Manchester Infill & Small Developments

Cojapo said:
This really needed an upgrade. It's the gateway exit to the city.
That exit configuration looks pretty similar to what the state did for the Rte 108/Exeter/Stratham exit of Rte 101. That seems to flow pretty nicely.
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I totally agree man. The old set up was a PITA.
 
Study: Buses cheaper than rail expansion
Boston-Manchester line being considered

The Associated Press
October 13, 2008

Proponents of restoring passenger train service between Boston and Manchester worry a new transit study will derail their efforts.

A draft report presented recently to New Hampshire and Massachusetts transportation officials recommends using "bus-on-shoulder" travel as the chief means of reducing future congestion on Interstate 93. Commuters would be picked up at park-and-ride terminals by express buses that would travel in a 12-foot-wide breakdown lane closed to other vehicles.

HNTB, a Chicago-based transit planning company, was hired by the states two years ago to forecast traffic conditions along the I-93 corridor 20 years from now. Although the company's report leaves the door open for rail travel, it said cost was a major consideration in making bus-on-shoulder travel the No. 1 option.

It would cost almost $200 million to rebuild the old Manchester-to-Lawrence rail line, compared with about $80 million to start up the bus service, said Ken Kinney, HNTB's national director of transit planning. Operating and maintaining the rail line would cost about $9.2 million a year, while the buses would cost about $4.9 million a year.

There are other obstacles to overcome with rail, as well, he said, including residents' resistance to train noise and horns and rail safety concerns. Some former rail beds have been transformed into walking and bike riding trails, and users might not want to relinquish them, he added.
Rail supporters fear the report will lead the public to believe rail is no longer an option for southern New Hampshire. They argue that train service would not only get traffic off the highway, but would boost economic development at stops along the line.

"Why lock ourselves into a recommendation that puts off transit rail options when the landscape may be changing?" said Cliff Sinnott, executive director of the Rockingham Planning Commission.

Kit Morgan, rail and transit administrator for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, believes the report's recommendations are flexible. The first phase of the bus program wouldn't be built for five years, leaving time to perhaps establish the rail link between Salem and Lawrence, Mass., he said.

Work on the shoulder couldn't begin until the widening of a 20-mile stretch between Manchester and Salem is completed, and that construction remains mired in a legal battle between the state and the Conservation Law Foundation.
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Unfortunate, but considering how cheap-ass NH is, not surprising...
 
That is unfortunate. The Amtrak Downeater has been doing well (from what I gather), as well as Amtrak in general. More people commute to Boston from the Manchester area than from Portland too.

How far does the MBTA commuter rail come to Manchester?
 
That's a shame. I think ridership would be higher on a train, given the higher capacity. I also think the development around stations and growth of Manch. as a commuter center would be much higher with rail service. Keep fighting.
 
Manchester to Lawrence? When this service last ran, it went from Concord through Manchester and Nashua to Lowell. Those tracks still exist, though they need upgrading.
 
What looks to be on tap for Manchester right now in terms of development?
 
Josh said:
What looks to be on tap for Manchester right now in terms of development?
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Well construction is underway for the Elliot Hospital Expansion. (its pretty much a whole new hospital.) And they are awaiting proposals for a new transportation up downtown that would host bus and rail.
 
I was in Manchester yesterday. I didn't get to see the new hospital though. It didn't look as if any new construction was goin on! I was a bit disapointed.
 
Josh said:
I was in Manchester yesterday. I didn't get to see the new hospital though. It didn't look as if any new construction was goin on! I was a bit disapointed.
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I noticed this too. Last time I looked it seems like they were half way tearing down the old JacPac foods plant. I guess they might have halted construction because of snow...
 
The steel for the Airport access road bridge now spans the Merrimack. It's almost up to the point where it will go over Brown Ave. I heard that the entire project will be completed in 2012 because of the stimulus money.

I didn't get to take a look at the Elliott site while I was up there this weekend.
 
I'm about to head over to Circuit City to see what I can pick up for the cheap. I'll drive by the elliot site to see if anything has happened.
 
There's a lot more activity at the Elliot site now as they're clearing out the lot. They have even put up a sign with the picture of the development on Queen City Ave. The old Jac Pac building nearest the river is still standing and hasn't been touched.
 
ManchVegas said:
There's a lot more activity at the Elliot site now as they're clearing out the lot. They have even put up a sign with the picture of the development on Queen City Ave. The old Jac Pac building nearest the river is still standing and hasn't been touched.
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Good news. I'll drive by there tonite to see whats up.
 
I'm glad to see there are still some Manch people here. Feel free to take some pictures for us out-of-towners!
 
Corey said:
I'm glad to see there are still some Manch people here. Feel free to take some pictures for us out-of-towners!
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LoL. I lurk around on AB everyday. I just never post anything. And I've just been to lazy to take pics + my camera sucks.
 
I pic from a local news paper of the NHIA building.

24wxdmb.jpg


Also you should read the article on how NHIA has changed downtown Manch.

http://www.manchexpress.com/express081009.pdf
 
Thanks for the update. When Portland was a dump, the city tried to clean things up by doing the same exact thing (creating an arts district, which was anchored by a similar sort of institution, "The Maine College of Art" or MeCA on Congress) and it worked. I think the new building is nice looking in Manchester, I didn't realize it was so tall. 8 stories?

The rail should also be a VERY good thing for Manchester. would it be commuter or leisure travel? I wonder if it would pump people out of manchester to work in Massachusetts rather than the other way around (if its commuter). Either way I'm sure it will be a good thing for growth.
 
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