Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation

Holiday Weekend: Travel Safely

MassDOT encourages travelers to plan ahead and travel safely during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  The heaviest traffic is expected Thursday, Friday, and Monday afternoons and early evenings.  Drivers are encouraged to make travel plans accordingly and if possible avoid peak traffic volumes between 1pm and 7pm on those days.

Traffic is especially heavy at the I-84 interchange at Exit 9 in Sturbridge on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and at Exit 11A, I-495, which handles cars headed south to Cape Cod and north to New Hampshire and Maine.

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers reports it has completed current work and all lanes on the Sagamore Bridge are now open through the Memorial Day weekend.  The Corps says all lanes will remain open through Labor Day, with the exception of one or two work setups during weekdays only later in the summer.

MassDOT will suspend all construction work on major arterial roadways from 12:00PM Noon on Friday, May 25 through the start of normal business on Tuesday, May 29.

Use MassDOT traffic resources available to assist motorists.  Before you travel, check the interactive live Traffic Cameras web page to view current traffic.

Sign up at the 511 Traveler Information Service to receive personalized travel information alerts via email, text or telephone. MassDOT as always reminds drivers to avoid using cell phones while driving.  Call into the 511 service before departing.

A reminder that the Massachusetts Safe Driving Law bans texting while driving and cell phone use while driving by 16 and 17 year old drivers.  Drivers are reminded to travel safely and avoid distracted driving such as using cell phones.   

To save time, money and gas, motorists who have not yet done so are encouraged to join E-ZPass (FAST LANE) to avoid waiting in line at cash toll booths.

Free coffee will be served at the 18 MassDOT service plazas from 10 pm Monday night through 5 am Tuesday morning.

The MBTA will operate buses and subways on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day.

Massachusetts 3rd Most "Bicycle Friendly" State

Massachusetts is honored today as the 3rd most "Bicycle Friendly State" by the League of American Bicyclists.  The state's rank has gone up dramatically from 9th in 2011 and 19th in 2010.

“Massachusetts has continued to advance through the ranks of Bicycle Friendly States,” said MassDOT Secretary Richard A. Davey. “MassDOT was recently lauded as a Bicycle Friendly Business, the first DOT in the nation to receive this recognition.  These accomplishments mark our commitment to the MassDOT mission of providing safe, healthy and efficient transportation, and the importance of our innovative GreenDOT policy.”

“When MassDOT was created in 2009, innovative policies like the Healthy Transportation Compact and Complete Streets were built right into the new agency,” said David Watson, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike). “MassDOT’s growing emphasis on sustainability and its strong partnership with the advocacy community have led to rapid improvements for bicycling.”

The League of American Bicyclists compares states in five categories: Legislation & Enforcement; Policies & Programs; Infrastructure & Funding; Education & Encouragement; and Evaluation & Planning.

MassBike is the Bay State’s only statewide bicycling advocacy organization, promoting a bicycle-friendly environment and bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation. For more information about MassBike, visit www.MassBike.org.

Anderson Memorial Bridge Work Begins

MassDOT crews will begin road work on the Anderson Memorial Bridge on Tuesday, May 29, at 7 a.m.

During work on the bridge, which carries North Harvard Street over the Charles River between Cambridge and Boston, the downstream sidewalk will be closed and traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction until further notice. Bicyclists will share the eastbound and westbound lanes.

Appropriate signs, channelizing devices and traffic control measures will be used to guide drivers through the work zone. 

MassDOT encourages drivers to allow extra time for their trips and to reduce speed and use caution when travelling through the work zone.

The $19.98 million project to rehabilitate the Anderson Memorial Bridge is funded through the Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic Accelerated Bridge Program to reduce the Commonwealth’s backlog of structurally-deficient bridges. For more information on this project, please visit www.mass.gov/massdot/charlesriverbridges.

Bruins Defenseman Ference Helps Celebrate Bike Week

MassDOT will welcome Boston Bruins Defenseman Andrew Ference at Boston's Bike Week Festival on Friday, May 18.  Ference is an avid supporter of bicycling and will join the ceremonies scheduled for 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Friday morning at City Hall Plaza.

“Bicycling and walking transportation enable people to diversify travel choice to healthy transportation options which can reduce traffic congestion, improve Massachusetts air quality, and promote healthy lifestyles,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO, Richard A. Davey.  “We are honored to celebrate Bay State Bike Week with Andrew Ference. His dedication to bicycling as a means of transportation, is exactly the type of dedication we would like to share with other Massachusetts residents.”

A strong commitment to bicycle and pedestrian travel is a key part of MassDOT’s transportation vision. Two years ago, MassDOT became the first DOT in the nation to organize and lead a statewide Bike Week celebration, partnering with MassBike, the statewide bicycle education and advocacy group, as well as MassRIDES, the Commonwealth’s statewide travel options program.

This year, more than 100 events have been planned across the Commonwealth as part of Bay State Bike Week, May 14-20, to celebrate bicycling as a healthy and sustainable transportation choice. 

To learn more about Bay State Bike Week, visit www.baystatebikeweek.org. For information about current bicycling projects in your area visit www.mass.gov/massdot/bike.

Chelsea Street Bridge Opens

MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey today joined Congressman Mike Capuano along with state and local officials to celebrate the opening of the new Chelsea Street Bridge carrying Chelsea Street over the Chelsea Creek at the Boston/Chelsea line.  The bridge reopened to traffic on Saturday, May 12.

The signature $125.3 million project replaced a structurally-deficient drawbridge with a new bridge that is the largest permanent lift bridge built in Massachusetts to date.  The new structure will improve the efficiency and operation of the bridge for vehicle traffic and for critical maritime vessels to safely navigate the channel.

“We made a long-term commitment to address our neglected roads and bridges and make strategic investments across the Commonwealth using federal and state resources and innovative funding mechanisms,” said Governor Deval Patrick.  “The new Chelsea Street Bridge is just the latest example of this commitment, a project creating and sustaining jobs while building a bridge that will serve this area for decades to come.”

The project includes a truss-type structure that spans 450 feet and provides 175 feet of vertical clearance when raised. The new bridge and approach roadway provides two lanes of traffic in each direction and two pedestrian sidewalks.

To accommodate the massive size and tight space constraints in the bridge area, MassDOT contractors J. F. White Contracting Co. of Framingham used an innovative technique of launching the truss across the river.  The launching sequence of the truss bridge across the channel was carefully designed to minimize disruption of the navigation channel below.

The project also addresses safety and the environment, improving longstanding issues caused by the narrow passageway used by oil tankers that resulted in accidents and the potential for oil spills.

Final work continues during May and early June, requiring overnight closures that will not affect weekday commuter traffic.  Additional work will be completed during the day after the morning commute with at least one lane of traffic open in each direction.

Young Aviation Artist Wins International Award

A talented young Lexington artist has won 1st Place Internationally in the Federation Aeronautique Internationale 2012 International Aviation Art Contest.
 
Lewis Hwang of Lexington's work, left, took the top prize internationally in the 6-9 age group.  The art theme for the contest:  "Silent Flight."
 
Lewis along with his fellow classmates at the Fiske Elementary School, led by art teacher Tami O'Leary, submitted their art to the MassDOT Aeronautics Division in January 2012.

MassDOT Aeronautics sponsors the Massachusetts portion of the National Association of State Aviation Officials Aviation Art Contest each year. The contest is open to all schools, and state winners are forwarded for national and international award consideration.
 
Lewis was honored in March by MassDOT Aeronautics Division Administrator Christopher Willenborg, left, after the submitted art received 1st Place State winner in the Junior Category - ages 6-9. 

Lewis' art was then judged nationally, receiving 1st Place, prior to being submitted for the International award.
 
Lewis will receive a Certificate and gold medal from the Federation at ceremonies later this year.  Congratulations to student and teacher!

"Bicycle Friendly": Arlington, Salem, Newton

MassDOT today honors Arlington, Salem, and Newton, three new communities recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as “Bicycle Friendly Communities.” Arlington attained a Bronze-level award, while Newton and Salem each received an Honorable Mention. They join Boston, Northampton and Somerville, the first Massachusetts communities recognized by the League in 2011.

“We are very pleased to see more Massachusetts communities honored for their bicycle friendliness,” said MassDOT Secretary Richard A. Davey. “Our mission is to provide safe, healthy and efficient transportation, and bicycle friendly communities are help support our GreenDOT policy objectives.”

Arlington, Newton and Salem were rated on a number of factors, such as bicycling infrastructure improvements, education and public outreach, and staff involvement - including police participation. Their ability to make improvements on a number of different fronts contributed to boosting local bicycling.

MassDOT looks forward to continuing to collaborate with these and other municipalities to realize our GreenDOT policy goal of promoting the healthy transportation modes of walking, bicycling and public transit.

Taunton Bridge Reconstruction Moves Forward

MassDOT contractors are making major progress this week in the reconstruction of the Holloway Street Bridge over Route 140 in Taunton.

Workers are seen installing precast center deck sections of the bridge on Thursday, May 10, left. 

Other northbound deck sections were installed earlier this week, and work is now completed on northbound bridge piers, caps, and backwall.  Next steps include installation work southbound.

The $2.3 million project includes a new bridge superstructure constructed on the existing piers. The project is expected to be completed in fall 2012.

Visit MassDOT's Project Info on the web to search for state road and bridge projects statewide.

Green Line Extension Public Meeting Set

The Green Line Extension Project Team will hold a public meeting to review the latest design plans for retaining walls and noise walls along the corridor.

The construction of the Green Line will require the widening of the existing rail corridor which will include the construction of more than 25,000 linear feet of retaining walls and noise walls. This meeting will be the first in a series of meetings to provide general information on wall types, heights and where these wall types may be proposed along the corridor.

The meeting will be held Tuesday, May 22, 6:00-8:00pm, at the Holiday Inn Hotel Somerville, 30 Washington Street.

If you need access or language accommodations to fully participate in this public meeting, please contact Karen Arpino-Shaffer at 617-426-9570 or kshaffer@gilbaneco.com at least one week before the event.

More information about the project is available on the Green Line Extension website at: www.mass.gov/greenlineextension.

As always, if you have any questions on the Green Line Extension Project, you can email us at info@glxinfo.com.

Google, MBTA Debut Innovative Station Indoor Maps

Beginning today, MBTA riders will have a new and innovative way to get around the system. The MBTA is excited to announce that the T is the first U.S transit agency to have indoor maps of its stations in Google Maps for Android. 
 
Google Maps for Android users will now see indoor maps when they zoom into select MBTA stations. With indoor maps, users will be able to see station features such as stairs, escalators, elevators, entrances and exits to help guide them through the system. The “blue dot,” familiar to Google Maps users can now help riders find their own location in many indoor stations. 
 
Indoor maps and walking directions are available in Google Maps for Android in two dozen key stations including Park Street, South Station, and Downtown Crossing. 
 
This new feature is the latest way that the MBTA is collaborating with Google to help riders get around the system. Last year, the MBTA was one of the first U.S. transit agencies to bring real-time transit data to Google Maps. In 2009, Google and the MBTA launched our collaboration to provide digital transit maps and schedule information.
 
This initiative is just one of many ways that the MBTA is working to give customers improved information. More than 50 apps answering the question, “Where’s the T?” are available at MBTA.com/apps.