Replacing the Tobin with a tunnel

[FK4]

Well this thread might not get too much action but I was just thinking how much more sense it would have made for a tunnel under the mystic - why this wasn't done in not really sure, since it must've at least been a lot easier than tunneling under the harbor. It's not gonna happen, but nice to imagine..

At any rate, the benefit to Chelsea and Charlestown not having the hulking elevated would be immense. And, perhaps more so, it would allow the knitting back together of Charlestown and the navy yard, and open up tons of land for development.

 

[George_Apley]

The expense of the lead tunnels would be major. My thought though is that the cross-Mystic tunnel itself would require a lot of expensive and environmentally challenging dredging to keep loaded freighters clear of the tunnel's roof.

I totally think it would be far better than exists, but I doubt it will be considered as long as the Tobin is a healthy bridge.

 

[Arlington]

I totally think it would be far better than exists, but I doubt it will be considered as long as the Tobin is a healthy bridge.

"Worse" I think they're doing what they must to keep the Tobin healthy.

 

[Digital_Islandboy]

The expense of the lead tunnels would be major. My thought though is that the cross-Mystic tunnel itself would require a lot of expensive and environmentally challenging dredging to keep loaded freighters clear of the tunnel's roof.

I totally think it would be far better than what exists, but I doubt it will be considered as long as the Tobin is a healthy bridge.

I wondered the same thing... I doubt there's enough space to build a new replacement 2-land bridge next to the current structure, and it's that same era as what Upper and Lower decks used to be made out of. The Tobin's life-span could be up in a few decades (if that).

There's already a partial tunnel leading from the Zakim Bridge.... It passes below MA-99 and City Square, then runs parallel to Chelsea St. and then goes back above ground and then up in the air... If you flollow the loop from the Zakim you can see the current tunnel at the base of the Tobin Bridge incline.

 

[Digital_Islandboy]

Those freighters should be offloaded at one of the outer harbor islands and fed by pipeline back into Boston. It would be much safer that way. Mayor Menino was always nervous about what would happen to the City of Boston if a terrorist detonated one of those fuel ships close to downtown Boston core. Given the risk, more effort should have been made for the fuel to be offloaded way offshore and then piped in from there.

 

[WormtownNative]

Those freighters should be offloaded at one of the outer harbor islands and fed by pipeline back into Boston. It would be much safer that way. Mayor Menino was always nervous about what would happen to the City of Boston if a terrorist detonated one of those fuel ships close to downtown Boston core. Given the risk, more effort should have been made for the fuel to be offloaded way offshore and then piped in from there.

And how are we going to do that through a major national and state park?

 

[George_Apley]

Those freighters should be offloaded at one of the outer harbor islands and fed by pipeline back into Boston. It would be much safer that way. Mayor Menino was always nervous about what would happen to the City of Boston if a terrorist detonated one of those fuel ships close to downtown Boston core. Given the risk, more effort should have been made for the fuel to be offloaded way offshore and then piped in from there.

The LNGs aren't the only large freighters going under the Tobin. The Charlestown Autoport takes transport ships with a very deep draft when fully loaded, as do the salt-freighters.

 

[tangent]

"Worse" I think they're doing what they must to keep the Tobin healthy.

Have you driven over the Tobin? Seems like it is rusting even faster than before all the work.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Have you driven over the Tobin? Seems like it is rusting even faster than before all the work.

That's a 'feature'. Type of paint they use on it is designed to corrode in a specific way in the salt air to minimize flaking contaminants into the ocean. And because of that they are in a constant state of painting...finish one cycle and immediately start the next. Braga Bridge in Fall River is the same, Sagamore and Bourne Bridges are the same. If the Tobin seems more maintenance-intensive than those other 3 it's only because it's the longest.

This is pretty common for a number of mile-long truss spans in cold Northeastern weather that cross harbors, river mouths, or open Atlantic. Not reflective of advanced aging at all. Tobin's so overbuilt to an extreme it'll be celebrating its 100th birthday in 2050 by the time it needs replacement due to structural obsolescence, and the Braga is practically a baby at only 49 years old.

 

[tangent]

Is the cracking concrete of support columns also a "feature"? Although, there are many highway overpasses that are in much worse condition. I took another look yesterday, the rust on the main span isn't as bad, although starting to show in a few places where it had been painted, It's really at either end of the bridge, where I don't recall them doing any repairs. Probably outside the scope of the project for some reason, either way the elevated approaches (which I would consider as part of the Tobin) still needs significant maintenance work.