State rejects Somerville I-93 lane shift
A while back, the Massachusetts Highway Department pledged to study some changes on Interstate 93, north of Boston, to help ease the afternoon crush.
When we first wrote about this back in June, Joe of Melrose suggested a simple solution, which MassHighway agreed to consider.
His focus was I-93 north's Route 28 exit-only lane in Somerville near the Loews movie complex, the start of a breakdown lane that Joe believed was an active lane in the past. The state said he was right.
So Joe suggested converting the breakdown lane back into an active lane and help the ride home. ''All the forced lane changing obviously has a negative impact on traffic," he wrote.
Well, bad news. MassHighway nixed the change, saying that traffic flow in front of the
MassHighway spokesman Jon Carlisle said the state sent traffic engineers to look at the interchange. But ''the problem with eliminating the lane drop is that it would have a very significant impact on traffic trying to get on the highway."
Carlisle said that eliminating the lane could result in large backups on local roads.
Joe and a lot of local drivers, from New Hampshire to Newburyport, probably disagree, so we'll give Joe the final say from his e-mail to MassHighway.
''Is the highway to be optimized for the benefit of the travelers already on the highway or impacted for the local traffic trying to enter the highway?" he asked. ''I believe more people are better served by trying to make the highway more efficient and safe i.e., less accidents. Local access is a local political issue but the highway should be used as originally designed, without the drop lane."
Drive, she said . . .
We finally have an answer about how those new state mileage signs got so terribly messed up. And the blame is being placed on Bill Gates.
MassHighway admitted that the state had found 19 legends on the new signs with significant errors in mileage. That's 12 percent of the 164 new signs in the $1.05 million contract.
According to the contractor, some of the distances were calculated using
Apparently the contractor had tried to use Mapquest, but found it unreliable.
Lechmere line nears opening
MBTA officials said in June that the retooled trolley tracks from North Station to Lechmere would be done in early fall. Well, it's early fall, and the bus shuttles keep plugging.
''Construction activity has all but ceased," wrote T spokesman Joe Pesaturo. ''The remaining work involves upgrading the signal system. Subway Operations and Signal Department personnel are working unyieldingly in order to resume Green Line train service to Lechmere Station the weekend of Nov. 12 and 13. The MBTA is extremely grateful for the tolerance and understanding on the part of customers during this time of transition."
Lane change
A significant change is in store this week for commuters who use the Albany Street exit off Interstate 93 south. Starting as early as Friday, the current exit will close to allow construction on the new permanent exit. Mariellen Burns, spokeswoman for the Big Dig, said the new permanent ramp would open in December. In the meantime, commuters should use the new South Station exit to access Albany. Commuters can still use Exit 20B to gain access to the turnpike west. Also, the Government Center exit off I-93 south should return to two lanes on Tuesday, but could be back in shape as soon as tomorrow, according to Big Dig officials.
Cyclewood
Bikes are cool. Movies are cool. Which means bike movies are super cool. Come see for yourself Friday and Saturday when the first annual Boston Bike Film Festival flickers as part of the Hub on Wheels Festival. Friday's films will be shown at 38 Cameron Ave. in North Cambridge, a refurbished former warehouse off the Minuteman Bikeway near Davis Square. The second night will be at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square. All proceeds from the event will go to bicycle advocacy groups such as MassBike and the Hub on Wheels Festival. See www.bostonbikefilmfest.org for more information.
Pit stops
How can Boston improve the MBTA and promote alternative means of transportation? This and other probing questions will be part of RealTalk, a series of interactive town hall forums on quality-of-life issues for young professionals in Boston. It's sponsored by MassINC and will take place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 600 Atlantic Avenue. Wireless technology will allow ''individual participation in the discussion as it's happening." Panelists are Dorie Clark from MassBike, Joe Cosgrove from the MBTA, Scott Griffith from ZipCar and Paul Regan of the MBTA Advisory Board. Go to www.massinc.org to RSVP.
Can't get there ...
The left two toll booth lanes on the upper deck of the Tobin Bridge will close after rush hour on Monday and will remain closed until the Tobin re-decking project is complete in the spring 2006.
I-93 south around the Mass. Ave. Connector will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday and 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday.
The ramp at Exit 23 from I-93 south to Purchase Street will close 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and 11 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Haymarket to I-93 south and the Callahan Tunnel will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight through Friday and 10 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Essex Street to I-93 south will close 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
The Storrow Drive onramp to I-93 south will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Exit 20 (Pike west) off I-93 south will close 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Pike north at Exit 20 will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, and 1 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday. The ramps at Exit 20 to the Pike east and west, and the onramps to I-93 north at Mass. Ave., and Broadway, will also close.
The ramps at Exit 20 from I-93 north to the Pike east and west will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight through Friday and 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday through next Sunday. The left-hand ramp from Exit 20 to Frontage Road Northbound and South Station will remain open.
Exit 26 (Storrow) off I-93 north will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday.
The underpass from Storrow Drive east to I-93 north and the Tobin Bridge will close 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday.
The Haymarket onramp to I-93 north will close 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 p.m. tonight through 5:30 a.m. tomorrow, 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 1 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Sumner Tunnel onramp to I-93 north will close 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight through Friday, and 10 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday.
The Sumner tunnel onramp to Storrow Drive will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Exit 24B (93 north) and Exit 24C (93 south) off the Pike east will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday morning, and 1 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Exit 24A (Kneeland Street) off the Pike east will remain open.
Access from Frontage Road and Albany Street to the Pike east and Logan Airport will close 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight through Saturday.
The Frontage Road Northbound onramp to the Pike west at the Broadway Bridge will close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday morning and 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday through next Sunday.
The Congress Street onramp to I-93 south and the Pike west will close 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday morning and 10 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The onramp from Congress Street to I-93 in South Boston and Exit 24 (93) off the Pike west will close 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday and 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday.
Route 1A southbound near Logan Airport will close 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Broadway Bridge will close to westbound traffic 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Sumner Tunnel will close 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
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