Massachusetts

[DJ Particle]

When they do widen the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, won't that increase the pressure to widen Route 3?

Probably not, since the new bridges are only each planned to have 2 travel lanes per direction + an aux lane between exits 1 and 55....

...unless of course you start/end the added lane at Exit 1.

[vdeane]

I just found out Massachusetts is getting $4.2 billion for road improvements in the infrastructure bill (plus $1 billion for bridges, the bulk of which will be going to the ones connecting Cape Cod to the Mainland).

That is more than enough for pretty much all of the state's highway needs

Your concept of costs for transportation projects is off the mark.  All their needs?  No way.

Replace the cloverleaf interchanges on 95 with 93 (both of them), 2, and 3 with stacks
Remove the last at-grade intersections on 2
Remove at-grade intersections on 1A
Widen US 1 to 6 lanes from Malden to Saugus
Widen 93 to 8 lanes to the New Hampshire border

That about covers it.

Leaving what funding for MassDOT's capital program?

Even with a preservation program, MA would need to spend billions to keep its conditions from declining.  And then you have routine maintenance...

Hopefully Worcester Polytechnic can get that self healing concrete on the market soon.

That helps, though even if we assume it will eliminate ALL maintenance/rehabilitation going forward, it will still cost money to install.  It's not like waving a magic wand and making all existing maintenance rehabilitation needs immediately go away.

[RobbieL2415]

When they do widen the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, won't that increase the pressure to widen Route 3?

Probably not, since the new bridges are only each planned to have 2 travel lanes per direction + an aux lane between exits 1 and 55....

...unless of course you start/end the added lane at Exit 1.

Correct. You wouldn't want more than a 4-lane bridge because then you would have choke points at the zipper merges.

[kernals12]

I just found out Massachusetts is getting $4.2 billion for road improvements in the infrastructure bill (plus $1 billion for bridges, the bulk of which will be going to the ones connecting Cape Cod to the Mainland).

That is more than enough for pretty much all of the state's highway needs

Your concept of costs for transportation projects is off the mark.  All their needs?  No way.

Replace the cloverleaf interchanges on 95 with 93 (both of them), 2, and 3 with stacks
Remove the last at-grade intersections on 2
Remove at-grade intersections on 1A
Widen US 1 to 6 lanes from Malden to Saugus
Widen 93 to 8 lanes to the New Hampshire border

That about covers it.

Leaving what funding for MassDOT's capital program?

Even with a preservation program, MA would need to spend billions to keep its conditions from declining.  And then you have routine maintenance...

Hopefully Worcester Polytechnic can get that self healing concrete on the market soon.

That helps, though even if we assume it will eliminate ALL maintenance/rehabilitation going forward, it will still cost money to install.  It's not like waving a magic wand and making all existing maintenance rehabilitation needs immediately go away.

But it will massively increase the net present value of highway investment

[gohkenytp]

Did I ever tell you about the Public Works in Canton? They seem a bit nice since they know which road signs should be placed.

Here's an example of one before the installation of the Keep Right sign as I requested:

[hotdogPi]

Your image is from mail.google.com, which probably means that only you can access it. It's not showing up as anything, not even a "no image exists" icon.

[gohkenytp]

Your image is from mail.google.com, which probably means that only you can access it. It's not showing up as anything, not even a "no image exists" icon.

Oh. Well, here's the Keep Right sign that is installed on where Neponset Street meets Church Street:

[Pete from Boston]

There are a couple of new work zone signs, one of them covered up, on the Route 16 on ramp to 93 southbound at Medford Square. Anyone know what project is in the offing?

[bob7374]

There are a couple of new work zone signs, one of them covered up, on the Route 16 on ramp to 93 southbound at Medford Square. Anyone know what project is in the offing?

From searching the MassDOT project site, the only possible reason for work zone signage would be a contract for pavement rehabilitation work on both I-93 in Medford and Somerville and on I-495 in the Chelmsford area (No. 610724). The comments on the site indicating the work started in April and they started work on I-495 with milling work prior to paving to be completed by Labor Day. Presumably the I-93 work would start after that is completed.

[Pete from Boston]

There are a couple of new work zone signs, one of them covered up, on the Route 16 on ramp to 93 southbound at Medford Square. Anyone know what project is in the offing?

From searching the MassDOT project site, the only possible reason for work zone signage would be a contract for pavement rehabilitation work on both I-93 in Medford and Somerville and on I-495 in the Chelmsford area (No. 610724). The comments on the site indicating the work started in April and they started work on I-495 with milling work prior to paving to be completed by Labor Day. Presumably the I-93 work would start after that is completed.

Thanks for looking that up! I guess that'll be the end of the BRRRRRT from tread marks left from the 2011 "Fast 14"  project.

[Ben114]

With the I-290 sign replacement project coming to an end, why has the Shrewsbury Street exit (new 19 / old 15) never had an advance BGS? I've never seen one before and there still isn't one now.

[Roadgeekteen]

When they do widen the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, won't that increase the pressure to widen Route 3?

I think that both should be widened but not sure how feasible that is. I don't see how the Bourne Bridge would affect route 3.

[pderocco]

When they do widen the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, won't that increase the pressure to widen Route 3?

I think that both should be widened but not sure how feasible that is. I don't see how the Bourne Bridge would affect route 3.

I still think a third 4-lane bridge half way between them, connecting 25 to 6, would be better.
<dismount hobbyhorse>

[roadman]

With the I-290 sign replacement project coming to an end, why has the Shrewsbury Street exit (new 19 / old 15) never had an advance BGS? I've never seen one before and there still isn't one now.

The I-290 sign project is still ongoing, as some new structures within Downtown Worcester have yet to be installed.  As part of this installation, Shrewsbury Street will be getting two new advance signs, one 1 1/4 miles before the exit, and one 1/2 mile before the exit.  A sign at the exit itself will be installed as well (the original sign was removed when the bridge over the CSX tracks was rebuilt several years back, but was never re-installed).  Note that, previously, Shrewsbury Street was mostly relegated to the interchange sequence signs that were installed under the 1995 sign project.

[bob7374]

With the I-290 sign replacement project coming to an end, why has the Shrewsbury Street exit (new 19 / old 15) never had an advance BGS? I've never seen one before and there still isn't one now.

The I-290 sign project is still ongoing, as some new structures within Downtown Worcester have yet to be installed.  As part of this installation, Shrewsbury Street will be getting two new advance signs, one 1 1/4 miles before the exit, and one 1/2 mile before the exit.  A sign at the exit itself will be installed as well (the original sign was removed when the bridge over the CSX tracks was rebuilt several years back, but was never re-installed).  Note that, previously, Shrewsbury Street was mostly relegated to the interchange sequence signs that were installed under the 1995 sign project.

According to the corrected entry in MassDOT's ProjectInfo site, the contract is 76% complete. The I-495 Bolton to Lowell entry though still insists that project is complete.

[paul02474]

I just found out Massachusetts is getting $4.2 billion for road improvements in the infrastructure bill (plus $1 billion for bridges, the bulk of which will be going to the ones connecting Cape Cod to the Mainland).

The good folks on this forum have plenty of good choices for their top ten urgent and unfounded projects, but there is no doubt the I-93 and I-95 interchange (mostly) in Reading is the most urgent in the state. When you consider the Commerce Way interchange is a half stacked flyover, there is no reason for the worst interchange in the state to be a tight-radius cloverleaf.

Interchange improvements are cost-effective solutions for congestion, and I would include stacked flyovers at I-95 and US 3 in Burlington, I-95 and MA 2 in Lexington, and I-93 and I-95 in Canton, on my top 10 list.

[Pete from Boston]

I just found out Massachusetts is getting $4.2 billion for road improvements in the infrastructure bill (plus $1 billion for bridges, the bulk of which will be going to the ones connecting Cape Cod to the Mainland).

The good folks on this forum have plenty of good choices for their top ten urgent and unfounded projects, but there is no doubt the I-93 and I-95 interchange (mostly) in Reading is the most urgent in the state. When you consider the Commerce Way interchange is a half stacked flyover, there is no reason for the worst interchange in the state to be a tight-radius cloverleaf.

Interchange improvements are cost-effective solutions for congestion, and I would include stacked flyovers at I-95 and US 3 in Burlington, I-95 and MA 2 in Lexington, and I-93 and I-95 in Canton, on my top 10 list.

Yes, but that is a political stalemate, not a financial one.

[Pete from Boston]

New signs, still mostly covered, going up in Medford on 93 saying "buses use breakdown lane."  What's the story behind this?

[fwydriver405]

New signs, still mostly covered, going up in Medford on 93 saying "buses use breakdown lane."  What's the story behind this?

I was just going to ask this... here are what such signs look like as I drove thru there on Sunday. I'm not to positive about why, but I think it either has to do with the I-93 HOV lanes being reinstated a while ago and/or an expansion of the (MBTA?) bus lane network in the Greater Boston area. They appear to run from about Exit 21/22 to the south (around where the I-93 SB HOV begins) to Exit 27 to the north (just before I-95/MA 128), please correct me if I am wrong.

This is on I-93 SB near Exit 24 in Stoneham:


This is on I-93 NB just before Exit 25 in Stoneham:


The signs are very similar to MA-W8-26 signs with the "BREAKDOWN LANE TRAVEL PERMITTED WEEKDAYS XX-YY AM/PM" message being replaced with "BUSES USING BREAKDOWN LANE MON-FRI XX-YY AM/PM":

[Pete from Boston]

New signs, still mostly covered, going up in Medford on 93 saying "buses use breakdown lane."  What's the story behind this?

I was just going to ask this... here are what such signs look like as I drove thru there on Sunday. I'm not to positive about why, but I think it either has to do with the I-93 HOV lanes being reinstated a while ago and/or an expansion of the (MBTA?) bus lane network in the Greater Boston area.

There is also one on the Mystic Valley Parkway on-ramp to 93 South.

There has been a lot of work lately to create reserved bus lanes going toward Boston. Broadway in Somerville, Mystic Ave, Broadway in Everett, Tobin Bridge... perhaps this is another part of that initiative.

[deathtopumpkins]

There has (somewhat shockingly) not been any publicity around it, but the state is indeed about to start letting buses use the shoulders on I-93.

Such has been briefly mentioned in a couple news articles:
https://whav.net/2021/09/08/boston-commuter-bus-returns-to-merrimack-valley-service-after-covid-19-suspension/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/15/metro/next-generation-bus-lanes-is-coming-greater-boston/

And a bit more information can be found here, see page 23: https://www.mass.gov/doc/congestion-study-updates-presented-to-board-on-11232020/download [pdf]

Interestingly that powerpoint also includes the idea of converting the HOV lanes on 93 to HOT lanes, and suggests allowing buses on the shoulder on virtually every freeway in greater Boston.

[SectorZ]

There has (somewhat shockingly) not been any publicity around it, but the state is indeed about to start letting buses use the shoulders on I-93.

Such has been briefly mentioned in a couple news articles:
https://whav.net/2021/09/08/boston-commuter-bus-returns-to-merrimack-valley-service-after-covid-19-suspension/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/15/metro/next-generation-bus-lanes-is-coming-greater-boston/

And a bit more information can be found here, see page 23: https://www.mass.gov/doc/congestion-study-updates-presented-to-board-on-11232020/download [pdf]

Interestingly that powerpoint also includes the idea of converting the HOV lanes on 93 to HOT lanes, and suggests allowing buses on the shoulder on virtually every freeway in greater Boston.

Awesome, I finally see why the state won't upgrade US 3 to eight lanes, because they feel it's more "feasible" to put rich people lanes in there instead. Same with 93 between 95 and 495. Fantastic.

[fwydriver405]

Speaking of breakdown lane travel... how common is it for MassDOT to allow breakdown lane travel during short-term work zones on the freeway? On I-290 WB on 7 August 2021, they were doing a double lane closure and just before the middle lane ended with the right lane, I saw these black and white regulatory signs stating "TRAVEL IN BREAKDOWN LANE PERMITTED IN WORK AREA" (with a VMS sign saying the same thing). There isn't any "END BREAKDOWN LANE TRAVEL" signage but guessing the "PERMITTED IN WORK AREA" part denotes the end of the breakdown lane travel is at the end of the work zone.

[SectorZ]

Speaking of breakdown lane travel... how common is it for MassDOT to allow breakdown lane travel during short-term work zones on the freeway? On I-290 WB on 7 August 2021, they were doing a double lane closure and just before the middle lane ended with the right lane, I saw these black and white regulatory signs stating "TRAVEL IN BREAKDOWN LANE PERMITTED IN WORK AREA" (with a VMS sign saying the same thing). There isn't any "END BREAKDOWN LANE TRAVEL" signage but guessing the "PERMITTED IN WORK AREA" part denotes the end of the breakdown lane travel is at the end of the work zone.

Not common from what I've encountered and most are too afraid to use them when they do exist.

The bigger problem I've seen with them is that I see more at night. That might be why uptake in using them is limited in my experience.

[Rothman]

What has stopped Massachusetts drivers from using the shoulder anyway? Been a proud tradition since I was a kid.