Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation

Longfellow Bridge Project Public Hearing Set

MassDOT has scheduled a Public Hearing on the Longfellow Bridge Rehabilitation Project as follows: 

Thursday, March 1, 2012, 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm, State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Conference Rooms 1, 2 and 3, Boston
       
The public hearing will provide opportunity for public comments on the Environmental Assessment for the proposed Longfellow Bridge Rehabilitation Project.

The Longfellow Bridge is a signature project of the Patrick-Murray Administration's historic Accelerated Bridge Program to replace or rehabilitate structurally-deficient bridges across the Commonwealth.

The Longfellow is one of the most architecturally significant bridges in Massachusetts, completed in 1908 and renamed to honor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1927.  The bridge joins Cambridge Street in Boston with Main Street in Cambridge and carries the MBTA Red Line and other modes of transportation across the Charles River. The bridge presently carries 28,000 motor vehicles, 90,000 transit users, and significant numbers of pedestrians and bicyclists each day.

The MassDOT Highway Division's Accelerated Bridge Program project will repair structural deficiencies and accommodate public transit, motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian transportation options, while restoring the historic elements of the bridge.  The Environmental Assessment document includes the preferred cross section of the bridge that will carry one lane of traffic outbound and two lanes inbound, with sidewalks and bike lanes on both sides and the MBTA Red Line in the center.

Written views received by MassDOT up to five days prior to the public hearing will be displayed for public inspection. Plans will be on display one-half hour before the meeting begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions. A project handout will be made available on the MassDOT project website.

Comments on the Environmental Assessment must be submitted by March 21, 2012. Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Pamela S. Stephenson, Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, 55 Broadway, 10th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, Attention: Damaris Santiago with a copy to Thomas F. Broderick, P.E., Acting Chief Engineer, MassDOT Highway Division, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Kevin Walsh, Project File No. 604361. Such submissions will also be accepted at the meeting. Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us.

Charles River: Anderson Bridge Project Advances

The Patrick-Murray Administration is moving forward with reconstruction of the Anderson Memorial Bridge, funded by the Accelerated Bridge Program to repair or replace structurally-deficient bridges across the Commonwealth.

The $19.9 million project approved by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors will rehabilitate the historic bridge, often known as the "Larz Anderson Bridge," a critical transportation link connecting Cambridge and Boston.   The project is one of several funded by ABP along the Charles River Basin, including the Longfellow and Boston University (BU) Bridge projects.

The Anderson Memorial Bridge project will repair deterioration, upgrade structural capacity and improve local street connections and accessibility, while preserving as many of the original bridge elements as possible. MassDOT will minimize disruptions to all bridge users and maintain access during construction, which will begin in spring 2012 and is scheduled for completion in 2014.

More than $400 million in Accelerated Bridge Program funding has been allocated to Charles River Basin projects, including the Craigie Dam Bridge and Drawbridge, Longfellow Bridge, B. U. Bridge, Western Avenue Bridge, River Street Bridge and Magazine Street Pedestrian Bridge.  The Craigie project is complete and BU Bridge substantially complete, while the Longfellow Bridge and Magazine Pedestrian Bridge projects are ongoing and the Western and River Street projects are in design.

Fore River Bridge Replacement Hearing Set

MassDOT has scheduled a Design Public Hearing for the proposed Fore River Bridge Replacement Project in Weymouth-Quincy for the following date and location:

Thursday, February 9, 7pm, Adams Middle School Auditorium, 89 Middle Street, East Weymouth

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed bridge replacement alternative. All views and comments made at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

The proposed project funded by the Patrick-Murray Administration's historic Accelerated Bridge Program to repair or replace structurally-deficient bridges will replace the current temporary bridge with a new, movable span that will safely and efficiently meet the needs of motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and maritime users for the next 75 years. The new bridge will include two travel lanes, a bicycle accommodating shoulder and sidewalk in each direction. The project also includes removal of the temporary bridge.

Plans will be on display one-half hour before the hearing begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions regarding this project.  For more information, visit the Fore River Bridge Project website.

Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Thomas F. Broderick, P.E., Acting Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, ATTN: Michael O’Dowd, Project File No. 604382. Such submissions will also be accepted at the hearing.  Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us

BU Bridge Nears Completion: Lane Reopens

MassDOT crews have completed striping the Boston University Bridge, which carries traffic over the Charles River between Cambridge and Boston.

Effective today, the BU Bridge has reopened to one lane onto the bridge transitioning into two lanes exiting the bridge at both the Boston and Cambridge approaches, seen today at left. Two dedicated 5-foot bike lanes run adjacent to the sidewalks.

The project began in 2009 and has included a full deck replacement, sidewalk rehabilitation, bridge superstructure reconstruction, and a new environmentally friendly drainage system. The bridge rehabilitation has preserved original historic elements of the bridge.   The BU Bridge project is one of the Charles River Basin projects funded by the Patrick-Murray Administration's historic Accelerated Bridge Program to repair and replace structurally-deficient bridges.

Finishing work should be completed by the end of 2011 and tree plantings will be completed in the spring of 2012.

Take the 93 Fast 14 Satisfaction Survey

MassDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are seeking feedback on the Medford 93 Fast 14 Project.

The successful, ambitious project replaced 14 bridges in ten weekends during the summer of 2011, compressing a four year project into a single construction season.

To accomplish this, the project used innovations including accelerated bridge construction methods, advanced concrete, and design/build contracting.

The project team also performed comprehensive outreach and communication activities to help prepare road users, businesses and communities for the construction of the bridges.

A brief survey, funded by an FHWA grant, seeks to measure satisfaction with the bridges and the technology used to replace them, and identify which communication methods people found most useful.  The FHWA developed the survey and will analyze the responses.

Your input is very valuable to MassDOT and will help guide decision-making for upcoming infrastructure projects. This survey is an excellent opportunity for you to participate in the future of transportation.

MassDOT invites you to take the survey, which takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. 

The survey’s web address is: www.I93Fast14survey.com

MassDOT ABP Program Receives National Honor

The Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic  Accelerated Bridge Program has received a national award for innovation in project management.  

The 2011 Francis B. Francois Award for Innovation by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) honors ABP, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), for “innovative program management, project development, and construction technologies and methods.”

AASHTO cited as an example of innovation MassDOT’s groundbreaking “93Fast14” project that replaced 14 bridges on Interstate 93 in Medford during 10 weekends in June, July, and August.  The project used prefabricated bridge sections and completed bridge replacements between Friday evening and Monday morning each weekend to minimize traffic disruption.

Since its inception in 2008, the MassDOT Accelerated Bridge Program has advertised 152 construction projects with a combined construction budget of $1.013 Billion, creating or sustaining more than 10,600 direct construction jobs.  ABP has reduced the number of structurally deficient bridges from 543 to 456, a decline of 16%.

The Francis B. Francois Award for Innovation honors a former AASHTO executive director and is selected by AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Performance Management.  The award winner each year is a state transportation department that has implemented an outstanding innovative program.  By receiving the award, MassDOT receives a $10,000 graduate fellowship to bestow on a state university student pursuing an advanced transportation-related degree.

 

Whittier Bridge Project Chosen for Expedited Review

The Patrick-Murray Administration’s Whittier Bridge Project on Interstate 95 in Salisbury, Newburyport and Amesbury is among 14 infrastructure projects nationwide selected by the Obama Administration for an expedited permitting and environmental review process designed to move projects as quickly as possible from concept to construction and completion.

The estimated $285 million design-build project is one of the largest in the Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic Accelerated Bridge Program to repair or replace structurally deficient bridges.  

The project will replace the existing 57-year old six-lane bridge over the Merrimack River with a new eight-lane structure that will also include bicycle and pedestrian lanes.

The Obama Administration announcement calls for accelerated permit review and approval within six months for the Whittier Bridge project.  Following an extensive public outreach process, MassDOT submitted the required Environmental Assessment/Draft Environmental Impact Report to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for review in June 2011. 

The expedited review process is expected to allow the project to be advertised for bid in spring 2012. 

The Whittier Bridge project will also include extensive roadway widening construction.  A minimum of three lanes in each direction will be maintained during the peak traffic hours. The project will be designed to minimize right-of-way and environmental impacts.

Charles River Basin "Connectivity" Public Meetings

MassDOT and the Department of Conservation and Recreation have scheduled three Public Information Meetings to discuss the Charles River Basin Connectivity Study. 

The meetings will provide an overview of the Charles River Basin Connectivity Study and gather public comment.

The meetings are as follows:

 

Tuesday, October 11, 6:30 to 8 PM, Shriners Hospitals for Children, 51 Blossom Street, Boston
Thursday, October 13, 6:30 to 8 PM, Community Rowing Boathouse, 20 Nonantum Road, Brighton
Tuesday, October 18, 2011, 6:30 to 8 PM, Morse School Auditorium, 40 Granite Street, Cambridge

MassDOT’s design consultant will present the existing conditions analysis completed to date, and describe in detail how the study will identify the various gaps that preclude a seamless connection across the ten Charles River Basin bridges, their adjacent intersections and along the path system throughout the Charles River Reservation. Following the presentation, MassDOT and DCR staff will lead a discussion to answer questions and gather public comments.

The Charles River Basin Bridges are being reconstructed as part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's historic Accelerated Bridge Program to repair Commonwealth bridges.

To be added to the Charles River Basin email distribution list, please contact Stephanie Boundy, at Stephanie.Boundy@state.ma.us.  To learn more, please visit the Charles River Basin Projects website.

 

93Fast14 Mini-Documentary: Summer of Innovation

The Medford I-93 93Fast14 project funded by the Patrick-Murray Administration's Accelerated Bridge Program used innovation to replace 14 bridges on one of Massachusetts' busiest highways in just ten weekends, with each weekend's work completed hours ahead of schedule.

Check out the construction video overview, including rapid demolition and cranes carefully building new bridges with prefabricated panels.

 

Phillipston "Heavy Lift" Honored as "Top Ten" Project in U.S.

The 2010 MassDOT Accelerated Bridge Program "heavy lift" Phillipston Bridge Replacement project today was chosen as one of the Top 10 projects in the 2011 America's Transportation Awards competition by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

The Phillipston project and nine others are now eligible for a Grand Prize or People's Choice Award.  A panel of experts will choose the Grand Prize winner.  The People's Choice Award will be chosen by online voting.  Visit AASHTO and the Awards on the web to view the Top 10 projects and vote.    

The America’s Transportation Awards were created to celebrate transportation improvements delivered by state departments of transportation “On Time”, “Under Budget”, and with “Innovative Management.”

The awards are sponsored by AASHTO, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Both the Grand Prize and People's Choice Awards carry a $10,000 cash prize that can be used to start a scholarship fund for transportation professionals, or given to a community charity.