Good news for Alewife garage

Enough about the falling concrete in the Big Dig tunnels. Doug of Arlington wants to know when the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will fix the falling concrete in the Alewife parking garage.

``There are holes in the cement floors: You can see through to the floor below," Doug wrote. ``The ramp to the roof parking shakes when cars drive on it. When it rains, the main floor of the station is littered with various flower pots and waste baskets to catch the drips (often to overflowing)."

We've been writing about this problem at the Red Line T stop for well more than a year, and Lydia Rivera, a T spokeswoman, has some good news: $3.6 million has been allocated to fix all the problems at the Alewife station -- everything from the falling concrete to the burnt out lights in the bus stop area. The project should be going out to bid soon.

``We are definitely addressing the issues at Alewife," Rivera said. ``We do have the funds."

Burlington residents in the Winn Street area have created a website to promote their quest for sound barriers along Route 128, http://home.comcast.net/~tkkeene/BurlingtonNoiseBarrier.html. The group, which calls itself Burlington Noise Barriers, also has an e-mail address, burlsoundbarriers@yahoo.com.

The group is preparing a petition drive to get residents to support sound barriers. Members will then present the petition to the Burlington Board of Selectmen in hope of receiving the board's endorsement. Having town support would add clout to the sound barriers as legislators try to gain approval and state funding, said Terri Keene, a group spokeswoman.

The group also is planning a rally, most likely to take place after Labor Day.

Last time, we wrote about the frustration one driver along Interstate 93 in Medford experienced with State Police ticketing drivers who cruised the breakdown lane to get to the Route 60/Medford Square exit.

This time, Sarah, of parts unknown, was annoyed to see State Police on the morning of July 19 ticketing drivers using the breakdown lane on Route 16 east in Medford. Drivers pull into the breakdown lane so they can turn right onto Route 28 south.

``They are not giving warnings," she e-mailed that morning. ``They are giving $100 tickets to everyone they pull over. I figure they're making thousands an hour on this venture."

Sarah said that on a regular traffic day, a driver can't turn right from Route 16 east to Route 28 south without entering the breakdown lane because of backups.

Trooper Veronica Dalton, a spokeswoman for the State Police, said driving on the breakdown lane can be dangerous, especially when a motorist in trouble stops in a breakdown lane and doesn't expect to see another motorist using it as a travel lane.

``You are unexpectedly putting people in harm's way when you drive down a breakdown lane," she said.

Starts&Stops/NorthWest runs every other Sunday. Send transportation-related questions to starts@globe.com.