Silver Line to Chelsea

^ So in 1913 it was considered feasible to tunnel under fill land and water, but now in 2017 we no longer can do that?

Ah, progress!
 
JeffDowntown said:
^ So in 1913 it was considered feasible to tunnel under fill land and water, but now in 2017 we no longer can do that?

Ah, progress!
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The East Boston Tunnel (1st underwater subway tunnel & 2nd vehicular underwater tunnel in US) had been finished the previous decade in 1904. It was an ambitious time in American infrastructure.

From what I've gathered, the 4.6% slope up to the surface in Chelsea (to connect to the Chelsea streetcar lines - also note that downtown Chelsea is on a hill) was really the showstopper, but that is no longer an issue because the streetcar lines are all gone. The subway could just stay underground and the station could be connected by elevators & escalators to the surface.
 
JeffDowntown said:
^ So in 1913 it was considered feasible to tunnel under fill land and water, but now in 2017 we no longer can do that?

Ah, progress!
Click to expand...

To be fair... this was never built. And we are much much better at making plans that are never built these days.
 
That old set of plans is awesome. I still like a branch of the Blue Line better, following the Chelsea busway route with a new tunnel under the Chelsea River just upstream of the existing Meridian St. bridge. It would utilize the Chelsea busway infrastructure and provide cross-town service to Logan, maybe hooking up on the other end with the Wellington Orange Line station.
 
This is way off topic but -- does the MBTA ever talk about a ferry from Chelsea? It would be incredibly quick and efficient if it went from long wharf or north station to some pier... the waterside is so close to downtown Chelsea, seems like a no brainer.
 
FK4 said:
This is way off topic but -- does the MBTA ever talk about a ferry from Chelsea? It would be incredibly quick and efficient if it went from long wharf or north station to some pier... the waterside is so close to downtown Chelsea, seems like a no brainer.
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Someone get Bill de Blasio on the line
 
citylover94 said:
I think his claim is that it is too expensive because the groundwater levels require major pump/drainage systems when tunnels are in filled land, but for such a short tunnel it seems to me that shouldn't be a project killer.
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No I remember why F-Line said this because this comes up alot when talking about the SLG and the bridge.

I think what means is the slope required to get under the creek so the ships can pass would put the entrance almost at Curtis St in Eastie, and Cottage in Chelsea. It would bypass the entire interesection. You have to go DEEP enough with the tunnel because the Chelsea Creek has been dredged to allow big tankers up the creek (big bottoms)...

Also keep in mind cost.. One of the reasons why the SLG has been under the radar and kinda on budget (kinda being the key word there) is because there was no big projects such as tunnels or bridges.
 
A Blue Line branch to Chelsea could be done with no tunnels:

The Blue Line would be on the aqua color route:

35451741871_a029dbd1ee_b.jpg
 
DominusNovus said:
Interesting idea. Where would you end this blue line spur?
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That would depend on studies and public input. It could end in Chelsea, or continue west to Wellington, or instead to Sullivan. From there it could continue on as an urban ring. I think Blue Line cars running on a pantograph (instead of a 3rd rail) could have gated signalized street crossings.
 
You're right. Sorry about de-"railing" the thread (no pun intended).
 
I don't know much firsthand about Chelsea. All I know is that it is known to be a very rough area, a ghetto, and has one of the highest crime rates in MA. With this planned route, what do you imagine will be the impact to the Seaport?
 
jl326 said:
I don't know much firsthand about Chelsea. All I know is that it is known to be a very rough area, a ghetto, and has one of the highest crime rates in MA. With this planned route, what do you imagine will be the impact to the Seaport?
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30 years ago the same thing could be said about Somerville and Southie.
 
jl326 said:
I don't know much firsthand about Chelsea. All I know is that it is known to be a very rough area, a ghetto, and has one of the highest crime rates in MA. With this planned route, what do you imagine will be the impact to the Seaport?
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In terms of crime? There will be no impact on the Seaport.
 
"Those transit riders are bringing drugs, bring crime. But some of them, I assume, are good people" <- This claim is dumb when it's Arlington resisting the Red Line, Boston resisting the Silver Line, or in... other cases.
 
jl326 said:
I don't know much firsthand about Chelsea. All I know is that it is known to be a very rough area, a ghetto, and has one of the highest crime rates in MA. With this planned route, what do you imagine will be the impact to the Seaport?
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No impact on the Seaport.

The impact will be on Chelsea. People who work in the Seaport will choose to move to Chelsea for lower rents and/or home prices. It is called gentrification. I think a city can either be in a mode of negative elements creeping into good neighborhoods or vice versa. I think it would be unusual to see both at the same time. Boston Metro Area is unequivocally in gentrification mode and I wouldn't expect any crime or poverty related issues moving inward now or any time in the foreseeable future.

Homelessness seems to be an exception to the general trend. Homeless people tend to congregate in CBDs regardless of high cost of housing.
 
As a Chelsea resident who rides public transit daily, I have a slightly different take on the potential impacts. As we all know, Chelsea is at the heart of the Nation's opioid crisis and it is no more apparent than on the buses in Chelsea. I do not think it will lead to an increase in violent/random crime on the streets in the Seaport, but I do think drugs may have a *slight* impact on two fronts: a slight increase in people under the influence in the Seaport & theft from the retail stores in the Seaport may sightly rise (given the new easy access). A *lot* of cracked out people ride the buses to & from Chelsea & I have overheard numerous people on the bus talk about stealing from stores downtown, as well as experienced people trying to sell me stolen things from stores (some with the security tags still on). Some of these people will undoubtedly end up on the SLG. I don't think these impacts will be measurable or be felt really in any way besides BPD possibly responding to more overdoses & petty theft calls in the Seaport.

It is what it is. We're in a national crisis and the Silver Line ultimately won't be to blame.
 
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