Worst Completed Infrastructure Nominations

[George_Apley]

All members are encouraged to nominate a Boston area infrastructure project completed in 2019 that they believe is deserving of special recognition for its negative impact on the urban environment.

Infrastructure includes public transit, roads & bridges, port & airport facilities, utilities, and parks & public accomodations.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

MassDOT going through an umpteenth invasive band-aid patch job on the Bowker Overpass with yet another 2-year term of erected scaffolding and heavy construction presence. While taking another year's punt on tearing that eyesore fucker down.

Rinse/repeat nominations for 2022, 2025, and 2028 at the advancing rate of decay requiring new patches while they continue to dodge the big questions.


On side note...I'm actually pretty impressed that was the only completion that stuck in my craw after considerable amount of thought. They generally haven't been shoveling too much money down too many big holes for the past couple years.

 

[Scalziand]

I'm gonna nominate the renovated Wollaston Station for baking in the single track Old Colony Line for another 50+ years.

 

[Equilibria]

On side note...I'm actually pretty impressed that was the only completion that stuck in my craw after considerable amount of thought. They generally haven't been shoveling too much money down too many big holes for the past couple years.

I agree. I think the hard part with this category (and the equivalent proposals one) is that almost all infrastructure projects make sense by some logic. I can't even nominate the gondola proposals in good faith, since I've been told by folks who know the industry in Europe that modern gondolas over there can actually serve a decent transit function. That doesn't mean I think it's the best choice, but fortunately the field has moved beyond truly destructive proposals.

With that said, I nominate the half-baked Wellington Circle "improvements" funded by Wynn, which somehow manage to make an arterial eleven lanes wide at one point.

 

[George_Apley]

You make a good point about these "worst" new infrastructure categories. To your nomination's point, just think of it as relative. Granted we aren't getting any official proposals to blow up city neighborhoods for highways anymore, and it's important to acknowledge that our institutions are getting better at urbanism.

 

[tysmith95]

South Boston Waterfront Transportation Center

 

[Semass]

Every project entitled "add-a-lane".

 

[found5dollar]

just want to make sure a "none of the above" or "no award" will be included as an option because I also can not think of any infrastructure deserving this.