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  • Green Line Extension Lechmere to Medford

  • Discussion relating to commuter rail, light rail, and subway operations of the MBTA.
Discussion relating to commuter rail, light rail, and subway operations of the MBTA.

Moderators: sery2831, CRail

 #1264275  by BostonUrbEx
 
octr202 wrote:I'm trying to remember if/when the concept of an Orange Line branch ever came up in the planning process. I had some involvement back in the Alternatives Analysis phase circa 2005-2006, and at that point only Green Line options were being vetted against BRT, Commuter Rail and no-build options.

At one point, consideration was given to extending the Blue Line into the GLX corridor. Operationally that had a lot of potential to take advantage of the BL's current downtown terminus, but the costs of tunneling under the West End made it a non-starter. Unfortunately I can't locate the documents where I once saw this Blue Line proposal.
I believe another reason the Blue Line option was abandoned was due to the fact that the Blue Line would be permanently left without a Red Line connection.
 #1266426  by Arlington
 
Green Line Extension Friends -

MassDOT and the MBTA invite you to join Governor Patrick, Secretary Davey, Mayor Curtatone, and other state and local elected officials to announce an important milestone of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project.

On Wednesday April 30, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. join us on the Somerville Community Path where the path meets Cedar Street in Somerville, MA (Cedar Street between Alpine Street and Warwick Street) to hear more about this next exciting development for GLX.

We hope to see you there!
Hmmm...sounds like either the start of work on the Community Path from Cedar St to Lowell, or an "End of Phase 1" announcement (they've finished demolishing the bus/tire warehouse, re-doing the Medford St Bridge, and have much of the road-underpass, 4-track-ROW work done at Harvard St)
 #1266483  by ns3010
 
As of this weekend, one of the new spans over Harvard Ave was getting major work done. The span appeared mostly complete, and Track 1 on the Lowell line was OOS between Somerville Jct and Winchester (on Saturday afternoon, at least).
 #1266505  by rethcir
 
Arlington wrote:
Green Line Extension Friends -

MassDOT and the MBTA invite you to join Governor Patrick, Secretary Davey, Mayor Curtatone, and other state and local elected officials to announce an important milestone of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project.

On Wednesday April 30, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. join us on the Somerville Community Path where the path meets Cedar Street in Somerville, MA (Cedar Street between Alpine Street and Warwick Street) to hear more about this next exciting development for GLX.

We hope to see you there!
Hmmm...sounds like either the start of work on the Community Path from Cedar St to Lowell, or an "End of Phase 1" announcement (they've finished demolishing the bus/tire warehouse, re-doing the Medford St Bridge, and have much of the road-underpass, 4-track-ROW work done at Harvard St)
They've been constructing the Cedar-Lowell extension for at least a year or two already.
 #1266580  by Arlington
 
rethcir wrote:They've been constructing the Cedar-Lowell extension for at least a year or two already.
The activity at Cedar--which has been random dirt-moving and fence-adjusting for years(much of it as a back construction entrance to Maxwell's Green)--seems to have gotten more "completion-oriented" ;-) with the onset of Spring. Maybe they have decided it is time for a ceremonial ground breaking. Still is that the exciting "milestone" worth getting the Gov, Davey, and the Mayor out for? (And at this spot?). It sure as heck ain't a ribbon cutting ;-) but it will look like "active progress" on TV.
 #1266777  by Finch
 
Arlington wrote:
Green Line Extension Friends -

MassDOT and the MBTA invite you to join Governor Patrick, Secretary Davey, Mayor Curtatone, and other state and local elected officials to announce an important milestone of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project.

On Wednesday April 30, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. join us on the Somerville Community Path where the path meets Cedar Street in Somerville, MA (Cedar Street between Alpine Street and Warwick Street) to hear more about this next exciting development for GLX.

We hope to see you there!
Hmmm...sounds like either the start of work on the Community Path from Cedar St to Lowell, or an "End of Phase 1" announcement (they've finished demolishing the bus/tire warehouse, re-doing the Medford St Bridge, and have much of the road-underpass, 4-track-ROW work done at Harvard St)
For what it's worth, the Medford Street bridge looks like it received some scattered primer, and nothing else. I wasn't paying THAT close attention, but I live nearby and I never saw any heavy work going on. I assume it's supposed to get more than just a coat of paint?
 #1266784  by Arlington
 
So far, the best guess I've seen is that the announcement will be that they've funded not just the *design* of the Somerville Community Path (which has been part of the GLX design process for a while) but now have committed to its *construction*, probably all the way to Lechmere/North Point.
 #1266894  by Arlington
 
Today's GLX news is that the State+Feds have committed to build the Somerville Community Path all the way to Lechmere (thus connecting Bedford MA to North Point by bike path)

DOT Blog here: http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/mbt ... h-funding/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Lots of (somewhat old) engineering details in this 2012 presentation

Its unclear if it crosses the Yard/Washington St/Lowell Branch/Fitchburg junction by bridge or tunnel.
 #1272108  by Arborwayfan
 
A bike path through a dense part of town like that isn't there to be pretty, at least not mostly. It's there to be a separate ROW for bike travel, to make bike commuting etc feasible. 1.9 miles of which some part is ugly to complete a route from _Bedford_? If I were riding in from Bedford, I'd say it's worth it.

The one thing that bothers me about the plan as shown in the video is that there is always a fence between the trail and whatever's next to it, even when that's the backs of houses. I guess they figure people will want to feel like their yard is still as private as it can be next to a trolley line and a bike path, but a chain link fence won't keep out voices and will mean that none of those abutters can just hop on the train from their own yard. I ride an unfenced trail to work (in Terre Haute, IN, and part of the way it goes right alongside a complex of townhouses, no fence, lots of bikes locked up on back porches ready to ride.

Bike commuting and transit are good partners, too, b/c lots of bike commuters turn into transit passengers in bad weather.
 #1272154  by Finch
 
Last week I saw some more work being done on the Medford Street bridge. It looks like they may actually be starting the process of widening the bridge, getting new abutments in place and the like. And I do mean starting the process. I don't recall seeing any new concrete or big equipment.
 #1272407  by deathtopumpkins
 
Adams_Umass_Boston wrote:looks like a great place to get mugged.
You'd think that, but keep in mind that there's no place for the mugger to flee to. If someone tries to mug you, and you call for help, they can't run or hide, they're stuck there too. You're far more likely to get mugged on a sidewalk, where there are a dozen different directions the guy could run off in, or he could hop into a parked car or duck in an alley.
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