The Hub on Causeway (née TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

DigitalSciGuy said:
I imagine they could open it when it reaches 'substantial' completion. I've noticed they've been doing this with the World Trade Center transportation hub in downtown NYC where they'll open a corridor with incomplete walls and particle board over the finished floor for the sake of offering a more straightforward connection to commuters.
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Substantial Completion is much farther down the construction timeline than you want. You are looking for a Temporary Occupancy Permit to allow a small portion of the building(s) to be used. It can be done with either permanent or temporary construction, but the emphasis will be on life safety and accessibility issues, not full and functional use.

Substantial Completion requires that an occupancy permit be issued for the full building (otherwise, how could it be "substantially" complete) and that the building be usable by the owner for it's intended purpose. Usually just minor punch list (and landscaping work depending on time of year) work is left to be done by the contractor.

edit: added the end quote"
 
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Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

BeeLine said:
https://flic.kr/p/Cb8q98
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Who's in charge here? Seriously...is anyone actually minding the shop? I mean, these are the fucking salad days. Boston hasn't had prosperity like this since the before the war of 1812 (seriously). There aren't many cities in the Western world with a better real estate outlook.

And yet we can't build a god damn thing for the public, unless its a highway or a lawn.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Randomgear said:
Substantial Completion is much farther down the construction timeline than you want. You are looking for a Temporary Occupancy Permit to allow a small portion of the building(s) to be used. It can be done with either permanent or temporary construction, but the emphasis will be on life safety and accessibility issues, not full and functional use.

Substantial Completion requires that an occupancy permit be issued for the full building (otherwise, how could it be "substantially complete) and that the building be usable by the owner for it's intended purpose. Usually just minor punch list (and landscaping work depending on time of year) work is left to be done by the contractor.
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Ah, okay. I'm unfamiliar with permitting terminology, so understanding precisely at what stage a project is 'substantially' completed and knowing to inquire about intent to file a temporary occupancy permit is helpful when we go back to the BRA to ask about this.

I would like to think that someone wasn't asleep at the wheel and that the scaffolding exists only because we prodded them about it. I'm also concerned about the scaffolding leaking; do the ones they wrap around buildings to keep sidewalks open usually have membranes? I seem to recall the one on Hawley Street across from Millennium Tower tends to leak a bit when it rains but haven't looked too closely at its construction. I would also like to think that somehow early opening of the corridor has already been thought of and just isn't being communicated...

Another thought: Did the reconstructed Downtown Crossing entrance onto Summer Street from inside the Burnham Building only open once the building had received its occupancy permit?
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

BREAKING: Forcing commuters to cross Causeway is a huge cluster, surprising no one
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Well, fuck. I return tomorrow to my daily Orange -> CR transfer. How much extra time should I plan. 5 minutes?
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

bigeman312 said:
Well, fuck. I return tomorrow to my daily Orange -> CR transfer. How much extra time should I plan. 5 minutes?
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In the mornings, I'd say yes, given the crush loads I saw as CR trains emptied. If this evening was any indication, however, then evening commuters will have a far easier time getting back across Causeway.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

One last update, as I'm sure my commuting habits are not that interesting...

Things were much easier this morning re: crossing Causeway. Perhaps it will be a bit more hit-or-miss. I'll be keeping track over the next month or two, either way.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

CSTH said:
Who's in charge here? Seriously...is anyone actually minding the shop? I mean, these are the fucking salad days. Boston hasn't had prosperity like this since the before the war of 1812 (seriously). There aren't many cities in the Western world with a better real estate outlook.

And yet we can't build a god damn thing for the public, unless its a highway or a lawn.
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Casinos also.

it's what Americans do nowadays.

A subway line is suddenly impossible.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

There have been conflicting reports. When this is complete, will there be an indoor connection between the Orange/Green Line Station and the CR/Amtrak Station?
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

bigeman312 said:
There have been conflicting reports. When this is complete, will there be an indoor connection between the Orange/Green Line Station and the CR/Amtrak Station?
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From what I've read, and from what I've interpreted from the BRA documents (which could possibly be incorrect, considering all the requested changes to the podium), there is a "seamless" connection from OL/GL to CR/Amtrack. I believe the passageway stretches parallel to Causeway St and then commuters go up stairs/escalators and turn right and continue through a new and more direct entrance into the CR/Amtrack station.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

bigeman312 said:
There have been conflicting reports. When this is complete, will there be an indoor connection between the Orange/Green Line Station and the CR/Amtrak Station?
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Yes. Final plan approved by BCDC:

veXe2kj.jpg


(source)
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

^ That is a *huge* relief compared to the earlier out-past-the-loading-dock-and-spiral-down-the-staircase routings. IIRC, there was one plan where you had to do a full 360 degree's worth of turns coming from NS before you'd again be pointed at the GL/OL faregates. This amounts to a pair of (offsetting) 90s.

I have to believe that a connection this convenient will increase Train-Subway connections over time (I'm guessing that the line widths are representative of where they expect people to walk and that, today, Train-Subway connections are only a small share (commuters who walk to/from their office vastly predominate).

Today's connection is pretty bad: uncovered and circuitous (esp. if you happen to arrive on tracks 8,9, and higher (Amtrak). Today's routing forces everyone to walk to track "minus 8". This new entrance, opposite Track "minus 2" and much closer to the Garden's core is near-ideal (though I bet it'll feel freakishly pinched when event starts fall near rush hours)

Event attendees need to be told all too often not to clog the escalators with an "excuse me, I've got a train to catch"
 
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Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Arlington said:
I have to believe that a connection this convenient will increase Train-Subway connections over time (I'm guessing that the line widths are representative of where they expect people to walk and that, today, Train-Subway connections are only a small share (commuters who walk to/from their office vastly predominate).
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Arlington -- that would be a good working hypothesis -- but we'll have to wait and see if "ornery Boston" data fits the model

Traditionally, [i.e. for most of the past 100 years] Boston CR commuters like most of the Londoners arriving at say Paddington in proper hat with umbrella, just walked to work [suppressed my urge to include a proper picture] :=}

In Boston if lived in some South shore town such as Hingham or Cohasset they alighted from the train and just walked a bit north from South Station to their office on Federal, Oliver, Congress, Franklin, etc.. If they were arriving from say a north shore town such as Hamilton, or Manchester, [or back before they traded tracks for bikes Lexington] then they walked south from North Station to their offices on State, Devonshire or Congress in the Financial District. If they worked in the Back Bay then they lived in Wellesley and they walked from Back Bay Station.

Since you had one place to work for your career -- well you chose where to live based on with which firm you had your employment.

Of course there were some people taking the CR from other places such as Wilmington, Billerica, Brockton, etc., -- but it wasn't designed for them and so what they did after they arrived at the station really didn't matter to the people who owned the trains and the Stations.

and Since the important parts of Boston were so close together -- none of the important folk needed think of the Subway unless they were heading to Cambridge to visit the College?

Of course that was then [circa 1920] and this is now and the today's venue of choice is Kendall and its not a short walk from any CR station.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

whighlander said:
today's venue of choice is Kendall and its not a short walk from any CR station.
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The boundaries of "Kendall" are going to push ever outward, particularly as it exhausts the available height and formerly-empty lots.

I have to believe that the GLX will encourage the boundaries of "Kendall" to drift eastward towards Lechmere & North Point, which are just two stops from North Station. The Red line is crushed and Kendall is 4 stops from South Station. Suddenly North Station and a 2-stop ride to Lechmere are going to start looking fairly plausible alternatives for "greater Biotech/Tech Cambridge"
 
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Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Arlington said:
The boundaries of "Kendall" are going to push ever outward, particularly as it exhausts the available height and formerly-empty lots.

I have to believe that the GLX will encourage the boundaries of "Kendall" to drift eastward towards Lechmere & North Point, which are just two stops from North Station. The Red line is crushed and Kendall is 4 stops from South Station. Suddenly North Station and a 2-stop ride to Lechmere are going to start looking fairly plausible alternatives for "greater Biotech/Tech Cambridge"
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Arlington -- I think that there is already a private bus that runs from N Station to Kendall to save all the cross-linking on the T

But of course the developers of North Point want to make it a part of "Greater Kendall" we'll just have to see how that pans out over the next decade or so.

The real missing link is a street-running or protected right-of-way surface trolley from North Station / Lechmere to Central via 1rst, Binney, Galileo, Broadway
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

To bring this back on topic, North Station's rail connections are set to improve:
- Fitchburg Line double tracking and extension
- Haverhill line upgrades (incl new Haverhill yard & improved frequencies)
- Potential NH extension of Lowell (to North Chelmsford & Nashua)
- GLX increase in frequencies to Lechmere

So beyond the fact that North Station is one of the last frontiers for "going tall", that's got to be a source of increased connections CR-GL and reason enough to re-work and re-work the first floor of the TD Garden Towers until they got it right.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Mongo said:
Apparently this was the end of the Bruins game tonight.

bruinschaos.jpg


Credit to Uhub http://www.universalhub.com/2016/its-bad-enough-bruins-lost

Hopefully they prioritize getting the new entrance up as fast as possible.
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As a former Bruins season ticket holder, I can't remember going to a game where it didn't look like that afterwards.

The T entrance has always been totally backed up when games get out, and the eastern Garden exit has always been a mess because of it. With the T entrance closed, people will spread out more towards Causeway instead of clustering right at the backed up headhouse. Pedestrian traffic will probably worsen here thanks to the driveway leaving the south side of the Garden being closed during (overhead) construction, not because the T entrance is closed.

There have always been cops standing in Causeway and holding car traffic back for the exiting hordes. We'll probably see more of this now, with Causeway basically turning into a pedestrian way immediately after games until the crowds disperse. Drivers should suffer here worse than transit riders.

By my reckoning, this headhouse closure will be much more of a headache for commuters (who don't get Causeway totally blocked off for them) than Garden event attendees.
 
Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Mongo said:
Apparently this was the end of the Bruins game tonight.

bruinschaos.jpg


Credit to Uhub http://www.universalhub.com/2016/its-bad-enough-bruins-lost

Hopefully they prioritize getting the new entrance up as fast as possible.
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That's my photo. I sent it to UHub on my way out last night.

I knew it was going to be a total cluster the moment I saw the covered walkway that only spanned halfway across the available area. Way too much of a bottleneck.

Sure enough, the crowds backed well into the Garden concourse and there was a crush situation, to the point where I had legit concerns for the safety of the 60 something couple that sits next to me at Bruins games.

I took that photo as this was happening and tweeted it out to UHub, the MBTA AND TD Garden accounts. That's an accident waiting to happen.

In addition, the crowds trying to get into the North Station entrance across Causeway were insane. Whereas the existing headhouse adjacent to the Garden had sufficient room in the tunnel to establish a queue, the station entrance on the opposite site does not, with the stairway immediately inside the doors. As such, crowds backed up from the turnstiles, up the stairs and well out the door, crowding an already inundated corner, screwing up pedestrian flow on the sidewalk near the CVS.

The City, the MBTA and the Garden need to fix this, stat. Bruins are on a long road trip, but the Celtics still have home games. And this is only going to get worse.
 
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