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Casey Overpass replacement now a year behind schedule; state blames 2015 winter, ventilation issues with Orange Line tunnel
By adamg on Wed, 06/29/2016 - 10:23pm
Todd Consentino attended a MassDOT update session on the Casey Overpass/Forest Hills rehab project tonight and reports that the work has fallen a year behind schedule: Three months due to the inability to work under the mega snowpiles of 2015 and now nine months because the state is having problems buying six ceiling-mounted "jet fans" to ventilate and cool the Orange Line tunnel under the new ground-level Arborway.
A new ventilation system is needed because the current Orange Line chimney will be torn down to make way for the roadway.
This means the project won't be fully usable until fall, 2017 - with some work, mainly landscaping, continuing through the following spring.
Scheduled for completion this fall: The permanent move of the Route 39 bus berth to the Forest Hills upper busway, the transformation of Shea Circle to a regular intersection called Shea Square and the restoration of a mid-block crosswalk on New Washington Street. Bicycle infrastructure will be gradually added in.
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Comments
Heck of a job, Brownie
So, they were 3 months behind schedule before they even began. This is pretty much the project management I expected. Of course, I'm still waiting for them to complete the sidewalk on Washington Street they tore up a year ago and have done nothing with since.
The 1 year delay doesn't explain why they have just started on the new busway. Remember, this busway is in one of the few areas of the project that was plowed regularly in the winter of 2015. And once again, they demolished the old busway just to do jack squat on the former location.
But no, the bridge haters told us that the project will go swimmingly and that we will all love the final result.
Guess what?
If they were building a bridge they would still have these delays.
They would still have these problems.
Actually, they would probably multiply in later times because building a bridge is far more complicated than the at-grade solution.
Not tearing down the existing bridge was not a possibility.
Very little if any of this has to do with the at-grade solution in any way, shape or form.
Okay, okay
Yes, the bridge would have fallen down eventually, and a rebuild would be that much worse, but you know my skepticism with the promises made with this project.
Every time I go down Washington Street and see that sidewalk that has been out of commission for, again, a year for no good reason, I think to myself that my skepticism is valid.
Now, if MassDOT simply said that the bridge needed to come down (again, an objective fact) and going at-grade is the more cost effective solution, I could live with that. But the BS thrown out there about how it's going to make the area better was just too much for me. And as I say, they in many ways validate my criticism of the project regularly. How did they not know that they were behind schedule when they began after last winter? Why are there typically about 20 guys on the project, with equipment lying idle regularly. Why did they demolish the busway when they did, before the construction on the new one was even started?
You're asking questions like you don't know the answer
If you don't dig the whole today, then you're stealing food off the table from the wife and three kids whose father was going to get paid filling it back up tomorrow.
You're way off-base on this one, Swirly.
If I ever meet the motherfucker who laid out the interim crosswalks around Forest Hills for the past motherfucking year, he's getting knocked the fuck out.
Explain
Explain how the effed up sidewalk configuration has anything at all to do with the at-grade versus bridge situation?
Sounds like your beef is messed up implementation having to do with demolition.
Thank you!
Thank you!
I walk, run and bike through that area and they gave fuck all about pedestrians/bikers. It's a shit show. Whomever came up with how pedestrians/bikers get around FH during this shit must never walk a day in their life. Even the cars - it's constant gridlock; people blocking the box, etc.
I also love the fact that I have to cross 4 sections with 4 walk lights to get to where I need to go. I especially love the last one where cars also have a green light and pay no attention to the walk signal and then get pissed at me for walking whilst I have the signal.
In the morning the most workers I have seen at the site across from FH is 4. Some days ZERO. On the FH side I have yet to see one worker over there in the a.m. Not one.
Rooowwwrrrr! Kitty got claws!
But apparently not a point. You failed to explain how or why she was off-base.
Bus way and parking lot
The just started putting in the steel in the lower parking lot. It sat idle and empty since December.
Leaving the busway with no cover now, what happened for 7 months?
Considering the scope of the
Considering the scope of the project, I think it's overall gone pretty well. It's certainly not the gloom and doom spread by the most vocal pro-bridge people who told stories of traffic jams back into Roslindale Square and complete mayhem. The one legitimate critique, though, is the situation for pedestrians is very poor currently and there's no excuse to not remedy that. Get on your local officials about it.
Mayhem is the word
As someone who must go through that area/intersections several times every day, I can tell you that it is definitely mayhem and traffic is often backed up way into JP, though the Roslindale side is it's standard backed up mess.
From a driver standpoint: The lights are not timed properly, cars often have no idea where their lanes are, everyone winds up "blocking the box" and it can often take 20 minutes to get from South and McBride to the intersection of New Washington Street. Walking is treacherous and terrifying especially with little kids and biking looks like a complete nightmare though this is just from observation.
I love how the area looks without the bridge, but the idea that a 7-lane highway in place of an overpass is going to "reunite" the neighborhoods (one of the many bits of propaganda flying around about a year ago) seems far-fetched at best.
All this said, I hope I'm wrong, but thus far evidence is proving otherwise.
I drive or walk there most
I drive or walk there most days at rush hour and that hasn't been my experience. I'm not saying it's great but it's definitely not as bad as many predicted. Doesn't seem much worse to me than it was before. But experience is subjective so to each his/her own of course. The busted up sidewalk to me is the one issue that is inexcusable.
Agreed. This project is
Agreed. This project is unfortunately a catastrophe and what once looked like a neighborhood has now turned into an expansion of concrete urban blight. And, per usual, the safety concerns of those taking the bus and/or walking are lowest on the totem pole. Unfortunately, EVERYONE is having to deal with the disaster that the anti-overpass group pushed so hard for.
What?
As has been covered at great length, the current concrete jungle down there would have happened regardless of whether an overpass was built. In fact, if they were rebuilding a bridge, it would add months of concrete-urban-blight time. Meanwhile, if you're seriously arguing that the current configuration is somehow worse aesthetically, or more divisive to the Forest Hills area, than the Casey was, then I don't have the time or the crayons to explain this to you.
Have you taken the bus from
Have you taken the bus from to/fr FH from Rozzie? I can walk faster to/fr the Square than when I am on the bus. It wasn't good before the construction now it's just at a standstill.
Of course, I'm still waiting
You should probably hold your breath waiting for that one!
This is the most moronic, maddening thing about construction projects in Massachusetts. They tear something up and then just leave it, as if the fact that it's "under construction" alleviates them from the responsibility to provide basic public service. Sidewalks are left torn up, highways are left unstriped, crosswalks are left unpainted or are painted in a half-assed manner (see below).
Your tax dollars at work. And as evidenced by the comment section here at UHub, there's always some sucker who's willing to carry their water and say "Things are really not going that bad!"
Allow me to criticize myself
Looking out the window on the bus this morning, I saw someone running on the freshly asphalted sidewalk along Washington Street. I swear it was rocks on Tuesday night. Still, they couldn't have done that in the past year?
And I will argue with myself
In the end, they only paved from South Street to the Arboretum gate. The gate to Ukraine way is still rough. For the past year. For no reason.
well good thing they tore
well good thing they tore down the upper busway covering, cause it was awesome having a whole winter/spring without it, while absolutely nothing happened around it that seemed to require tearing it down. but only poor people have to wait for the busses outside so who cares, right?
And some wonder why we're skeptical
about the Springfield factory for CRRC being constructed on-time and delivering Orange and Red Line cars on-time.
What could possibly go wrong?
when in doubt
Blame the T
BOX BLOCKING GOES ON
Okay, so there's delays. The three months for weather would have been the same no matter what project they did - tear it down and build a new one, fix the one in place (my understanding was this was never an option so a lot of this construction would be the same regardless), tear it down and install a giant swimming pool, whatever. The state having problems with contracting/procurement/purchasing isn't a surprise to anyone who's lived in this state. There's delays, and they'll have to be paid for.
SO WHY CAN'T WE GET A COP TO COME TICKET ALL THE DAMN BOX BLOCKERS???? Every. Single. Day. There's some self-obsessed moron totally destroying the flow of traffic, keeping busses from getting out of the station (because the needs of one suburban skidmark in his Prius/SUV is more important than 40 people on a bus), and just generally flouting the rules of decency. Get a cop out there to ticket these assholes!! It'd pay for itself AND help some of the budget issues from cost overruns!!!
That's 100% true about
That's 100% true about blocking the box there. I see it daily too. A lot of it is cultural around here. It is not ingrained in people's minds that blocking the box is a problem. Contrast with NYC, for example.
We need more Don't Block the Box enforcement citywide
I think the fine in Boston is $150, but is rarely enforced.
In NYC, a police officer can pull you over and assess a moving violation, which carries a $150 fine and two points on your license (plus potentially higher insurance costs). In 2008, a law was passed that allows parking enforcement officers to issue a parking violation for Blocking the Box which does not assess points, but the fine is $115. They don't even need to pull you over. You'll get the ticket in the mail.
http://nytrafficticket.com/blocking-the-box-no-longer-a-moving-violation...
http://www.ny-defense.com/blocking-the-box-lawyer-nyc/
I think it's about time we do something similar here. The parking enforcement officers seem to be a little more motivated to write tickets, and even though there are no points and a lesser fine, at least the financial penalty may start to make people think twice.
Really, ticket anyone beyond the stop line at a red light
I can't count the number of times I have seen pedestrians diverted to the travel lane of the cross street because some jamoke can't be bothered to pay attention to the stop line and blocks the crosswalk. This happens all the time at East Newton and Washington Sts. by Franklin Square in the South End. Part of the problem is poor design: the signals are way too far from the stop line at most intersections and divert the driver's attention away from the immediate surroundings. The MUTCD should be updated to require primarily nearside, or nearside only, traffic signals, as is done in many other parts of the world.
The MUTCD should be updated
Yeah, that'll definitely happen. Boston can't even figure out how to hang traffic signals over the middle of an intersection.
This really bugs me
For a city who seems to be perpetually on the edge of bankruptcy, why aren't we parking a traffic cop at some of the worst offending intersections every single day? Even if you pay them an absurd amount of money, someone at one of these intersections could probably write 15-20 tickets an hour, at $150/apiece. Easily ten thousand dollars a day in revenue, per officer. It would also generate a huge amount of good will for the department, (which NEVER happens for traffic/parking enforcement) and help out with the perennially awful traffic around major intersections.
Seriously, what am I missing? I literally cannot think of a reason why BPD hasn't done this. Do I need to go start harassing 311 or something?
why is there not more ticketing?
not to completely excuse the lack of ticketing from police, but I'd like to offer at least some reasons.
1) Boston Cops, particularly in this part of the city are incredibly busy. The amount of 911 calls keeps the surrounding districts pretty tied up most days and nights. Officers have to use their discretion if a violation, that occurs in front of them, trumps the call they're responding to. And not all officers responding to calls have their lights activated. Sometimes the violation is egregious enough, sometimes its not and the officer must decide.
2) Most Officers understand that ticketing for any infraction during rush hour can sometimes make matters worse. That doesn't mean they don't but, for example, the officer sees the infraction and then immediately pulls the vehicle over. In the forest hills area, this most likely means completely blocking a lane of travel, causing even further, and sometimes worse, backups than the original offense. Officers will sometimes follow the offending vehicle further away from the area, in an effort to alleviate some of those potential problems, and then conduct the traffic stop. This route of action, however, does cause people in the immediate area of the initial infraction to believe that nothing was done, due to the fact that they did not see the officer make the stop. It also causes some of the other offenders to believe that officers don't care about the offense and continue with their actions. We do care, however, we must attempt to balance out our actions vs the repercussions of them.
This wasn't meant to completely excuse the type of enforcement, or lack, or perceived lack there of, but to offer some context. Sure there is sometimes where an immediate stop is warranted, but also were waiting or carrying on to your 911 call is more prudent. We are road users (all modes) as well and want nothing but safety and to alleviate congestion where we can. And for those calling for enforcement as a means of raising revenues, remember, traffic enforcement (i.e. ticketing, written warning or verbal warning) is supposed to be a means in which we garner VOLUNTARY Compliance.
Unfortunately this configuration around forest hills is not something easily solved. With the amount of vehicle,bicycle and pedestrian traffic in this area, it is near immpossilble to catch all offenders, but that goes for any intersection really. During the summer months, it is nearly impossible to add extra officers for issues other than violent crime areas and special events due to current staffing levels. The departments do make every effort to allocate their resources where they feel they will be most effective.
On a side note, I really am concerned that this project will not yield the results expected from the people that pushed for it. I know the bridge was slightly more in cost, but if safety and livability for all users and residents in the area was the main concern, did we just put an actual price on theirs? I hope the end result differs from my fears.
--a cop
Thank you for your
Thank you for your perspective. The possibility of making traffic worse is, of course, an issue - as somebody had mentioned, New York will just mail a ticket out without conducting a stop, but I'm guessing that isn't allowed in the state of Mass? I suppose it also wouldn't help with the perception that nobody is ticketing, either....
In terms of staffing, since some of the worst offenders are doing so right where the busses need to egress, do you think there's any possibility of the MBTA cops pitching in? They're probably busy too but maybe have more flexibility in OT? Again, sure, ticketing shouldn't be just for raising revenue but if the only way to stop these people is punching them in the pocketbook then a detail should theoretically pay for itself regardless.
Nine months to buy six fans?
There are no words.
Based on my experience with
Based on my experience with gov. contracting I'm guessing it went something like this:
All this because once upon a time somebody got caught buying all their fans from Cousin Sully so now to eliminate fraud we have 9 months of waste.
Also, only sadists work for Contracting.
Add into that
Adding to this is the idea that the contractor submits a different fan with no backup (per the contract documents they need to fill out a substitution form (never happens)). Contractors typically just turn in a sell sheet without all the essential backup for the team approving the requested substitute. There are so many players in the public construction process.
Seems like
a fitting headline template for this area:
"_______________ _____ year(s) behind schedule, city/state blame __________________"
Ooohhh, Mad Libs! Let's play
Ooohhh, Mad Libs! Let's play!
My estate will probably keep
My estate will probably keep paying for this as I will be long dead when it REALLY gets done. Eh hemm,, Eh hemm,,, big..dig, ee hemm.
Looking Long-term
Although the temporary construction is a pain in the neck to everyone, I am far more concerned about the permanent impact of this project on the outlying neighborhoods of Mattapan, Dorchester, Roslindale, and Hyde Park. The decision to not rebuild a small low profile bridge from day one immediately and forever more outsourced Forest Hills traffic, and all its accompanying public health and safety problems, to the American Legion Hwy/Parkway and other large and small roads in our neighborhoods.
What this article cites as the "transformation of Shea Circle to a regular intersection called Shea Square," is purely the unnecessary destruction of a beautiful working rotary that was landscaped with a mature tree canopy.
Anybody concerned about social equity ought to be cognizant of the impact that Jamaica Plain development is having on the quality of life of the thousands of working-class residents who live beyond Forest Hills. The city and state need to apply Complete Streets/Vision Zero treatments to our own roads, as well as improve bike, walk, and bus transit now.
The most immediate and
The most immediate and beneficial reduction of traffic and its associated ills would come from converting the Needham Line to real rapid transit all the way out to 128 (AT LEAST) and putting in a large park + ride. Considering the GLX monstrosity, I think most people in the state have now lost any appetite for this kind of project, unfortunately.
The next best thing would be to adjust the bus schedules and make several of them express at least thru the square.
I agree, as long as
I agree, as long as converting the Needham line to rapid transit means buying smaller trains and running them more often, rather than another GLX.