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[Ben114]

I am not sure what the solution is for the Pike east of I-84.  Another bad aspect of that road is that drivers slow down on upgrades.  So...flatten it out.

I would favor a cars only/all vehicles split, widen to 12 lanes total.

That's rather extreme. 8 lanes should suffice for most circumstances.

I would say 8 lanes east of I-84, 10 lanes inside 495, and 12 lanes inside 128 up to Allston/Brighton.  Inside of there, it gets a little tough with the city street grid.

With this, probably include a better connection from the Pike to Storrow Drive to keep traffic flowing with the lane drop after the interchange.

[Alps]

I am not sure what the solution is for the Pike east of I-84.  Another bad aspect of that road is that drivers slow down on upgrades.  So...flatten it out.

I would favor a cars only/all vehicles split, widen to 12 lanes total.

That's rather extreme. 8 lanes should suffice for most circumstances.

I would say 8 lanes east of I-84, 10 lanes inside 495, and 12 lanes inside 128 up to Allston/Brighton.  Inside of there, it gets a little tough with the city street grid. 

I still disagree. 8 lanes seems fine all the way up to 128 unless you're really in a peak day like Thanksgiving. Inside there would take more study.

[DJStephens]

I am not sure what the solution is for the Pike east of I-84.  Another bad aspect of that road is that drivers slow down on upgrades.  So...flatten it out.

I would favor a cars only/all vehicles split, widen to 12 lanes total.

That's rather extreme. 8 lanes should suffice for most circumstances.

I would say 8 lanes east of I-84, 10 lanes inside 495, and 12 lanes inside 128 up to Allston/Brighton.  Inside of there, it gets a little tough with the city street grid.

The Turnpike is a pre-Interstate design.   Yes it should be reconstructed at some point between 84 and 128, completely, by opening up the median, blasting rock faces outwards, and flattening vertical curves.   All new two span bridges, also, replacing early/mid fifties four span overpasses. 
Don't believe any widening could be done E of 128, due to a narrow footprint, and air right construction over the highway itself.  Newtonville and Newton Corner.   Have to wonder though why the Turnpike authority in the early sixties did not specify an eight lane cross section all the way out to 128.     The section E of route 128 was known for a long time as the Turnpike Extension, as the section W of 128 had been finished and open for at least 10-12 years before the Extension construction was underway.   

[PaulRAnderson]

I would say 8 lanes east of I-84, 10 lanes inside 495, and 12 lanes inside 128 up to Allston/Brighton.  Inside of there, it gets a little tough with the city street grid.

The portion between I-84 and I-290 is choked up more than any other stretch.  Start with eight lanes there.

[RobbieL2415]

I would say 8 lanes east of I-84, 10 lanes inside 495, and 12 lanes inside 128 up to Allston/Brighton.  Inside of there, it gets a little tough with the city street grid.

The portion between I-84 and I-290 is choked up more than any other stretch.  Start with eight lanes there.

Or add climbing lanes.

[Route99]

I am not sure what the solution is for the Pike east of I-84.  Another bad aspect of that road is that drivers slow down on upgrades.  So...flatten it out.

I would favor a cars only/all vehicles split, widen to 12 lanes total.

That's rather extreme. 8 lanes should suffice for most circumstances.

I would say 8 lanes east of I-84, 10 lanes inside 495, and 12 lanes inside 128 up to Allston/Brighton.  Inside of there, it gets a little tough with the city street grid.

The Turnpike is a pre-Interstate design.   Yes it should be reconstructed at some point between 84 and 128, completely, by opening up the median, blasting rock faces outwards, and flattening vertical curves.   All new two span bridges, also, replacing early/mid fifties four span overpasses. 
Don't believe any widening could be done E of 128, due to a narrow footprint, and air right construction over the highway itself.  Newtonville and Newton Corner.   Have to wonder though why the Turnpike authority in the early sixties did not specify an eight lane cross section all the way out to 128.     The section E of route 128 was known for a long time as the Turnpike Extension, as the section W of 128 had been finished and open for at least 10-12 years before the Extension construction was underway.   

At the time the Extension was built, construction of the Inner Belt (I-695) was still planned, with an interchange in the area where Comm. Ave crosses the Pike.  It was probably expected that much less traffic would use the part of the Pike west of that, since Rte 2 and the unbuilt SouthWest Expy (original I-95) would have been easily accessed alternatives.

That section should ideally be widened to 4 lanes, but it is probably not practical. One improvement that could be made would be to redesign the messy interchange with Rte 95/128 and Rte 30 now that the tollbooths are gone. 

[PHLBOS]

Have to wonder though why the Turnpike authority in the early sixties did not specify an eight lane cross section all the way out to 128

Much of the Pike's Boston Extension was constructed adjacent to very active railroad corridors & tracks.  An 8-lane corridor plus shoulders would've drastically impacted those rail lines.

Historic note: Fred Salvucci's grandmother was evicted from her home due to the construction of the Boston Extension.  This would be the same Fred Salvucci that would later become Gov. Dukakis' Transportation Secretary and the master architect of the Big Dig.

At the time the Extension was built, construction of the Inner Belt (I-695) was still planned, with an interchange in the area where Comm. Ave crosses the Pike.  It was probably expected that much less traffic would use the part of the Pike west of that, since Rte 2 and the unbuilt SouthWest Expy (original I-95) would have been easily accessed alternatives.

Quite true.  Had the inner Belt (I-695) & the Route 2 Connector been built, a fair amount of east-west traffic would've used those roadways instead of the Boston Extension.

That section should ideally be widened to 4 lanes, but it is probably not practical.

See above.  Much of the Boston Extension abuts active railroad tracks.

One improvement that could be made would be to redesign the messy interchange with Rte 95/128 and Rte 30 now that the tollbooths are gone.

It's worth noting that some minor tweaks were done to that interchange, mostly on the Pike's end since those toll booths came down.  Given the surrounding area & unlike the I-495 interchange in Hopkinton, I don't believe there's too much one can do with the Weston (I-95 (MA 128)/MA 30) interchange without totally disturbing the surrounding area.  Not to mention that traffic would still need to be maintained during the construction process.

[roadman]

I would say 8 lanes east of I-84, 10 lanes inside 495, and 12 lanes inside 128 up to Allston/Brighton.  Inside of there, it gets a little tough with the city street grid.

The portion between I-84 and I-290 is choked up more than any other stretch.  Start with eight lanes there.

Or add climbing lanes.

Grades are not severe enough between I-84 and I-290 in either direction to justify climbing lanes.  However, at a minimum, they should extend the fourth lane eastbound that begins at I-84 from beyond the current lane drop to well past the entrance from the eastbound Charlton service plaza.  This is probably the biggest recurring congestion point, even when traffic is relatively light otherwise.

[Rothman]

Drivers on the Pike have begun to slow down on the weakest of grades.

[RobbieL2415]

Drivers on the Pike have begun to slow down on the weakest of grades.

It's the trucks that are the problem.  They take the center lane to pass someone and then they slow down on the upgrade.

[Rothman]

Drivers on the Pike have begun to slow down on the weakest of grades.

It's the trucks that are the problem.  They take the center lane to pass someone and then they slow down on the upgrade.

I don't think so.  Plenty of passenger vehicles slow down of their own accord.

[Alps]

Historic note: Fred Salvucci's grandmother was evicted from her home due to the construction of the Boston Extension.  This would be the same Fred Salvucci that would later lead the effort to kill off the Inner Belt, Southwest and Northeast Expressways, and brag about it.

FTFY. Source: had him as a lecturer.

[PHLBOS]

Historic note: Fred Salvucci's grandmother was evicted from her home due to the construction of the Boston Extension.  This would be the same Fred Salvucci that would later lead the effort to kill off the Inner Belt, Southwest and Northeast Expressways, and brag about it.

FTFY. Source: had him as a lecturer.

While the contents of your edit are, no doubt, true; such doesn't change the fact that he was Gov. Dukakis' Transportation Secretary from 1975-1979 and 1983-1991 and backed the Big Dig while serving under Gov. Dukakis.  Local newspapers, the Boston Herald in particular, in the mid-to-late 1980s referred to the Big Dig project as Freddie's Nightmare.

Initially the Big Dig proposal only involved replacing the Central Artery but no Third Harbor (Ted Williams) Tunnel.  Such changed sometime during the 1980s when the proposed alignment of the tunnel (originally planned to run through the Fort Point Channel (based on old plans/reports)) was realigned to what was ultimately built. 

With regards to your above-edit/fix to my earlier post; I would've personally have done the following:

This would be the same Fred Salvucci that would later become Gov. Dukakis' Transportation Secretary and the master architect of the Big Dig.

This was also the same Fred Salvucci that would later lead the effort to kill off the Inner Belt, Southwest and Northeast Expressways, and brag about it.  I know this because I had him as a lecturer.

[roadman]

Salvucci backed the Big Dig largely because of the public transportation improvements that were promised as mitigation.  While work on the Green Line Extension, which has taken way too long to complete and has gone horribly over budget, is still under way, the MBTA has cancelled restoration of light rail to Arborway and has delayed the Red-Blue Line connector.

[Rothman]

Salvucci backed the Big Dig largely because of the public transportation improvements that were promised as mitigation.  While work on the Green Line Extension, which has taken way too long to complete and has gone horribly over budget, is still under way, the MBTA has cancelled restoration of light rail to Arborway and has delayed the Red-Blue Line connector.

From what I've seen in his interviews, public transportation benefits were nowhere near "largely" a reason for his support of the Big Dig.

[SectorZ]

Drivers on the Pike have begun to slow down on the weakest of grades.

It's the trucks that are the problem.  They take the center lane to pass someone and then they slow down on the upgrade.

I don't think so.  Plenty of passenger vehicles slow down of their own accord.

That's not just the Pike in Massachusetts. 495, on the tiny grades near the Chelmsford rest area or the borderline-unnoticeable hill near MA 133 in Tewksbury, traffic slows considerably and in rush hour grinds to a halt briefly. Wish people knew how to use cruise control...

[roadman]

Drivers on the Pike have begun to slow down on the weakest of grades.

It's the trucks that are the problem.  They take the center lane to pass someone and then they slow down on the upgrade.

I don't think so.  Plenty of passenger vehicles slow down of their own accord.

That's not just the Pike in Massachusetts. 495, on the tiny grades near the Chelmsford rest area or the borderline-unnoticeable hill near MA 133 in Tewksbury, traffic slows considerably and in rush hour grinds to a halt briefly. Wish people knew how to use cruise control...

Also the minor grade on I-95 (128) south of Washington Street in Woburn.

[5foot14]

So the sign replacement project on I-495 has been progressing and I noticed some oddities at the end of the Ward Hill Connector...

The first pic shows the new paddle sign going NORTH on 125 right at the split.

The second pic, going south right at the split...

See what they did there?
I'm assuming they will correct that at some point.

Also the third pic shows the paddle sign where the connector ends at 125. I find it extremely unusual they chose an airport sign panel over ya know referencing route 125 South?

SM-G900P

[jp the roadgeek]

Saw an odd thing when I looked at Apple Maps in the area of Clayton, MA and North Canaan, CT: there is a MA 73 shield on Clayton Rd and Canaan Rd through the town of New Marlborough.  The road passes from North Canaan into New Marlborough, then crosses back into North Canaan a couple miles later.  Is there any history behind this numbering, or is it an obvious error?

[Alps]

Saw an odd thing when I looked at Apple Maps in the area of Clayton, MA and North Canaan, CT: there is a MA 73 shield on Clayton Rd and Canaan Rd through the town of New Marlborough.  The road passes from North Canaan into New Marlborough, then crosses back into North Canaan a couple miles later.  Is there any history behind this numbering, or is it an obvious error?

Error

[Pete from Boston]

Salvucci backed the Big Dig largely because of the public transportation improvements that were promised as mitigation.  While work on the Green Line Extension, which has taken way too long to complete and has gone horribly over budget, is still under way, the MBTA has cancelled restoration of light rail to Arborway and has delayed the Red-Blue Line connector.

He’s been pretty clear that they had a holistic transportation vision in place, of which all these pieces were part. One thing he has emphasized time and time again is that the mitigation efforts were designed to mitigate in affected corridors, and that his successors abandoned that core principle by making substitutions like suburban parking lots rather than urban transit projects.

And from the horse’s mouth, the last time I talked to him (as he kept his head down in the back of a Watertown church basement showing of a documentary on Hood Rubber, where his father worked), Mr. Salvucci reiterated that it was *his* childhood home obliterated by the Turnpike Extension.

[Pete from Boston]

Were there ever any fanciful plans to expand Route 16 west of I 93? The 1960 overpasses over Main St. (Mass. 38) and 93 are really overbuilt, even with evening backups, and the one over Main St has pavement actually closed off by guardrail.

[Stephane Dumas]

Were there ever any fanciful plans to expand Route 16 west of I 93? The 1960 overpasses over Main St. (Mass. 38) and 93 are really overbuilt, even with evening backups, and the one over Main St has pavement actually closed off by guardrail.

Could that freeway stub would had been part of the cancelled Inner beltway? http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/inner-belt/

[Roadsguy]

Were there ever any fanciful plans to expand Route 16 west of I 93? The 1960 overpasses over Main St. (Mass. 38) and 93 are really overbuilt, even with evening backups, and the one over Main St has pavement actually closed off by guardrail.

Could that freeway stub would had been part of the cancelled Inner beltway? http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/inner-belt/

No, the Inner Beltway would have ended here where the ramps to Storrow Drive now tie in.

[Pete from Boston]

Were there ever any fanciful plans to expand Route 16 west of I 93? The 1960 overpasses over Main St. (Mass. 38) and 93 are really overbuilt, even with evening backups, and the one over Main St has pavement actually closed off by guardrail.

Could that freeway stub would had been part of the cancelled Inner beltway? http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/inner-belt/

No, the Inner Beltway would have ended here where the ramps to Storrow Drive now tie in.

I know, that’s something else entirely.