North Bank Bridge Discussion (Tower A)

jbvb wrote:The cheapest way to increase capacity at North Station by ~30% is to rebuild elsewhere so 8-car trains of double deckers can operate at peak times. Also, generally tightening up the operating plan and improving maintenance could get more trains in and out of the existing tracks.

Why can't 8 car double decker trains operate out of the current North Station? We did a 7 car double decker train last Halloween with no issues. There is no ridership on the North Side that would require such a train, unless you cut service at rush hour.

When I said "rebuild elsewhere" I was thinking of the station platforms that are too short for 8-car trains - I'm sure of Malden & Wakefield. Swampscott? I don't ride the Fitchburg or to Gloucester often enough to know there. Also, it's been years since I've passed the Bradford yard when it had trains in it, but I don't recall a lot of extra room with the 5- and 6-car sets they were using then.

BostonUrbEx wrote:As far as I can tell, the entire steel span is in place from end to end. It completely clears the eastern end over the Millers River and it appears they're laying slabs from west to east and currently have these slabs just to the easternmost track (so I assume the western end is completely in place as well). Not sure if there will be an additional layer of some sort to go on these slabs, or if that's all there is to it.

As of Nov 28, As viewed from the Leverett Connector, it seems like all the decking slabs are in place all the way from Cambridge to Charlestown, with a the path connections on the Cambridge side basically in place. I couldn't see the Charlestown paths.

To me it looks like the final major piece of finish work on the bridge will be installing whatever side walls are needed to keep people from falling over the sides

This bridge is finished and should be officially open very soon, within the next few weeks.

Ron Newman wrote:This bridge is finished and should be officially open very soon, within the next few weeks.

That's what we've been saying since April!

When I rode over it in April, the expansion joints weren't finished and it would have been hazardous to bike across.

I found one user comment on charlestown.patch.com referencing the opening of this bridge:

"12 noon – on Friday, July 13th NorthBank Bridge opening event with the Governor. P. Ribbon cutting event. "

Nothing about this on official DOT or DRC sites...this bridge project must be one of the Commonwealth's best kept secrets.

A Friday at noon, really?

If I were in charge of scheduling the ceremony, I'd hold off until Saturday morning when many more people could attend, and it would be covered in the Sunday newspapers.

And Friday the Thirteenth, too??

I just got an official e-mail from DCR saying that the ribbon-cutting will be this Friday, July 13 at 2 pm (not noon).

Ron Newman wrote:I just got an official e-mail from DCR saying that the ribbon-cutting will be this Friday, July 13 at 2 pm (not noon).

Welp, now I can't go. Someone go get some good pics!

To answer a question asked elsewhere: the ceremony will be on the Cambridge end of the bridge.

There is a newly constructed parking lot next to Tower A on the Museum of Boston side for the bridge. The parking lot will be a good spot to watch traffic in Tower A but sadly it's fenced in. This will probably be the staging area for the ceremony.

Can you locate this on a Google map and link to it? I'm not quite sure what you are referring to.

This area is now a fenced in parking lot with a walkway that leads to the bridge: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=4 ... 5&t=h&z=20