifically with a $260 million rehabilitation project.
The project, announced at a press conference on the Cambridge side of the bridge, will begin this year with a $20 million early-action contract to include preparatory work, with the full reconstruction expected to begin in fall 2011.
Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles said the beginning phases of the project would have taken six years, but were minimized to six months because of Patrick?s work. ?The governor didn?t want to spend time getting ready to get ready,? said Bowles.
The project is funded by Patrick?s eight-year, $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program to repair structurally deficient and obsolete bridges across the commonwealth.
Patrick said the project will help boost the area?s economy. ?I?m proud to be a part of a team that is investing in the future of the commonwealth,? said Patrick. ?The program will create jobs right now, as well as jobs in the future.?
Work on the Longfellow Bridge is the largest of several investments totaling more than $300 million in rebuilding the bridges along the Charles River Basin, including the BU Bridge, Craigie Drawbridge, and the Western Avenue, River Street and Anderson Memorial bridges.
The initial work beginning this month on the Longfellow Bridge includes accessibility upgrades to sidewalks ? providing pedestrian access for the first time since the 1950s ? along with steel arch cleaning and priming; masonry cleaning and repairs; pump station upgrades; and temporary utility relocation.
MassDOT has gathered a task force of stakeholders in order to discuss the final design of the roadway that will best accommodate all users.
According to a press release, since Patrick?s filing of legislation to create the Accelerated Bridge Program in May 2008, the number of structurally deficient bridges has dropped from 543 to 494, a decline of more than 9 percent of bridges eligible for the program.
Other government officials attended the ceremony, including state Rep. Alice Wolf and Congressman Mike Capuano, D-8th, who said Patrick?s work is worth recognizing because the plan is finally being processed. ?The last governor made the plans, but didn?t do anything,? he said.
Jennifer Brown contributed to this report.
?symbol of neglect? under the state?s previous administrations, according to Gov. Deval Patrick