For those who drove in Boston before the Big Dig, what was it like? Especially getting to Logan Airport.
I drove in Boston in the late 90's and it sucked it was congested beyond believe and undersized massively. As far as it's looks it was this giant green structure dividing downtown Boston in half pretty much. I wouldn't mind traveling to Boston again to see how much it's changed since the last time I was there in 2004.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 27, 2021, 08:16:39 PM
For those who drove in Boston before the Big Dig, what was it like? Especially getting to Logan Airport.
It was the bizarre intersection of "Thunderdome" meeting "parking lot".
The Central Artery was an elevated green monster dividing the city. It basically had traffic jams at all hours of the day into the night. It was 6 lanes (3 each way) with a lot of exits and entrances in a short distance. For my college years, 1996 to 1998, I took a bus to get from school (UNH) to South Station to get a train home to CT. Sometimes we would go to Logan first, other times South Station first. The C/A North Access project had been completed by then, so the old ramps between US 1 and I-93 were closed off and the loop ramps around Boston Sand & Gravel were open. The times we went to Logan Airport first, we would stop at every single terminal, then travel through the Ted Williams Tunnel. I can't remember if I got a chance to drive the old Artery, but I definitely was a passenger numerous times, and I remember driving through the new tunnels for the first time shortly after they opened, and it was a vast improvement!
In terms of where you wanted to go, it sucked a lot, especially compared to now. The Sumner and Callahan tunnels were complete gridlock, US 1 dumping into I-93 was a disorganized mess, I could go on...
However, the elevated central artery at night looked friggin' awesome. That was probably the one highlight.
I got my license in Dec. 1994, at a point that a lot of things were already changing, but did drive down the Central Artery more than a few times before the tunnels came into use (2003?).
Drove on the Central Artery every now and then through the 1980s and 1990s. Although the traffic was horrific, I loved how the viaduct fit inbetween the buildings.
That said, coming out the back of Quincy Market was dreary walking into that darkness.
When Ted Williams Tunnel opened, it was a godsend.
I knew where all the backups where - Government Center exit was the most reliable. But without traffic, it was a chaotic joy to drive, people dashing off and slamming their brakes at the last moment to dive across entering traffic to their exit. If you're through traffic, stay in the left lane and you're unmolested. There are few highways like it left, now that it and the West Side Highway are gone. I-80 in SFO is briefly similar, and a couple of older LA-area highways have some exit density approaching that mark.
Link to one of several videos driving the Central Artery in the 1980s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU_2X7u8z9A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU_2X7u8z9A)
I recall reading that had not the Big Dig been completed, there would have been 20 hours of traffic jams on I93.
Quote from: bob7374 on May 28, 2021, 11:35:34 AM
Link to one of several videos driving the Central Artery in the 1980s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU_2X7u8z9A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU_2X7u8z9A)
Here's some more videos:
July 1988, part 2 of what was linked above. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ7KpkBHxII) This video demonstrates the Tunnel Radio (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/01/us/traffic-now-tuned-to-boston-s-tunnel-radio.html) that was in operation on the AM band in the Dewey Square / South Station Tunnel at around the 4 minute mark. From what I've read, the then Massachusetts Department of Public Works (superseded by MassHighway, now MassDOT) could override the AM station to provide "traffic and accident information" if needed.
December 1991, I-93 NB (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRjsqxPUqiI)*
April 5, 1992, I-93 NB (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeZDr-x_WQA)
December 27th, 2003, I-93 NB (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVZxYEl35Ls)
August 3, 2003, I-93 SB. Temporary configuration, NB was moved into the tunnels at that time. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez6vPVMUQmY)
December 20, 2003 02:06 EST, the last few hours of the elevated Central Artery before SB traffic was moved to the Tip O'Neill Tunnel/Zakim Br at about 08:00 that day. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTQ0k7a3Jbo)
*A bit off-topic as this mostly pertains to the Southeast Expressway, but in the Dec. 1991 video, how did the HOV lanes operate work back then? I'm not sure when the Zipper system was put in place, but if you look at 12-13 seconds into the video, you can see the left 2 lanes have HOV lane markings. You can also see it on this video at around 10 minutes in from December 31, 1999 (https://youtu.be/0WwABAxm-D4?t=600). EDIT: This document (https://www.lindsay.com/uploads/files/resources/385-boston_hov_lq.pdf) from Lindsay Transportation Solutions suggests that HOV lanes were implemented in the 1980's, and the zipper system was implemented in 1995.
Some people think that they should have completely removed the highway. I disagree.
Just before the elevated Central Artery was demolished, I remember reading an article where the author admitted: "I am going to miss this road." While the statement may have been illogical, perhaps the old road did provide some good views of the surrounding landscape (which were undoubtedly dampened by the congestion and the disdain for the viaduct's ugly look). Since this was about 15 years ago, I don't remember who wrote the article, what it was called, nor do I have confidence I could find it on the internet's "Wayback Machine". The only other thing I can recall from the article is that after the author said he'd miss the road, he noted that most people would have responded "how could you, you moron"?
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on May 28, 2021, 03:05:30 PM
Just before the elevated Central Artery was demolished, I remember reading an article where the author admitted: "I am going to miss this road." While the statement may have been illogical, perhaps the old road did provide some good views of the surrounding landscape (which were undoubtedly dampened by the congestion and the disdain for the viaduct's ugly look). Since this was about 15 years ago, I don't remember who wrote the article, what it was called, nor do I have confidence I could find it on the internet's "Wayback Machine". The only other thing I can recall from the article is that after the author said he'd miss the road, he noted that most people would have responded "how could you, you moron"?
The road had some nice scenery of the city.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 28, 2021, 04:11:14 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on May 28, 2021, 03:05:30 PM
Just before the elevated Central Artery was demolished, I remember reading an article where the author admitted: "I am going to miss this road." While the statement may have been illogical, perhaps the old road did provide some good views of the surrounding landscape (which were undoubtedly dampened by the congestion and the disdain for the viaduct's ugly look). Since this was about 15 years ago, I don't remember who wrote the article, what it was called, nor do I have confidence I could find it on the internet's "Wayback Machine". The only other thing I can recall from the article is that after the author said he'd miss the road, he noted that most people would have responded "how could you, you moron"?
The road had some nice scenery of the city.
It was a lot of fun to drive if you're okay with chaotic urban arterials. It was a behemoth but it also mirrored the Green Line and gave you a golden view of Boston's downtown as you sliced through.
If you look at early Google Earth historical imagery, you can see the Charlestown High Bridge, which was eventually replaced by the Zakim bridge, carrying traffic to/from I-93 and US-1 north of Boston. You can see a disconnected spur off the north side of the bridge which used to go directly to the Tobin Bridge (US-1). Back in the 80s, it seemed like everyone coming up the Central Artery wanted to take I-93, and everyone who was heading east on Storrow Drive wanted to go up US-1, so the two streams had to cross in the space of that short bridge. As you can see, they later fixed that with the loop ramps and the short tunnel feeding the Tobin Bridge. But that was a real traffic landmark at the time. But it had a great view at night.
As to the view from the Central Artery, I recall driving south through there late one night, and looking off to my left, seeing a gigantic boat, about the size of a skyscraper on its side. It was the QE II about a mile away, docked at the World Trade Center.
Watching the Big Dig was truly fascinating. I kept a rusty rivet from it, as a souvenir.
Quote from: pderocco on June 01, 2021, 01:24:51 AM
it seemed like everyone coming up the Central Artery wanted to take I-93, and everyone who was heading east on Storrow Drive wanted to go up US-1, so the two streams had to cross in the space of that short bridge.
Yes. The very first time I drove in Boston, I was entering the city from the north on US 1, heading toward Dedham. I was confronted with the need to cross from left to right on that short, high bridge to reach Storrow Drive. Even though I drove a NYC taxi while I worked my way through college, nothing prepared me for this adventure. I moved here in 1989, and ended up using the old Central Artery on a regular basis.
On the southbound Artery, just before the onramp from the Sumner Tunnel, a trooper would park in the right lane during rush hour - to make room for traffic from the tunnel. Net result: traffic from I-93 and the Tobin Bridge was forced to squeeze into two lanes. This created vehicular constipation back into Medford (and often beyond).
Having grown up in the Greater Boston area, I became very familiar with the Central Artery years prior to getting my driver's license circa May 1982.
As most here know, it was sized as a 6-laner under the presumption that a reliever, 6-to-8 lane bypass highway (known as the I-695/Inner Belt) would be eventually built and the through-traffic would've been diverted away from Artery & the downtown area when completed & opened to traffic. Unfortunately, local (i.e. NIMBY) opposition to highway construction projects near & around the city motivated then-Gov. Sargent to impose a moratorium on all highway construction projects inside MA 128. As a result, key pieces of the highway system like the fore-mentioned Inner Belt (I-695) as well as the inner segments of what would be I-95 were cancelled.
The northern I-93 (originally part of I-695) connection to the Artery, though completely built for roughly a couple(?) of years, wouldn't open to traffic until September 1973. The reasons for it ultimately opening, despite then-Gov. Sargent's inside-128 highway construction moratorium, were that:
1. Such was already fully-built.
&
2. The Tobin Bridge was shut down for 2 months following a gravel truck accident (on 9/11/73) that caused a collapse of the upper deck of the bridge.
As a result & as others have mentioned, the northern I-93 connection to the Artery created a very short weave area between such and the Storrow Drive interchange. Several of the supplemental green steel side plates along the viaduct's railing were removed in the immediate vicinity to allow for traffic to see merging/oncoming vehicles.
The worst northbound bottleneck was at the southern end of the South Station/Dewey Square Tunnel where the Boston Extension of the Mass Pike (I-90 from 1978 onward) connected to the Expressway (I-93 from 1975 onward). Anyone heading to Logan Airport from points south & west had to endure that agony of getting on I-93 and slowly crawling through the tunnel & Artery get to the Callahan Tunnel exit. Prior to the adoption of one-way tolls circa 1983; traffic in the Callahan Tunnel would be gridlocked for the entire length due to the tollbooths at the East Boston side. One Boston driving book (Wild in the Streets) referred to the entrance to the Callahan Tunnel as the Callahan Funnel due to the scenario involving a 6-7 car width area narrowing down to 2-lanes at the tunnel entrance.
It's also worth noting that the Central Artery originally had more entrance & exit ramps than it did when such received the I-93-based sequential exit numbering circa 1987. One Artery ramp closure/removal that p!ssed off both my father & brother the most was the northbound onramp from State St., just west of the Atlantic Ave. intersection. That ramp met the northbound Artery just beyond the Callahan Tunnel exit ramp & allowed one to avoid the gridlocked northbound traffic at the Callahan Tunnel offramp. Such was removed during the mid-70s & to this day, my brother (my father has since died) still questioned the then-DPW's logic for removing that ramp.
During my final 3-1/2 months of living in eastern-MA circa 1990; I was a driver for an executive sedan company. As a result & out of necessity, I became very familiar with the various surface street routes in the Artery's vicinity and when to use the Artery & when not to use it. I, for one, was glad that I left that job (& moved away due to a better job offer) just prior to the Big Dig construction taking place.
You act like it's a bad thing I-695 wasn't built...it's a good thing that and the SW freeway were not.
Quote from: bluecountry on June 12, 2021, 11:07:58 PM
You act like it's a bad thing I-695 wasn't built...it's a good thing that and the SW freeway were not.
Bad for traffic, probably good for the city of Boston.
Quote from: bluecountry on June 12, 2021, 11:07:58 PM
You act like it's a bad thing I-695 wasn't built...it's a good thing that and the SW freeway were not.
I don't know how to answer that. The Orange Line isn't a whole lot better in the freeway's path than if it were tunneled under I-95 instead. It's still a dividing line in the area. I-695 would have destroyed Cambridge, and I would say that is a bad thing indeed, but at least the Melnea Cass part would make sense (i.e., tying I-95 into the Artery). I also can't think of a good argument against the NE leg of I-95.
Quote from: Alps on June 13, 2021, 12:26:05 AM
Quote from: bluecountry on June 12, 2021, 11:07:58 PM
You act like it's a bad thing I-695 wasn't built...it's a good thing that and the SW freeway were not.
I don't know how to answer that. The Orange Line isn't a whole lot better in the freeway's path than if it were tunneled under I-95 instead. It's still a dividing line in the area. I-695 would have destroyed Cambridge, and I would say that is a bad thing indeed, but at least the Melnea Cass part would make sense (i.e., tying I-95 into the Artery). I also can't think of a good argument against the NE leg of I-95.
They did clear the ROW for the highway. Maybe if I-95 was tunneled underneath it would work better.
Quote from: Alps on June 13, 2021, 12:26:05 AM
I also can't think of a good argument against the NE leg of I-95.
I don't recall if I have mentioned this before here, but the environmental road blocks on that thru Revere and Saugus were significant. My aunt who lived in Revere was one of the ringleaders in stopping it, to the point that she has a plaque at Rumney Marsh (near the US 1/Lynn St interchange) noting her work on stopping 95 being built thru there.
Side note: Has anyone actually read about who Melnea Cass is? I think she would have been completely forgotten if not for the road named after her.
Besides what SectorZ already mentioned, I-95 as planned would have also negatively impacted the Lynn Woods.
They could have routed I-95 closer to the current 4 lane US 1.
Quote from: froggie on June 13, 2021, 09:43:09 AM
Besides what SectorZ already mentioned, I-95 as planned would have also negatively impacted the Lynn Woods.
Understood to both of you, but it's not people being displaced or community being disrupted, which I inherently rank lower than the SW.
Quote from: Alps on June 13, 2021, 12:51:20 PM
Quote from: froggie on June 13, 2021, 09:43:09 AM
Besides what SectorZ already mentioned, I-95 as planned would have also negatively impacted the Lynn Woods.
Understood to both of you, but it's not people being displaced or community being disrupted, which I inherently rank lower than the SW.
You said that you couldn't think of a good argument. That is an argument.
Quote from: SectorZ on June 13, 2021, 07:44:53 AM
Quote from: Alps on June 13, 2021, 12:26:05 AM
I also can't think of a good argument against the NE leg of I-95.
I don't recall if I have mentioned this before here, but the environmental road blocks on that thru Revere and Saugus were significant. My aunt who lived in Revere was one of the ringleaders in stopping it, to the point that she has a plaque at Rumney Marsh (near the US 1/Lynn St interchange) noting her work on stopping 95 being built thru there.
So the stopped I-95, but U.S. 1 north of the Tobin Bridge nearly as far north as Danvers is treated as if it were I-95 by Massachusetts drivers (in other words drive fast and have no expectation of having to come to a halt).
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 13, 2021, 08:35:23 PM
Quote from: SectorZ on June 13, 2021, 07:44:53 AM
Quote from: Alps on June 13, 2021, 12:26:05 AM
I also can't think of a good argument against the NE leg of I-95.
I don't recall if I have mentioned this before here, but the environmental road blocks on that thru Revere and Saugus were significant. My aunt who lived in Revere was one of the ringleaders in stopping it, to the point that she has a plaque at Rumney Marsh (near the US 1/Lynn St interchange) noting her work on stopping 95 being built thru there.
So the stopped I-95, but U.S. 1 north of the Tobin Bridge nearly as far north as Danvers is treated as if it were I-95 by Massachusetts drivers (in other words drive fast and have no expectation of having to come to a halt).
Just need to get rid of the at grade interchanges.
Sort of related content here, from WGBH Archives. Their twitter account has a couple of raw video footage driving in the area.
Here's Route 1 North of Boston from 1979: (Looks like an unfinished stub ramp at 0:16, what would that be for?)
[tweet]1403712128620630018[/tweet]
Here's another one leaving Boston south on 93, around 1970s:
[tweet]1398288248213016583[/tweet]
Quote from: zzyzxHere's Route 1 North of Boston from 1979: (Looks like an unfinished stub ramp at 0:16, what would that be for?)
That unfinished stub is the original plan where the aforementioned I-95 would have continued northeast through Lynn then north to 128.
US-1 north of Boston to I-95/128 is a classic Jersey Freeway. No traffic lights, just a ton of driveways, but better signing then most.
What is traffic like on US 1 between the terminus of the Northeast Expressway at Squire Rd. (MA 60)/Copeland Circle, and Interstate 95/MA 128 at Exit 63 (former Exit 44/30)? If the Northeast Expressway had been completed to MA 128, I wonder how much less traffic the existing US 1 roadway would have seen?
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on June 16, 2021, 06:34:37 PM
What is traffic like on US 1 between the terminus of the Northeast Expressway at Squire Rd. (MA 60)/Copeland Circle, and Interstate 95/MA 128 at Exit 63 (former Exit 44/30)? If the Northeast Expressway had been completed to MA 128, I wonder how much less traffic the existing US 1 roadway would have seen?
It's trafficked but usually doesn't back up. But your life is in your hands if you need to use a driveway or ramp in that stretch. The U-turn jughandle north of 128 can cause peak period delays, since most locals will stay on 1 north to 95 instead of taking the trumpet to 95 at 128.
Quote from: SectorZ on June 13, 2021, 07:44:53 AM
Quote from: Alps on June 13, 2021, 12:26:05 AM
I also can't think of a good argument against the NE leg of I-95.
I don't recall if I have mentioned this before here, but the environmental road blocks on that thru Revere and Saugus were significant. My aunt who lived in Revere was one of the ringleaders in stopping it, to the point that she has a plaque at Rumney Marsh (near the US 1/Lynn St interchange) noting her work on stopping 95 being built thru there.
FWIW, most of the Northeast Expressway through Revere itself was already built. IIRC, the embankment for the would-be I-95 through the Rumney Marsh in Saugus was
already present & remained for decades after the plan to build the roadway there & further north was cancelled. Had the Lynn Woods (see below) issue not happened/been addressed differently, the highway would've been fully built IMHO.
Quote from: froggie on June 13, 2021, 09:43:09 AM
Besides what SectorZ already mentioned, I-95 as planned would have also negatively impacted the Lynn Woods.
IIRC, most of the proposed alignments I saw for the Lynn Woods stretch of I-95 would've had the corridor going through the easternmost portions. While it certainly would've impacted Lynn Woods
to a degree; it wasn't like it was going through the center of the woods. If one moved the corridor further east, away from Lynn Woods, a lot more homes would've been impacted. Such was why the corridor location was originally selected.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 13, 2021, 08:35:23 PMSo the stopped I-95, but U.S. 1 north of the Tobin Bridge nearly as far north as Danvers is treated as if it were I-95 by Massachusetts drivers (in other words drive fast and have no expectation of having to come to a halt).
FWIW, there was a plan, in one of the various reports from the early 70s, to have I-95 built
within the US 1 corridor from the Peabody/Danvers line to Copeland Circle (MA 60). Such would've functioned as a dual-carriageway, express/local highway: Express lanes would be I-95, the Local lanes would be US 1. Needless to say, that proposal/compromise went nowhere.
Such may have been the reason why the partial I-95/US 1 interchange in Peabody/Danvers (current Exit 66 off I-95) was built the way it was & why the ramp from I-95 southbound meets US 1 southbound
on the left. Originally, the interchange was planned to have the
opposite movements (I-95 northbound to US 1 northbound/US 1 southbound to I-95 southbound) of what's there today.
If one looks very closely, this little driveway-like ramp shown at the left (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5392044,-70.9846504,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0jrIUy4P4cuPsZVUEtkjvA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) along I-95 southbound would've been where the originally planned ramp from US 1 southbound to I-95 southbound would've ended.
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on June 16, 2021, 06:34:37 PM
What is traffic like on US 1 between the terminus of the Northeast Expressway at Squire Rd. (MA 60)/Copeland Circle, and Interstate 95/MA 128 at Exit 63 (former Exit 44/30)? If the Northeast Expressway had been completed to MA 128, I wonder how much less traffic the existing US 1 roadway would have seen?
Had I-95 through Lynn & Saugus been fully built; traffic along US 1 in that vicinity would've consisted of mostly local traffic. Kind of like the stretch between Peabody & Topsfield, where I-95 runs parallel & east of US 1, functions today.
The below-photo from the early 60s shows what peak traffic along US 1 southbound in Danvers near MA 62 used to look like prior to I-95 being built in the 70s.
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cb/19/31/cb1931b1cfacf43e78df3fa1b2919b18.jpg)
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 18, 2021, 06:00:11 PM
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
I-93 does.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 18, 2021, 06:00:11 PM
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
Yes, though the planned widening to 6 lanes between Copeland Circle and 99 will help a lot with that.
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on June 21, 2021, 08:45:08 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 18, 2021, 06:00:11 PM
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
Yes, though the planned widening to 6 lanes between Copeland Circle and 99 will help a lot with that.
6 lane surface road. Interesting.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 21, 2021, 12:51:40 PM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on June 21, 2021, 08:45:08 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 18, 2021, 06:00:11 PM
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
Yes, though the planned widening to 6 lanes between Copeland Circle and 99 will help a lot with that.
6 lane surface road. Interesting.
It's not really a surface road. It's substandard but still a freeway almost all the way from Copeland Circle up to 99, and the Jersey freeway north of there is already 6 lanes.
Quote from: PHLBOS on June 18, 2021, 04:48:43 PM
Quote from: SectorZ on June 13, 2021, 07:44:53 AM
Quote from: Alps on June 13, 2021, 12:26:05 AM
I also can't think of a good argument against the NE leg of I-95.
I don't recall if I have mentioned this before here, but the environmental road blocks on that thru Revere and Saugus were significant. My aunt who lived in Revere was one of the ringleaders in stopping it, to the point that she has a plaque at Rumney Marsh (near the US 1/Lynn St interchange) noting her work on stopping 95 being built thru there.
FWIW, most of the Northeast Expressway through Revere itself was already built. IIRC, the embankment for the would-be I-95 through the Rumney Marsh in Saugus was already present & remained for decades after the plan to build the roadway there & further north was cancelled. Had the Lynn Woods (see below) issue not happened/been addressed differently, the highway would've been fully built IMHO.
Quote from: froggie on June 13, 2021, 09:43:09 AM
Besides what SectorZ already mentioned, I-95 as planned would have also negatively impacted the Lynn Woods.
IIRC, most of the proposed alignments I saw for the Lynn Woods stretch of I-95 would've had the corridor going through the easternmost portions. While it certainly would've impacted Lynn Woods to a degree; it wasn't like it was going through the center of the woods. If one moved the corridor further east, away from Lynn Woods, a lot more homes would've been impacted. Such was why the corridor location was originally selected.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 13, 2021, 08:35:23 PMSo the stopped I-95, but U.S. 1 north of the Tobin Bridge nearly as far north as Danvers is treated as if it were I-95 by Massachusetts drivers (in other words drive fast and have no expectation of having to come to a halt).
FWIW, there was a plan, in one of the various reports from the early 70s, to have I-95 built within the US 1 corridor from the Peabody/Danvers line to Copeland Circle (MA 60). Such would've functioned as a dual-carriageway, express/local highway: Express lanes would be I-95, the Local lanes would be US 1. Needless to say, that proposal/compromise went nowhere.
Such may have been the reason why the partial I-95/US 1 interchange in Peabody/Danvers (current Exit 66 off I-95) was built the way it was & why the ramp from I-95 southbound meets US 1 southbound on the left. Originally, the interchange was planned to have the opposite movements (I-95 northbound to US 1 northbound/US 1 southbound to I-95 southbound) of what's there today.
If one looks very closely, this little driveway-like ramp shown at the left (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5392044,-70.9846504,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0jrIUy4P4cuPsZVUEtkjvA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) along I-95 southbound would've been where the originally planned ramp from US 1 southbound to I-95 southbound would've ended.
That would have been a far better solution - combining US 1 and I-95 on the same alignment. Instead of plowing through the marsh and the Lynn Woods golf course. From living there in the seventies and eighties, remember some "partial" interchanges along the US - 1 segment, N of the Revere circle. Also remember the decay of some of those "overpasses" over US 1, with cribbing under the girders, and netting between the girders, to catch any spalling and falling concrete chunks. Believe most of those partial interchanges were built in the late fifties and early sixties, and featured four span design, square columns, a steel green painted railing, with prominent date imprinted on the parapets, with the bronze state seal pressed into the concrete. Most of those type parapets were later covered by galvanized guard rail ends.
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on June 21, 2021, 08:45:08 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 18, 2021, 06:00:11 PM
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
Yes, though the planned widening to 6 lanes between Copeland Circle and 99 will help a lot with that.
IIRC, such has been talked about for years if not decades. Is the proposal you're referring to a serious one, i.e. approved for eventual construction?
Quote from: PHLBOS on July 06, 2021, 06:10:50 PM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on June 21, 2021, 08:45:08 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 18, 2021, 06:00:11 PM
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
Yes, though the planned widening to 6 lanes between Copeland Circle and 99 will help a lot with that.
IIRC, such has been talked about for years if not decades. Is the proposal you're referring to a serious one, i.e. approved for eventual construction?
Was this the one they wanted to soften the large curve thru the quarry? I think it was before they put the hundreds of apartments in there.
At least some sort of plan exists, https://hwy.massdot.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=610543
Along with this, https://hwy.massdot.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=611999
Quote from: PHLBOS on June 18, 2021, 05:21:34 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on June 16, 2021, 06:34:37 PM
What is traffic like on US 1 between the terminus of the Northeast Expressway at Squire Rd. (MA 60)/Copeland Circle, and Interstate 95/MA 128 at Exit 63 (former Exit 44/30)? If the Northeast Expressway had been completed to MA 128, I wonder how much less traffic the existing US 1 roadway would have seen?
Had I-95 through Lynn & Saugus been fully built; traffic along US 1 in that vicinity would've consisted of mostly local traffic. Kind of like the stretch between Peabody & Topsfield, where I-95 runs parallel & east of US 1, functions today.
The below-photo from the early 60s shows what peak traffic along US 1 southbound in Danvers near MA 62 used to look like prior to I-95 being built in the 70s.
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cb/19/31/cb1931b1cfacf43e78df3fa1b2919b18.jpg)
Interesting to see Portland, Maine as a control city in Massachusetts. I can't think of anywhere where that is still the case.
QuoteInteresting to see Portland, Maine as a control city in Massachusetts. I can't think of anywhere where that is still the case.
Oh, you wouldn't think so, but....
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.844485,-70.8999018,3a,36.5y,282.5h,100.62t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1syE2a7ohkvIIFmbcZrr00kA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DyE2a7ohkvIIFmbcZrr00kA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D20.038286%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192
Exit 88 (Route 110) in Salisbury
But wait... there's more:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.869427,-70.8833163,3a,35.1y,63.85h,85.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSqTUsCSl0I2qPlh0Tz4oSQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Exit 90 in Salisbury
Still l think "NH-Maine" would be better than the dual "Portsmouth NH/Portland ME", but I guess in this day and age, you need to be more specific. However, you can get to most NH points via I-95... Exit 2 is signed for Manchester and I think there's auxillary signage for Concord via Exit 4/5. So it would still apply... if not for the feds...
Quote from: SectorZ on July 06, 2021, 07:49:57 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on July 06, 2021, 06:10:50 PM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on June 21, 2021, 08:45:08 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on June 18, 2021, 06:00:11 PM
TBH, does US 1 get clogged enough to warrant I-95?
Yes, though the planned widening to 6 lanes between Copeland Circle and 99 will help a lot with that.
IIRC, such has been talked about for years if not decades. Is the proposal you're referring to a serious one, i.e. approved for eventual construction?
Was this the one they wanted to soften the large curve thru the quarry? I think it was before they put the hundreds of apartments in there.
At least some sort of plan exists, https://hwy.massdot.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=610543
Along with this, https://hwy.massdot.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=611999
Preliminary design was completed in the late-2000s before the state pulled the plug due to budget shortfalls. It is actually required mitigation for the redevelopment of the adjacent quarry.
Improvements are coming to the Salem St / Lynn St interchange soon, funded by the developer, with provisions for the future widening. The HAWK signal and new signage installed last summer on Salem St were the first phase of this. Both the Overlook Ridge developer and the cities of Malden and Revere are still interested in the widening.
I'm not sure I can share any more detail publicly though.