0 Boston Roadways Lag Behind the Real Estate

Allston Interchange project

Credit: MassDOT

This major intersection was last updated 49 years ago on February 18, 1965.  The requirements of our roadways are vastly different now and we need to take a proactive look toward the next 50 years as Boston and Cambridge continue to grow in both workforce and population.

Banker & Tradesman reports that “recently, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation convened a task force of about 50 members to advise the state on the redesign for the “Allston Interchange,” the spaghetti bowl of ramps and tollbooths in the middle of the rail yard adjacent to the Charles River and a neighborhood of houses and businesses.”

Additional information on the Allston Interchange is provided in the B&T article, here.

0 Boston to become more Bike Friendly

Bike lanes in Boston make the city more bike friendly

Photo Credit: Boston Globe

We have all seen them, some of us know them, and others are them. I am a firm believer in sharing the road, but all that use the road need to obey the same laws. Countless times I have nearly been hit by cyclists heading the wrong way on Boylston Street. I’m not too sure what they are thinking, but I know as a driver, it’s against the law.

An editorial in the Boston Globe, based on a comprehensive multi-year study on city-wide bike collision data, reports “city transportation officials hope to introduce cycle tracks, bike lanes separated from the street by a barrier, on a few sections of busy roads…Police, who have for years ­issued warnings to cyclists who run red lights or glide through stop signs, will now hand out $20 citations…and city officials are considering a plan to push city councilors to pass a law requiring all cyclists to wear a helmet.”

You can read the complete article on the Boston Globe website: Boston Bicycling Safety

0 Back Bay Air Rights Project a Go on Parcels 12 & 15

Airial view of Boston's back bay

Photo Credit: MA Transportation Blog

So where is Parcels 12 and 15? They are located above and along Interstate 90 at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay. In time Boston will continue to see projects like this bridge neighborhoods together that have been separated by our roadways.

An editorial in yesterday’s Boston Business Journal states, “the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has selected a joint venture of Samuels & Associates and Weiner Ventures to build an air rights development on Parcels 12 and 15…on Parcel 15, a 400-foot high-rise hotel and residential building will be set back from Boylston Street, with a low-rise retail building along the street. On Parcel 12, a mid-rise residential building will be located on Boylston Street and a two-floor retail building will cross the Turnpike along Massachusetts Avenue. The project will create 230 apartments, a 270-room hotel and 50,000 square feet of retail space.”

Follow this link to the BBJ for their complete coverage, or jump over to the MA transportation blog for its official posting.