Worst Infrastructure Proposal Nominations

[George_Apley]

All members are encouraged to nominate an active proposal for an infrastructure project in the Boston area that is not yet under construction that they believe could make the biggest negative impact on the urban environment.

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

 

[Equilibria]

GLX Union Square Station (for blocking the path to Porter, at least temporarily).

 

[citylover94]

The street plan for the Beacon Yards redevelopment because of unnecessarily wide streets, poor street placement, and large blocks. (This was inspired by F-Lines recent posts on the plan)

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

GLX Union Square Station (for blocking the path to Porter, at least temporarily).

Nah. That big impressive-looking retaining wall under Prospect is all soft gravel fill. They can punch through it with ease with an arch-supported re-pour. Eversource substation equipment would've had to be disconnected, jacked up, and moved one-by-one on rollers 20 ft. further back to have supported tail track construction past the Prospect wall anyway, and that's just not worth the aggravation until Porter-proper is on the board.

I was mildly worried about this in the very early going, but as the Union construction plans got more fleshed-out it became clear how little there actually is behind that great big wall.

 

[datadyne007]

Seaport Gondola (if it qualifies as active? - it's alive, then it's dead, then it's alive, then it's dead)

 

[Massachoicetts]

Soldiers Field Road Project. Just get rid of it instead of making more highways on top of eachother? I dont even know whats going on there.

 

[Vagabond]

"People-First" Northern Ave Bridge.

 

[tysmith95]

A commuter rail stop at "Wonderland".

 

[ceo]

Have to second the NAB project. I like the idea (would actually be convenient for my bike commute), but the old bridge was pretty damned fugly and I see no need to "preserve" it in the design of the new one.

 

[Scott]

Red Line to Mattapan

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Red Line to Mattapan

...which was never officially proposed, since that option was outright precluded by the state in the post-PCC alternatives analysis.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

"People-First" Northern Ave Bridge.
View attachment 5182

This is so transparently going to be a car lane it's not even funny.

 

[Scott]

...which was never officially proposed, since that option was outright precluded by the state in the post-PCC alternatives analysis.

Yes, it was proposed at a meeting with the T where it was shot down. Yet we persist in going on and on and on as if it is a real-world possibility siting a conspiracy by the T as the only possible reason for denial and then personally attacking others if they suggest that there could be many authentic reasons why it hasn't happened.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Yes, it was proposed at a meeting with the T where it was shot down. Yet we persist in going on and on and on as if it is a real-world possibility siting a conspiracy by the T as the only possible reason for denial and then personally attacking others if they suggest that there could be many authentic reasons why it hasn't happened.

Excuse me? Who's the one conspiracy-mongering and launching personal attacks over this?

 

[Scott]

Conspiracy theories supported by back of a napkin calculations. Sim city at its finest

 

[Gameguy326]

The BCEC expansion which nets little additional venue space in Boston by destroying the Hynes without replacement.

 

[dhawkins]

I think this falls under infrastructure nomination. An interesting parcel on Condor Street in East Boston is blowing up to be a political/ environmental football. One step forward- environmental clean up of a Chelsea Creek water front parcel. Two steps back-Eversource is proposing to block the waterfront site again with a new substation. The site is a waterfront parcel owned by Boston. Back in 2017 there appeared to be a masterplan to develop a new waterfront soccer field, skate park, police station, EMT station, DPW and Eversource substation tucked up against the "industrial side" of the site. The soccer field would be a great extension of waterfront being adjacent to an urban wild parcel on Condor Street. But now it appears the substation needs to be moved away from the industrial side due to an argument that the adjacent fish processing plant and jet fuel storage tanks being less than 50 feet away is a potential disaster waiting to happen. Ever since Eversource proposed building a new substation in this location, not only both neighborhood groups and industries are in opposition but a number of other energy conservation groups are all indicating it's not needed. The first argument is energy conservation efforts are reducing the need for more electricity even though East Boston development is increasing. Another argument is Eversource is just gold bricking by building more infrastructure to justify higher rates to be paid by rate payers, not really for future needs. Further investigation has indicated it is proposed in a flood zone (Condor Street that has flooded twice in the past couple years). And now that it's been in the planning stages for 3 years and Eversource PR department has less than great outreach, there is more growing opposition that the Chelsea Creek waterfront should not be built because minority neighborhoods do get the brunt of these types of facilities, so this could be heading to the courts next. Not knowing the specific energy needs of East Boston I wonder if the planning is justified with the Suffolk Downs development coming. If it could be determined that the future demand is due to the Suffolk Downs development, maybe a portion of that development money and land should be set aside for new infrastructure within their site. And to add insult to injury; the three years of fighting has led to the EMT and DPW portion of the project being shelved, no word on the waterfront field and the Police station appears to have been reduced in scope and still will cost 30 million which comes to about $1,000 a sf to build! Crazy.