The Big Dig

[Scott]

The impact the Big Dig is having on DT Boston extends to other neighborhoods like East Boston, Charlestown, Southie and Chinatown/ Leather District. The so-called Third Harbor Tunnel has created a whole new way to get to a major section of the city without having to drive thru the Central Artery. This has made East Boston real estate suddenly a very hot comodity after years of lagging behind other neighborhoods.

The biggest change in Charlestown was the depression of the ramps to the Tobin Bridge at the beginning of the project and the relocation of the elevated orange line a decade before. These projects have helped Charlestown transform from an Irish ghetto to an upscale livable neighborhood. The city also hopes to lure bio-tech industies to parcels along Rutherford Ave and the Navy Yard.

In South Boston the connection of Teddy's Tunnel to the Pike and the airport 5 minutes away has given new life to Bostons cruise industry. Yet, development of giant tracks of land along the waterfront has been slow because of the economy so developers are moving forward with residential projects over commercial.

Chinatown and the Leather District will see new parks andlandscaping from the Big Dig but will also see development of the former Wang Headquarters next to South Station where multiple buildings over 500-700` seem possible.

All made possible by the Big Dig...

[Allan]

It's great to see that the Big Dig is having such positive impacts on the city, not just downtown, but in other areas of the city as well.

[ChunkyMonkey]

I think Boston's population is increasing according to the last census and will continue to increase slightly. As everyone said, most of the condos are luxury condos so it won't be torrent of people coming in. Demographics show that older baby boomers and empty nesters will start moving back to the city to enjoy its amenities. It's already playing out in Boston where high end condos are being snapped up before they are being built.

[Cotuit]

Dig's next squeeze may be tightest yet

Detour to shift I-93 lane onto Chinatown street

By Anthony Flint, Globe Staff, 2/27/2004

Just as motorists started getting used to the new southbound Big Dig, project officials are planning what could be the most aggravating detour in its history: a detour at the Dewey Square tunnel, which is being renovated.

The change could bring thousands of cars off Interstate 93 and onto Surface Road through Chinatown, a prospect that city officials worry will overwhelm the area.

Starting at the end of March or the beginning of April, southbound I-93 traffic will be split, with two lanes squeezed right into the west side of the Dewey Square tunnel. They will then be able to continue on I-93 south or veer off to Interstate 90 west, as they can now.

Drivers will also have the option of taking a single, left-hand lane, which will bring them to Exit 22 and onto Surface Road through Chinatown and then rejoin I-93 south at Kneeland Street. Project managers say that is a relief valve for through traffic.

"Everything the project has done in terms of detours has been like pulling wisdom teeth; it hurts, but we've managed it," said Matthew J. Amorello, chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which oversees the $14.6 billion Big Dig. "This may be more like a root canal."

Amorello called it the "last inconvenience" in the over-budget, behind-schedule project.

In about 10 months, when the Dewey Square tunnel is renovated and linked to the new Big Dig tunnel, the project will be almost entirely done, and drivers will have the run of five lanes through the one-third-mile stretch.

The reason for the temporary detour is that the Dewey Square tunnel, built in 1959 after officials decided to bury the Central Artery through Chinatown, is being readied for reuse. The tunnel has to be gutted and brought up to modern highway standards, which call for gentler curves and a slight, racetrack-like banking in the roadway to accommodate higher speeds.

Traffic must move through the tunnel while it is being worked on, said project director Michael Lewis. So the solution was to work on one side of the old tunnel, which had a total of six lanes, and then the other, he said. It is an $86 million job, and the contractor is Modern Continental.

Southbound I-93 traffic now is being routed in three lanes through the east side of the Dewey Square tunnel, the side formerly used for northbound traffic. Northbound drivers are using the new I-93 tunnel under Atlantic Street that opened in March.

Now that the west side of the Dewey Square tunnel has been completely refurbished, traffic is being moved there, so that the east side can be worked on.

Big Dig officials are worried that big backups will result from southbound traffic squeezing into two lanes, jams that may stretch all the way to the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, the Tobin Bridge onramps, and the lower deck of I-93.

That is why they planned "a relief valve," said Big Dig traffic manager Charles Sterling, giving drivers the option of taking the surface route through Chinatown. But they will have to decide early which way to go in the new southbound I-93 tunnel, because a Jersey barrier will extend about 700 feet before the split.

Those electing to take the surface detour will head up the existing Exit 22 offramp, travel south on Surface Road, and cross Kneeland Street to rejoin I-93 south. They can also reach the Mass. Pike (I-90) west and Albany Street, which gives them another chance to get on I-93 south via an onramp near Traveler Street.

There will be three traffic lights, but they will be synchronized so they are green at the same time, allowing traffic to pulse through, Big Dig officials said. If they hit a red light, drivers will have to wait 50 seconds at most, officials said.

James Gillooly, the city's liaison to the Big Dig project, said that he doesn't want drivers heading southbound on I-93 to use the surface detour.

"People will be better served staying in the tunnel," he said. "You will have to be a little more patient, but you will get through."

The Surface Road is primarily for local traffic or for people downtown or in the Financial District to get to I-93 south at Kneeland Street, he said.

Chinatown will have to put up with several more months of heavy use of Surface Road, Gillooly acknowledged, but the payoff will come when the project is finished and the street is made narrower, allowing for more sidewalks and park space.

In addition to increased difficulty for pedestrians trying to cross a road being used as an interstate detour, the intersection of Surface Road and Kneeland Street is another potential gridlock spot and source of confusion. The entrance ramp to I-93 will only be for drivers using the Surface Road detour; no one on Kneeland Street will be able to use it.

That means drivers on Kneeland must ignore the signs for I-93 south and instead use the entrance ramp for I-90 west and then bear left onto Albany Street and use the Traveler Street onramp to I-93 south.

Trying to devise the Dewey Square tunnel rehabilitation has been giving Big Dig project managers fits for years. One earlier plan that was abandoned called for a viaduct to be built through Chinatown along Albany Street, which would have emptied the old tunnel completely, so it could be refurbished.

When the Dewey Square tunnel is finished, sometime around February 2005, the Big Dig will be close to completion.

There will be four lanes on the Zakim Bridge and five lanes in the three-quarter-mile southbound tunnel. At Dewey Square, those headed to westbound I-90 will use a two-lane collector on the west side of the refurbished tunnel, though they still will have the option to continue south on I-93. Those headed south of the city on I-93 can use three lanes on the east side of the renovated tunnel. Project officials say the net effect will be a wide-open artery from the Zakim Bridge to the Southeast Expressway.

From The Boston Globe

[M. Brown]

I hate that green rusty ole thang. I agree they should build an observation tower. Build another Bunker Hill Monument style tower in the Kennedy Greenway. At least 1000 ft tall. That would be awesome. Make it of stainless steel and Concrete. I wanna draw it out on paper and post it on here. Imma try and do that. I can see it now.

[Scott]

The final major hurdle!!

[Scott]

Fresh Big Dig destruction pic!!!

[Neo]

Coming along quite nicely in demolition!

[M. Brown]

Just Imagine what the rose kennedy green way is gonna be like

[Allan]

YAY!!! That hideous green monster will be gone forever very soon . This project is changing Boston for the better & opening up an entire world of possibilities. I wish other cities would place their freeways in tunnels; unfortunately that is cost prohibitive.

[Cotuit]

I wish other cities would place their freeways in tunnels; unfortunately that is cost prohibitive.

It doesn't have to be. Not many cities have as challenging a topography as Boston. Also, if there is a way to tunnel the new highway along a different, you eliminate the expense of keeping the elevated open while digging under it (a huge part of Boston's cost). And if your city's highway is in a trench, it's pretty simple to cover it.

Also, some city's have elevated structures that are unnecessary. SF got rid of the Embarcadero, Miami has an expressway that might be removed...

[M. Brown]

Boston had to pay a lot more to build it because it had to do a lot more to build it. Its in the middle of the 7th largest metro in the US which means they had to do a lot to try and keep it out of everybodys lives. And they ran into some unexpected problems such as the infill being too soft. They had to freeze the ground.

[Allan]

Yeah. The project would've been much easier if they just could've shut down the city for a while. Trying to work without disturbing people's lives too much was a major issue.

With regards to the unexpected problems....I think it's safe to say that anytime you start a project like this anywhere, you should expect the unexpected.

[Urban_Legend]

Cotuit, which expressway in Miami are you talking about? Removing any of them would be nice.

[Cotuit]

Cotuit, which expressway in Miami are you talking about? Removing any of them would be nice.

I'm not sure, I've seen posts about it on the boards, a spur out to the islands. Possibilities of burying it or creating an urban boulevard.

[Allan]

I looked at a map, and I can't even begin to guess which freeway it would be. LOL. There are many spurs that go out to many islands. However I'm sure that an urban boulevard or a burried expressway would be a great improvement for the area.

[tocoto]

It would be great to see this get built. I hope they can find the money

Plans ready for garden on Surface Artery

By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff, 3/9/2004

After a decade of false starts, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society today will unveil plans for a glass-enclosed botanical garden on the new Surface Artery.

The structure would be modeled after those popular in the United States and Europe during the Victorian era, and would include displays of plant species from around the world, hands-on exhibits, and an educational center focused on exploring the earth.

The plan, dubbed the "Darwin Project," is getting early support from Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew Amorello, who have been at odds over designs for the Surface Artery parks. They will jointly sponsor the project launch next week.

For more than a decade since three blocks of the Central Artery corridor near South Station were designated as an enclosed public garden, the 175-year-old horticultural society has struggled unsuccessfully to create a concept, draw plans, and raise money for a project there.

But late last year, as many of those involved in the creation of the Surface Artery parks along the Rose Kennedy Greenway were about to give up hope, the Boston Planning Institute Inc. was hired to take over direction of the project.

Boston Planning Institute principals Linda M. Haar and Jonathan Haar immediately began looking for an idea and a range of activities that would be a good fit for the horticultural society, Boston, and, on a larger scale, what many consider to be a threatened natural environment worldwide.

"This would be a 21st-century expression of a classic botanical garden," said Linda Haar, who spent 20 years working at the Boston Redevelopment Authority before leaving two years ago for a Loeb fellowship at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.

Haar and her husband consider botanical gardens in the Bronx in New York City, and in Paris, Japan, and Cornwall, England, to be partial models. They will present their ideas for the three Surface Artery blocks between Summer Street and the Evelyn Moakley Bridge at today's meeting of the Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee.

Menino was briefed on the Darwin Project last week. "This is the most positive plan I've seen come out of the horticultural society in years," Menino said. "I never thought it would happen. They're still challenged, but finally we have a plan that's realistic."

Though Menino and Amorello have disagreed in the past over how to design and plan the new Surface Artery parks, they will together launch the Darwin Project's next phase -- preliminary fund-raising for planning and conceptual design -- at the Parkman House on March 16.

Garden Under Glass Inc., Massachusetts Horticultural Society's subsidiary for the Surface Artery, is abandoning previous plans to bring a temporary exhibit of plant sculpture to Boston, though it is continuing discussions with the Japan Society of Boston to install an Asian garden on a portion of the horticultural society's 3.1 acres.

The Haars said they expect to have to raise somewhat less than the $70 million that was considered a goal by previous project executives. Community activists, such as Eugenie Beal, chairwoman of the Boston Natural Areas Network and a member of the Garden Under Glass board, will help develop the plans.

"We're starting with the inside out," Jonathan Haar said. "We'll decide what we want this place to be for the public, then design around it."

The Darwin Project is envisioned as a year-round facility that would combine displays of flora from other cultures, hands-on exhibits for all ages, and an educational center focused on sustaining the earth's plant and animal life. It would fill a gap in the Boston area's pantheon of historical collections and museums, said Linda Haar.

And the Haars said the Darwin Project -- so-called until sponsors sign on -- would help fulfill the promise of the $14.6 billion Big Dig highway project. "First, it needs to be a spectacular jewel on the Greenway," said Linda Haar. "It will say a lot about what we've been doing for the last 15 years and where we're going."

The Haars have assembled an advisory board with Edward O. Wilson, a professor at Harvard University who has been called the "father of biodiversity," as honorary chair and senior adviser.

The Haars have also enlisted eminent members of the scientific and academic community for the board, including individuals from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, and the National Wildlife Federation. And they have signed up consulting architects and planners, as well as singer Carly Simon, who has agreed to be a "senior creative adviser."

Recently returned from Montreal, Linda Haar said she hopes to forge a partnership with that city's 73-year-old botanical garden. "When you go and tell them you're from Boston and you're working on this, the doors begin to open," she said. "The goodwill is amazing."

Jonathan Haar, a graduate of visual and environmental studies at Harvard with an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, said Boston's botanical garden would not be a museum, with remote exhibits behind glass. Instead, he said it would be a place to enjoy nature, appreciate what explorers have collected, and understand the importance of continued discovery.

"We've really just scratched the surface of what's on this planet," he said, citing a scientifically accepted estimate that 1.8 million types of plants, animals, and other life forms have been catalogued. "It's estimated there are 10 times that yet to be discovered."

As much as it will focus on living things and learning, however, the Darwin Project will also serve as a simple refuge from the rush of city life, especially during Boston's challenging winters.

"It needs to be the kind of space people are comfortable in," Jonathan Haar said. "Some people will come in, follow the paths, and leave. We want it to be a place where you can spend time and hang out -- in the best sense of the word."

[tocoto]

I really like the sentiment of this idea.

Common ground

Designer views project as chance to knit city together

By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff, 3/13/2004

A Boston address on a street called The Greenway. A half-dozen ''crossroads," new city squares along the Surface Artery's string of downtown parks. And public-private partnerships to develop these centers of activity, bringing together disconnected neighborhoods.

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Those are three among a list of fresh ideas that Toronto-based urban designer Ken Greenberg has brought to City of Boston officials for the corridor now being liberated by the Big Dig.

''Ken has been doing some big-picture thinking," Rebecca Barnes, the city's chief planner, told the Boston Civic Design Commission this month, introducing Greenberg's first public presentation since he started work about 12 weeks ago.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, unmoved by some of the ideas developing for Surface Artery parks and concerned that they did not knit a bisected city back together, decided last year to hire Greenberg, who is helping city planners make sure that the Rose Kennedy Greenway is coordinated with the rest of Boston's urban fabric.

Greenberg this week presented the mayor with his thoughts on the planning process so far -- and what else he believes could be happening to make the former Central Artery corridor into the jewel it was intended to be. Greenberg used the historical, geographical, and social context of the land that snakes from Causeway to Kneeland streets to suggest its potential.

''The notion of framing this space with a series of complimentary activities is an opportunity to create one of the great urban spaces in America," Greenberg said. ''I say that without hyperbole."

Greenberg cited the multiple names of streets existing on the north-south corridor -- Atlantic Avenue, Surface Artery, Purchase Street -- and contemplated renaming them all ''The Greenway," to emphasize what he called a sense of place. Independence Wharf, for example, might become 470 The Greenway.

He pointed to an overriding theme in a city known often for its divisions, its separate neighborhoods, its tribal nature. ''We keep coming back to the notion of Common Ground," he said.

The Rose Kennedy Greenway, a series of parks and development blocks designated for civic or cultural uses, ''has the potential to tie together a number of places which are geographically very proximate . . . but which have not functioned together," Greenberg said.

The ''crossroads" that Greenberg said could be created along the corridor are at Essex Street, the old Northern Avenue Bridge, Causeway Street, and other intersections. He sees new and redeveloped buildings with retail components to enliven the blocks.

The turnpike's major financial investment could be part of a larger public-private infusion to pay for development around these ''crossroads," Greenberg said, though he acknowledged completion could take ''many years" and the involvement of many parties in government, the private sector, and the neighborhoods.

'' 'Have we fully grasped the opportunity?' is the question I believe many are asking," he told the Boston Civic Design Commission, which advises the Boston Redevelopment Authority on design.

It is unclear how Greenberg's observations and suggestions will be incorporated into the Surface Artery planning process -- which is already well along the way. Conceptual designs for two parks in the North End and one park in the Chinatown/Leather District are virtually complete.

Still caught in a tug of war, however, is the prominent, five-block Wharf District. City officials are more or less isolated in their opposition to the current proposals, other groups having signaled their approval.

Greenberg was hired exclusively by the city and is not working for the Turnpike Authority, which as steward of the $14.6 billion Central Artery/Ted Williams Tunnel project has maintained the upper hand in what is ostensibly a joint planning process for the Surface Artery.

''The engineers are managing the Artery -- they just want to get out of there as quickly as possible. We all understand that," Greenberg said. ''The city-building has just begun."

Boston Civic Design Commission member Edward T.M. Tsoi wondered, ''Are we so far down the track with the design of the separate segments" that Greenberg's ideas can't be considered? ''In some ways it feels like we're going too fast, even though everybody is impatient to put a lid on the scar we've lived with for 10 years."

Greenberg, principal of Greenberg Consultants Inc., suggested that many promising ideas have gone undiscussed during almost 15 years of Surface Artery planning and design.

''The continuity at present is weak," he said, referring to the three sets of conceptual park designs that are being wrapped up for what will be the Rose Kennedy Greenway. ''There are a lot of missing connections in the Greenway."

The consultant, who knows Boston and its environs from having taught at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and worked on large development projects in Cambridge, said the challenge of creating a worthy space is a reflection of the project that created it.

''There are very few works of civil engineering that match this scale," Greenberg said. ''You would have to take everything that Robert Moses ever did in New York and wrap it all together to equal something of this magnitude and ambition. It is quite remarkable."

[Topher1]

The expressway they are thinking of removing in I-395. Actually they just want to bury it (can't tunnel), or convert it to a grand boulevard. A large part of the problem is with the gigantic stack interchange with I-95 and SR 836, although it is pretty cool to soar over 100 ft above DT Miami when coming back from the beach... This expressway was just a mistake to begin with and put the nail in the coffin for several neighborhoods that I-95 had already started to kill, including historically black Overtown, which is now synonomous with "ghetto" in Miami... DT is really starting to spread past the expressway, so there needs to bea way to keep the street grid intact...

[Cotuit]

I wanted to say it was 395, but I wasn't sure, so I didn't, thanks for the info Topher.

[Allan]

Thanks for the info, Topher1.

I really wish Detroit would cap some of its freeways, or even better, get rid of some of them all together. The freeway cage around downtown killed it. I've never understood the point of I-375. It's only 1.24 miles long. It seems to have been built just so that the suburbanites who work in the Ren Cen wouldn't have to drive in downtown any longer than they absolutely have to, thereby shortening the length of time they have to stay in the city of Detroit by about 1-2 minutes. Sadly, they are extending the road to the riverfront, not demolishing it like they should be.

[tocoto]

Big Dig Photos for March.

http://www.bigdig.com/thtml/t033104/t033104.htm

[M. Brown]

They are taking too long to FINNISH IT!

[Allan]

They are taking too long to FINNISH IT!

I concur! It'll be great once it's done though. Lots of new opportunities are being opened up for Boston.

[tocoto]

MOst of it is finished except the deoloition and building of parks etc. It will take another year or more for just basic removal of rubble and planting of grass.