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Contractors to begin work this weekend to remove the other two salt and pepper shakers on the Longfellow
By adamg on Fri, 03/27/2015 - 10:12am
State officials report contractors will begin prepping the Longfellow Bridge on Saturday to remove the two remaining towers as part of the overall bridge reconstruction project.
Don't worry, seasoning fans: The state says, as with the other two towers - and unlike that decorative railing a few years back - the towers will be put into storage so they can be replaced once the bulk of the repairs to the bridge and the realignment of the traffic/bicycle/pedestrian lanes is finished.
There are a number of steps to prepare for the dismantling. The first is to shift pedestrians from the sidewalk to make room for a work zone and install scaffolding before dismantling the towers. A shared space will be created by enlarging the bike lane used for travel from Boston to Cambridge near each tower to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians. A concrete barrier will separate the shared space from automobile traffic. Flexible stanchions and lane markings will distinguish bicyclist and pedestrian dedicated areas of the shared space. In areas of the bridge that are distant from the tower work zones, pedestrians will continue to use the sidewalk. Bicyclists and pedestrians should use caution when traveling in the shared space to ensure the safety of all bridge users.
The shift will remain in place for the rest of the year.
Sarah Bourne has been photographing the Longfellow work.
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Comments
It's the details that matter
Complaining about this is pissing in the wind but I'll do it anyway:
Enough with the stupid, useless police detail on the Boston side of the bridge. I cross the bridge late (10-11pm) and there is always a cop in his car sandwiched behind the closed barriers. Often he's parked his car to make it a pain to continue riding in the bike lane and you need to jut out into the motor lane for a second to go around his car.
From this cops vantage point he can see absolutely nothing. He would have no idea if someone was in the construction area on the other side of the bridge. This person serves absolutely no purpose whatever except to fatten his paycheck and pension.
I'm not opposed to public employees making money but for the amount you'll pay that cop to play solitaire for 12 hours you could hire two arts teachers and maybe really do some good in a kid's life.
Hey Baker: Want to save some money? Cut these mindless details.
Detail is to block wrong-way car traffic?
I've seen that cop car, and figured that its purpose was to prevent anyone from driving a car westbound (the wrong way) on the bridge, and to chase after anyone who tried doing so.
Still pointless
Maybe that's the stated purpose but the fact is it's clearly marked as one-way and by the time the cop left his hidey-hole the wrong-way car would be nearly across the bridge.
The point of the cop is part of the legally mandated pay raises for state police. It's a payoff and few state leaders have the balls to take on these guys. Patrick tried briefly but didn't get too far.
Don't worry
There's one on the Cambridge side too. They are apparently there to hang out and watch people block the intersection, run red lights, and get run over by Coke trucks.
There's also a State cop on
There's also a State cop on the Cambridge side every morning around 8:30am until I don't know when. I don't quite understand what he's observing.
There is a reason
The cops are there actually do have a purpose. In case of an unplanned disruption to the Red Line, they can close the bridge to general traffic for two-way busing. This happened on Wednesday (I think, whenever it was sunny and warm for three or four hours). Within minutes of the T announcing busing, the staties had the bridge blocked off so that the T could begin running buses across without interference.
Now, in that case they resumed regular Red Line service in about 45 minutes, and before the afternoon commute really swung in to gear. But had it been later, or longer, it would allow some semblance of transit service to exist without buses sitting in gridlock. I think the Troopers can also help move traffic along if an ambulance needs to get by a line of traffic as well.
That's silly
That's completely silly. If they need to get cops there, they can be there in a couple of minutes (faster than the buses will get there). It's not worth having cops there for hours and hours a day so that they can be there five minutes sooner every couple of months.
If you're biking through this area, please have and use a bell
Cyclists will now need to share parts of the westbound bike lane with pedestrians, in areas where the sidewalk is being closed. I highly recommend a bell so that you can warn pedestrians that you are approaching them from behind. And be sure to use headlights at night!
Seek alternate routes, too
Depending on where you are coming from or going to, there are alternatives to the Longfellow. Heck, I use them just to avoid that divided highway known as Cambridge St. and the circle of hell just before the bridge.
Depending on where you are coming from..
That newish pedestrian bridge from Paul Revere Park to Northpoint is pretty sweet.
But don't tell anyone else.
There is that ...
If you need to get into Cambridge.
Now that the bridges and paths are clear, I'll once again be headed up through Charlestown and Assembly Row.
Mass Ave Bridge works if you are headed in a different direction.
I'm not a cyclist,
But I'm surprised you find that insane Sullivan Square roundabout to be safer than the Longfellow?!
I Always Drag A Foot When Approaching Pedestrians From Behind
... the continuous scraping sound provides better audio cues of distance and speed than a bell or horn, and I believe it's less startling to the pedestrians. On occasions when they don't hear, tapping a foot can sometimes work. If all else fails, having one foot already on the ground makes it easy to stop very quickly.
Thanks for linking to the Sarah Bourne photo set
"Sarah Bourne has been photographing the Longfellow work."
Thanks for including this Adam.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahebourne/sets/72157635192740499/
What a great record of the work. I'm going to make that a Friday Link on BostonZest and naturally, I'll link back here and give you a h/t.