The Tobin Bridge Thread

Yesterday, from Spaulding:
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Are they readying the last section for painting, or is it done?
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
Are they readying the last section for painting, or is it done?
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Far from done. Still have a whole summer of the lane closures for painting. It's destroying the 111's reliability during the peaks and causing horrific traffic in Chelsea and Charlestown.
 
Is the Tobin unlike most other bridges with it's outer coating? I don't think I've ever seen another bridge that is constantly being painted. We ignored the Longfellow for like 100 years and only now has it caught up with us. Has paint technology not sufficiently evolved? Or perhaps they are using water-soluble paint from the lowest bidder?! LOL
 
cden4 said:
Is the Tobin unlike most other bridges with it's outer coating? I don't think I've ever seen another bridge that is constantly being painted. We ignored the Longfellow for like 100 years and only now has it caught up with us. Has paint technology not sufficiently evolved? Or perhaps they are using water-soluble paint from the lowest bidder?! LOL
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The Golden Gate is continuously repainted. Literally a never ending job.
 
It's because Mass doesn't maintain anything. So instead of slapping a coat of paint on each year, they let it rust to hell until its so bad they have to close lanes and practically rebuild the thing in place.
 
fattony said:
The Golden Gate is continuously repainted. Literally a never ending job.
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And they manage to do it without closing lanes and causing a big hoopla, or it even really being noticeable that they are doing it. I think the they are also fixing rust on the Tobin, which would be less of a problem if they continuously painted it like the GG?
 
davem said:
It's because Mass doesn't maintain anything. So instead of slapping a coat of paint on each year, they let it rust to hell until its so bad they have to close lanes and practically rebuild the thing in place.
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gooseberry said:
And they manage to do it without closing lanes and causing a big hoopla, or it even really being noticeable that they are doing it. I think the they are also fixing rust on the Tobin, which would be less of a problem if they continuously painted it like the GG?
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Regular maintenance certainly would seem to be less intrusive than periodic overhaul. It would require permanent infrastructure and regular expenditure as opposed to the temporary structures and one-time political will required for periodic maintenance.

I wonder which saves money in the long run? I have no reference point to guess the economic loss of long term lane closures. I bet the commonwealth doesn't either.
 
There's a lot of environmental mitigation going on as well. I'm not sure if it's just about the rust, or if the old paint is toxic.
 
Not a single flake of old paint can be allowed to fall to the ground, as it is apparently lead paint or has some other heavy metals in it. Every single scrape is vacuumed up and contained for proper disposal. There's also chunks of steel literally just missing from rusting away in the salt air. All bolts are being replaced, I believe, too.
 
Beginning Monday, July 21, 2014 the Tobin Memorial Bridge will be going to All Electronic Tolls (AET). As an E-ZPass account holder, no new action is needed by you. You will however, see a difference in the traffic pattern on the Tobin Memorial Bridge and you will no longer need to slow down and pass through the toll booths.
E-ZPass Massachusetts would like to remind our valued customers of the following important items that are needed in order to avoid violations:

Be sure to mount your transponder properly. The arrows must be pointing up, it must be affixed to the front windshield (using the fastener strips provided), slightly to the right of your rearview mirror and below the tinted portion.

With the Tobin Memorial Bridge going all electronic, customers will no longer see a traffic light indicator on the Tobin Memorial Bridge signaling the status of your account. Be sure that you always have money on your E-ZPass Account. Please refer to your E-ZPass MA account at www.mass.gov/ezpassma for all your account information and update credit/debit card and checking account information as necessary. If you make manual payments, be sure to make a payment to your account as soon as you see the middle yellow "Low Bal" (Low Balance) light in the toll lanes on MassDOT toll roads.

Be sure that your license plate information is always accurate and up to date. If the transponder doesn't read, a picture is taken of the license plate and a video toll (v-toll) is posted to the account listing that license plate. If the license plate is not listed on your E-ZPass account, the registered owner of that vehicle will receive a PAY BY PLATE MA Invoice only for travel on the Tobin Memorial Bridge, or a violation for each unpaid toll transaction for travel on other toll roads. :cool:
 
I wish they'd do more verification on cars with the orange/discounted transponders. I've seen cars with out of state plates using them and only paying a few cents as well as cars regularly parked in residential lots.
 
That and have a crackdown on license plate covers, especially the tinted ones.
 
Kahta said:
I wish they'd do more verification on cars with the orange/discounted transponders. I've seen cars with out of state plates using them and only paying a few cents as well as cars regularly parked in residential lots.
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I got one of the orange transponders when I lived in Eastie. When I moved to Dorchester I reported my new address and no longer got the discounted rate but kept the same orange box. You have to re-up to the discount program every year or you lose it and default back to paying the full toll.
 
I once had to get a friend over to the hospital in an emergency.

It costed me $2.50 to cross the bridge to get into & past downtown Boston!! That was so ridiculous!! :mad:
 
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I have a disability Charlie Pass, so I don't pay that amount either way. At most, it costs me about 75 cents each way. :cool:

That is what it was for The Ride ($2.00) before the increase 2 or 3 years ago. Then it went to $4.00 each way. It is probably about $6.00 each way now - totalling $12.00 round trip!

That is ridiculous!!!:mad:
 
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Being from NY and dealing with the GWB and tunnels, I have little sympathy. Bostonians know nothing of tolls
 
davem said:
Being from NY and dealing with the GWB and tunnels, I have little sympathy. Bostonians know nothing of tolls
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I think of this all the time. Imagine if Boston tolled like that? Especially during peak demand? The Ted Williams and Sumner would probably be $10, the Tobin $8, Alford St $5, MA-28 $5, I-93 $5.
 
davem said:
Being from NY and dealing with the GWB and tunnels, I have little sympathy. Bostonians know nothing of tolls
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My sentiments exactly. I went to college in PA and traveled through NY and along the PA and NJ Turnpikes frequently. Any time I hear someone from Boston gripe about tolls on the Mass Pike or on the Tobin, I chuckle. I know people in PA and NY who would kill to have tolls as inexpensive as those in MA.

It costs $4.70 to go from I-95 in Weston all the way to the MA/NY border on the Pike, a trip of approximately 120 miles. In PA, it costs $12.60 to go from the Delaware River Bridge to Lancaster (my exit), which is 90 miles. Bostonians have it good.
 
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