Scheme Z rendering?

[1995hoo]

Wondering whether anyone has a diagram or rendering of what "Scheme Z" in Boston would have looked like. I'm striking out with Google searches.

Thanks in advance.

[J Route Z]

That's from 1990

[NE2]

First image search result: http://nexus.umn.edu/courses/cases/ce5212/f2002/cs5/schemez.gif
It's not all that different from what was built, but with a few less ramps. The ramp from US 1 south to I-93 north did exist for a while, but IIRC would have had to be replaced anyway due to the onramp from downtown.

[1995hoo]

The first image search result I got was a Nintendo video game controller. I searched for scheme z big dig rendering (no quotation marks). "Big Dig" was in there to try to narrow the search a bit.

[NE2]

Quotes are good.
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22scheme+z%22+%22big+dig%22&tbm=isch

[1995hoo]

Quotes are good.
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22scheme+z%22+%22big+dig%22&tbm=isch

None of that stuff looks all that appalling. I was under the impression Scheme Z, as originally announced, was going to be some sort of monstrosity towering over the area with a number of very bizarre maneuvers (I seem to recall something about certain maneuvers requiring crossing the river twice), and then the proposal for the Bill Buckner Bridge they ultimately built allowed them to scale it back big-time. But I simply don't remember the details well enough to refine a search to try to narrow it down to weed out the pictures and diagrams of what was actually built.

[NE2]

I seem to recall something about certain maneuvers requiring crossing the river twice

If you look closely, there are diagonal northwest-southeast ramps at the north end of the Storrow Drive connector bridge. Traffic from Storrow to I-93 south and I-93 north to Storrow would have crossed the river twice and used these. Instead two tunnels were built, staying on the south side of the river.

[1995hoo]

Thanks. Too small to see on this screen, so I'll take your word for it.

[2Co5_14]

None of that stuff looks all that appalling. I was under the impression Scheme Z, as originally announced, was going to be some sort of monstrosity towering over the area with a number of very bizarre maneuvers (I seem to recall something about certain maneuvers requiring crossing the river twice), and then the proposal for the Bill Buckner Bridge they ultimately built allowed them to scale it back big-time. But I simply don't remember the details well enough to refine a search to try to narrow it down to weed out the pictures and diagrams of what was actually built.

I might have some artist renderings taken from the supplemental FEIS that came out in the early '90's that show some of the river crossing alternatives. (I'm not sure where they are, so it may take some time to find them.)  From what I remember, Scheme Z did look like a monstrosity when viewed from ground level!

[roadman]

First image search result: http://nexus.umn.edu/courses/cases/ce5212/f2002/cs5/schemez.gif
It's not all that different from what was built, but with a few less ramps. The ramp from US 1 south to I-93 north did exist for a while, but IIRC would have had to be replaced anyway due to the onramp from downtown.

What the rendering fails to show is that the proposed Scheme Z ramps would be multi-level, with weave connections between most of the ramps that weren't much longer than the old I-93/Tobin Bridge/Storrow Drive/elevated Central Artery connection next to North Station.

It's a good thing it was never built.  Aesthetically, it would have been hideous.  But from a traffic standpoint, it would have been a total disaster.

And the importance of the ramp to I-93 north that was initially built but eventually demolished was not to accommodate traffic coming off the Tobin Bridge, but for traffic wishing to access I-93 north from the local street network.  To me, eliminating that connection represents one of the major failings of the entire project.  Now that traffic has to go up Rutherford and Mystic Avenues into Somerville to get onto I-93 north.

[Pete from Boston]

I want to see Schemes A through Y.  I recall seeing some of them back in the Big Dig days, but they don't readily turn up online.