Comments on: Unbuilt Boston: The Ghost Cloverleaf of Canton http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/ Business + Technology in the Exponential Economy Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:49:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Andrew http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-520773 Andrew Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:32:34 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-520773 I have done a lot of research on this topic and find the NIMBY sentiment amazing. People in Boston complain to this day about the Big Dig and its ramifications. However, if the above mentioned project had been done it would never have been needed. It is almost impossible to get any real improvements to the mass transit infrastructure accomplished. Towns almost have to be paid off when a commuter rail extension is proposed. There are miles of proposed T subway extensions, but none of these will ever happen because of constant law suits. Everyone says they want good efficient transportation...as long as someone else has to suffer in the building stage. I have done a lot of research on this topic and find the NIMBY sentiment amazing. People in Boston complain to this day about the Big Dig and its ramifications. However, if the above mentioned project had been done it would never have been needed. It is almost impossible to get any real improvements to the mass transit infrastructure accomplished. Towns almost have to be paid off when a commuter rail extension is proposed. There are miles of proposed T subway extensions, but none of these will ever happen because of constant law suits. Everyone says they want good efficient transportation…as long as someone else has to suffer in the building stage.

]]> By: Common http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-237066 Common Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:05:02 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-237066 Everything has consequences. Rather than manage and plan for growth in population, commerce and traffic, with the understanding that it WILL necessitate the construction of highways, Boston has become a transportation nightmare. There is no will to actually make rapid transit truly effective (because, surprise, that calls for money and space as well). Meanwhile two-lane roads like Dorchester Ave., Washington St., and Hyde Park Ave., are way beyond capacity, making it difficult to travel by car, even very short distances, for most of the day. The truth is that the need to use these roads effectively cuts off certain parts of the city from other parts, while adding frustration, danger (especially for pedestrians) and pollution. All the nostalgia and sentimentality about "neighborhoods" has to have some limits. Essentially, the same cowpaths that were worn out 100-200 yrs ago are still being used, without regard for necessities of modern life, and its just plain dumb at this point. The cost is ridiculously high population density (and property values) and commute times. Everything has consequences. Rather than manage and plan for growth in population, commerce and traffic, with the understanding that it WILL necessitate the construction of highways, Boston has become a transportation nightmare.

There is no will to actually make rapid transit truly effective (because, surprise, that calls for money and space as well). Meanwhile two-lane roads like Dorchester Ave., Washington St., and Hyde Park Ave., are way beyond capacity, making it difficult to travel by car, even very short distances, for most of the day. The truth is that the need to use these roads effectively cuts off certain parts of the city from other parts, while adding frustration, danger (especially for pedestrians) and pollution.

All the nostalgia and sentimentality about “neighborhoods” has to have some limits. Essentially, the same cowpaths that were worn out 100-200 yrs ago are still being used, without regard for necessities of modern life, and its just plain dumb at this point.
The cost is ridiculously high population density (and property values) and commute times.

]]> By: Steve Anderson http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-20019 Steve Anderson Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:44:56 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-20019 Thank you for linking to bostonroads.com. Thank you for linking to bostonroads.com.

]]> By: Gessel On… » Ghost Highway http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15955 Gessel On… » Ghost Highway Fri, 09 May 2008 15:43:21 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15955 [...] This is a really cool post about some vestiges of a highway that was almost built through Boston and Cambridge.   When I was in school, I heard a rumor of this 695 project and that MIT, for obvious reasons opposed to having a freeway run through the middle of campus, did a few things along the way to deter construction: [...] [...] This is a really cool post about some vestiges of a highway that was almost built through Boston and Cambridge.   When I was in school, I heard a rumor of this 695 project and that MIT, for obvious reasons opposed to having a freeway run through the middle of campus, did a few things along the way to deter construction: [...]

]]> By: Sasha Mandel http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15819 Sasha Mandel Thu, 08 May 2008 18:50:21 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15819 I must thank you for writing this on many levels. I am the creator of the Little Lanes tour, and I am honored that my work has inspired you to write about this fascinating piece of lost history. The article had particular emotional resonance with me as a Cambridge native - the map shows that the B.U. Bridge fly-over would have literally destroyed the neighborhood (in fact the very house!) in which I grew up. I cannot imagine how vastly different my own life would have been had the residents not succeeded in blocking its construction (this is now memorialized by a mural on the side of what is now Micro Center). Thanks so much for writing this. -SM I must thank you for writing this on many levels. I am the creator of the Little Lanes tour, and I am honored that my work has inspired you to write about this fascinating piece of lost history.
The article had particular emotional resonance with me as a Cambridge native – the map shows that the B.U. Bridge fly-over would have literally destroyed the neighborhood (in fact the very house!) in which I grew up. I cannot imagine how vastly different my own life would have been had the residents not succeeded in blocking its construction (this is now memorialized by a mural on the side of what is now Micro Center).
Thanks so much for writing this.
-SM

]]> By: Doug Mink http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15460 Doug Mink Mon, 05 May 2008 16:25:33 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15460 The state is planning to tear down the "Bridge to Nowhere" as part of a project to widen Route 128 and improve flow through the rest of the I-95 interchange. The bridge right now is a major link for non-motorized traffic--hikers and bicyclists--to get across Route 128 without dealing with the constant streams of motorized traffic at the adjacent interchanges on Route 138 and East St. I led a bike ride over it last week, and put the route and pictures <a href="http://www.masspaths.org/rides/SignalHill2008.html" rel="nofollow"> on my web site.</a> We're starting to work on getting the state to replace the bridge with a bike/ped bridge soon after it is removed. The state is planning to tear down the “Bridge to Nowhere” as part of a project to widen Route 128 and improve flow through the rest of the I-95 interchange. The bridge right now is a major link for non-motorized traffic–hikers and bicyclists–to get across Route 128 without dealing with the constant streams of motorized traffic at the adjacent interchanges on Route 138 and East St. I led a bike ride over it last week, and put the route and pictures
on my web site. We’re starting to work on getting the state to replace the bridge with a bike/ped bridge soon after it is removed.

]]> By: Randy http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15456 Randy Mon, 05 May 2008 15:28:49 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15456 Fascinating article, thanks much for thinking to write on this topic. I would have found it interesting regardless, but living in Milton just minutes from the Blue Hills Park as I do, I found it particularly compelling. Fascinating article, thanks much for thinking to write on this topic. I would have found it interesting regardless, but living in Milton just minutes from the Blue Hills Park as I do, I found it particularly compelling.

]]> By: Down All The Days » Obscurorant 2.0 http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15454 Down All The Days » Obscurorant 2.0 Mon, 05 May 2008 15:02:53 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15454 [...] The Ghost Cloverleaf of Canton [...] [...] The Ghost Cloverleaf of Canton [...]

]]> By: Jerry http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15311 Jerry Sat, 03 May 2008 19:07:51 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15311 The politics that brought about this shift were very intricate, not surprisingly. Francis W. Sargent, a Republican, was governor when the brouhaha began and delivered the decision (at the state level)to step on the brakes. Washington, and especially Congress, were reluctant to make such a sharp turn, however -- until Indianapolis, where the GOP was strong at the time, found itself confronting a parallel situation. The confluence brought bipartisan agreement on a bill that would let states divert Interstate highway money to mass transit projects. The result in Boston includes the present-day Orange Line, which follows part of that originally planned I-95 corridor through the South End out to Forest Hills. The politics that brought about this shift were very intricate, not surprisingly. Francis W. Sargent, a Republican, was governor when the brouhaha began and delivered the decision (at the state level)to step on the brakes. Washington, and especially Congress, were reluctant to make such a sharp turn, however — until Indianapolis, where the GOP was strong at the time, found itself confronting a parallel situation. The confluence brought bipartisan agreement on a bill that would let states divert Interstate highway money to mass transit projects. The result in Boston includes the present-day Orange Line, which follows part of that originally planned I-95 corridor through the South End out to Forest Hills.

]]> By: Hitting the Links | Redfin Boston Sweet Digs http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15284 Hitting the Links | Redfin Boston Sweet Digs Fri, 02 May 2008 23:23:17 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15284 [...] Boston Highways that never made it. [Xconomy] [...] [...] Boston Highways that never made it. [Xconomy] [...]

]]> By: Wade Roush http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15271 Wade Roush Fri, 02 May 2008 20:13:01 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15271 @Joe, @Ron -- Wow, I didn't know about those two abandoned sites. For other readers who may be interested <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Revere,+MA&ie=UTF8&ll=42.475868,-71.218357&spn=0.002742,0.005177&t=h&z=18&iwloc=addr" rel="nofollow">here's a link</a> to a Google Maps page showing the the MA 3 - I-95 interchange. And <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Revere,+MA&ie=UTF8&ll=42.430647,-71.012363&spn=0.010976,0.020707&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr" rel="nofollow">the Revere site</a> that Ron mentions is especially impressive -- you can see the earthworks constructed all the way through the salt marsh before the project was called off. Thanks! @Joe, @Ron –
Wow, I didn’t know about those two abandoned sites. For other readers who may be interested here’s a link to a Google Maps page showing the the MA 3 – I-95 interchange. And the Revere site that Ron mentions is especially impressive — you can see the earthworks constructed all the way through the salt marsh before the project was called off. Thanks!

]]> By: Ron Newman http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15260 Ron Newman Fri, 02 May 2008 18:02:31 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15260 The interchange of Routes 1 and 60 in Revere also has artifacts of what was supposed to happen, but didn't -- an I-95 expressway through the salt marsh and the Lynn Woods up to 128. The interchange of Routes 1 and 60 in Revere also has artifacts of what was supposed to happen, but didn’t — an I-95 expressway through the salt marsh and the Lynn Woods up to 128.

]]> By: Joe http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/comment-page-1/#comment-15258 Joe Fri, 02 May 2008 17:46:42 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/2008/05/02/unbuilt-boston-the-ghost-cloverleaf-of-canton/#comment-15258 The interchange in Burlington between MA3 and MA128/I95 is similar. In its current state, it forms a 'T' junction, by using only part of the complete cloverleaf. A quick look at Google Maps/Earth shows the unused southeast loop of the cloverleaf, and the straight line where MA3 ends actually continues into the woods a good distance. The interchange in Burlington between MA3 and MA128/I95 is similar. In its current state, it forms a ‘T’ junction, by using only part of the complete cloverleaf. A quick look at Google Maps/Earth shows the unused southeast loop of the cloverleaf, and the straight line where MA3 ends actually continues into the woods a good distance.

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