The Central Artery/Tunnel Project is not just building a highway in Boston : it's laying the foundation for New England's future

12 Pages·1994·2 MB·English

by  Massachusetts. Department of Transportation

rji
1 he Central Artery/
Tunnel
Project
Not
Is Just Building
A
Highway
In Boston.

Laying
/t's
The
Foundation
New
For England's
Future.
hardon thebusinesscommunity,and itcertainlywon'thelpattractany
— —
ofthe new businesses and newjobs the region needs.
A
speedy recovery. The new CentralArterywe're building will bean
8-10 lane underground expressway, increasing the flow of traffic
through the city. We've already put the tubes that make up the Third
THE ROAD Harbor Tunnel into place beneath Boston Harbor, between Logan
TO THE FUTURE Airport and South Boston. When it's opened to commercial traffic late
i i
next year, it is projected to carry 18,000 vehicles a day directlyfrom
South Boston to the airport. Thefinal portion ofour Project will be to
extend the newartery up and over the Charles River, linking it to 1-93,
^•^1/ the turn ofthe century, Boston will be a cleaner, greener city. Route 1 (Tobin Bridge), and Storrow Drive.
A better place to live and work. A magnetfor tourists and conventions. Better trafficflowandeasieraccess to LoganAirport willhelp make
A hub of internatio)ial trading for all of Neiv shipping moreefficient, speeddeliveries, reduceair
England. pollution, and lessen the stress levels of com-
And we'll get there with the help of the new muters. Utility companies that have to move their
Central Arteryand Third Harbor Tunnel Project. lines and pipes to accommodate the construction
Getting us out ofa jam. Ru)uiing through the process are taking this opportunity to upgrade
heartofdowntown Boston, the CentralArterywas them, completing Boston's new, state-of-the-art
designed in the 1950s to carry 75,000 cars each infrastructure. All told, it will make the whole
day. But some 190,000 cars now clog it daily. region more attractive to businesses, and keep it
Logan Airport, the tenth busiest in the country, is competitive throughout the coming century.
only one mile from downtown Boston. But the In the meantime, the Project is delivering
traffic makes itfeel more like 50. immediate economic benefits to the region. Right
The congestion is so bad, it threatens to stran- now more than 5,000 people are employed in
gle the region. Without radical improvements, the planning, design, construction, and procure-
traffic delays here willgrow to 14-15 hours a day. ment ofmaterialsfor the Central Artery/Tunnel
And the effect ofthose delays will befelt through- Project. And another 4,000 people havejobs in
out New England. With so much ofthe materials Today, morethan 190,000vehiclesa day restaurants, printing companies, deliveryservices,
clogtheCentral Artery.
and products of Neiv England businesses being shipped over the and other businesses thanks to money beingpoured into the local econ-
Central Arterif or through Logan Airport, the region will lose an esti- omy by the Project.
A
mated halfbillion dollars yearly due to late deliveries, accidents, higher betterenvironment all around. Puttingan end to the trafficjams
insurance rates andfuel burned by vehicles stuck in traffic. That will be that make you see red will also enableyou to see moregreen. Wlien the
undergroundexpresswayiscompleted, theold,elevatedroadwaywillbe
torn down, opening up 27 acres in the heart ofdowntown Boston that
can be developed into parks, playgrounds, new businesses, botanical
gardens, and an arboretum. In total, 150 acres of parkland will be
created throughout the region.
Sincefewer cars will be sitting and idlingon the new expressway,
we'll all breatheeasier because Boston's air will be appreciably cleaner.
People who live in the city's neighborhoods won'tfind their streets
being used as on and off-ramps to the Artery, or as alternate routes in
rush hour Without that traffic, their neighbor-
hoods will be quieter, safer, and cleaner.
And when Boston is no longer cut in half
by the Artery, this walk-able city will be more
pedestrian-friendly than ever; and an even
more attractive destination for tourists and
conventions.
A
lot ofthe dirt being excavated to put the WorkontheThird
new roadway underground willgo togood use. HarborTurmel
(lowerleft) ison
Some ofit will be used to cap an old landfill on schedulefora late
1995opening.
Spectacle Island (one of the Boston Harbor Meanwhile,using
sophisticatedcom-
islands) and transform itfrom a dump into a putertechnology
(lowermiddle),
beautiful public park; more ofit willgo to cap-
engineers, urban
ping landfills in communities around the state, designers,environ-
mentalists, traffic
saving millions ofdollarsfor local taxpayers. planners,andoth-
ersareabletoplan
3**
As with any construction project in a thecompletionof
theProject,when
populated area, there are going to be disrup- 27acresofopen
spacewillbemade
tions and inconveniences. Digging up streets
Atthepeakofconstruction,almost 15,000peoplewillbe availabledown-
and excavating tunnels is going to be noisy, en-iployed asa resultof theCentralArtery/Tunnel Project. town. Having
received all the
kick up dust and dirt, and cause occasional traffic problems. But the necessaryapprovals
ontheplan forthe
economic and environmental advantages ofthe Project promise a Artery'scrossing
much improved quality of life for people in New England for oftheCharlesRiver
(lowerright),final
generations to come. designwillbegin
thisfall.
4
/
THE SOUTH
STATION STORY
Eachphaseofcon-
jjf/ze work being done here is so complex, it's a story unto itself. all theconstruction simultaneously. Mean- ifj^A structionatSouth
Stationisbeing
Almost 80,000 people move through the South Station area every while,extraordinarystepsare required to picinnedtomain-
^ taintrafficand
day by bus, on foot, aboard the MBTA's Red Line, AMTRAK, keep the area fully operational when X pedestrianflow
throughthisvery
or on commuter rail. So imagine the challenge of trying to keep construction begins in early 1995. busypartoftown.
those people moving while simultaneously relocating utility lines To minimize surface traffic disruptions, the digging Forexample.Inthe
seconddrawing
under the streets, rebuilding and expanding the Red Line tunnel is planned so that only one lane of any street is closedata ^5^o'(^''> ofthiscomputer
sequence,the
and station, digging a tunnel for the new underground Central time. ForRedLinepassengers, thestation isbeingre-constructed *;?;;;^^ oldbusstationhas
beenmovedtogive
Artery, and creating yet another tunnelfor a new MBTA transitway one corner at a time, in order to keep the station accessible. Clean, trafficplanners
flexibilitywhile
electric trolley link (for servicefrom South Station to the Fan Pier). well-lit walkways with easy-to-read signs will be built to carrypedes- shiftingAtlantic
Avenueandthe
Finally, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project is also evaluating the trians quicklyand safelyaround construction work. The Red Line and
SurfaceArtery
necessary modifications to allow for the future construction of commuter rail lines willcontinue their regularschedules whilea major trafficaway
fromconstruction.
a North/South rail link. And while all this is taking place, every section of the new underground Central Artery is dug underneath Atleasttwo
lanesoftrafficwill
possibleprecaution will be taken topreserve thehistoricallysignificant AtlanticAvenue,just below the Red Line track. bemaintainedin
alldirectionsat
architectureofSouth Station itself. That's a lot ofactivity. But wait until you see the activity when alltimes.Onthe
The plot thickens. Why is so much workbeing undertaken at once? all ofthis work is completed and South Station is a world class trans- V|>ofafrornieghptaristaofprtohfeile
Because years ofworkand millions ofdollars can he saved by doing portation centerfor movingpeople to and through Boston. \f constructionsite.
Mapping The New
Future of England.
snake beneath thecity's streets. In a major undertaking that involves 31
utility companies, these lines, some more than 100 years old, will be
movedoutofthepath ofthediggingand intonew, specially constructed
utilitycorridorsrunningalongsidethenewArtery. They'llbeeasiertoget
at,maintain,andexpand.Moreimportant,manyoftheutilitycompanies
will be using this opportunity to upgrade theirlines, creatinga state-of-
GOING TO WORK
the-art infrastructure which will benefit the entire regional economy.
DOWNTOWN
In addition to the traditional methodofdigginga trench, layingthe
cable or pipe, and covering the street up again (known as cut and
cover), the digging has taken on a decidedly high-techfeel. Some ofthe
workisdone usinga techniquecalledjackpipe tunneling, in whichpits
Jl^irst, the bad news. Despite our best efforts, some delays and incon- are dug on opposite sides of the street, and lengths ofpipe are then
—
veniences will become an unfortunate part of our everyday life. For pushed underneath the street (jacked)from one pit to the next with-
example, although trafficflow will he maintained, out disturbing the surface above.
streets mayhave to be realignedor individual lanes When pipes smaller than three feet in
shiftedaroundworksites. Parkingspaces mayhave diameter are being installed, another innovative
to be relocated to make wayfor drillingordigging. technique called micro-tunneling is sometimes
Now, thegood news. used. Here, a remote-controlled robotic drill bores
The biggest neivs is no news. Every possible a holefrom pit to pit while the operator watches
step is being taken to keep the city openfor busi- from thesurface on closed-circuit video monitors.
nesses, residents, and tourists. Work is being These techniques are just part ofthe Central
scheduled to minimize the irritation of noise and Artery/Tunnel's overall commitment to minimize
dustforpeople who live in thearea; to avoid block- disruption during construction.
ing building entrances and loading docks during Tlie walls go in, the work goes on. A major
commercialhours;and toprevent interferencewith milestonefor the Project is the construction ofthe
the pushcarts at Haymarket or with events at first wallsfor the undergroundexpressway, which
Boston Garden. Pedestrian walkways will be will start this summer. Actually built from the
built to ensure that, even at the height of the surface down using a technique called slurry wall
construction work, you can still stroll through construction, these walls will hold back the earth
Chinatown, browse the artgalleries in the Leather from thenewroadbed.Theslurrytechniqueinvolves
Someofthefirstwallsoftheundergroundexpressway
District, and dine at yourfavorite restaurants willbegin tobebuiltbetween theNorth Endand the excavating a narrow, deep trench held open by a
FaneuilHall/Marketplacearea laterthissummer.
in the North Endand Waterfront areas. jello-like mixtureofclayandwatercalled bentonite
Plugged into thefuture. Utility relocation work is continuing slurry. This allows digging to continue to the desired depth without a
throughoutdowntown Boston, where29 miles ofwires,pipes,andcables wall collapse. Steel cages, which add support to the walls, are lowered
i)ito till' iiJurn/-fiUed trench. Concrete is then poured into the trench,
displacing the slurry, and the xvalls are done. Steel beams and decking
willbelaid between thewallsso that trafficcan continueon theelevated
roadway while workgoes on underground.
Also, later this year, temporary ramps connecting 1-93 with
Route 1 and the Tobin Bridge will becompleted. InsteadofRoute 1 con-
necting to Route 93 on the City Square side ofthe road, it will sweep
under and connect to the highway over the MBTA rail yard. This will
eliminate the dangerous three-lane weaveacross Route 93 now required
ofdrillers traveling between Route I -TT^^
'
andStorrozv Drive. Theold ramps that ^ OM i-t' ' •
havecastashadowoverCharlestown's
City Square will finally be eliminated.
This will also do much to relieve
the congestion on that northern
stretch ofthe Central Artery until the
new Charles River Crossing can be
completed. Aesthetically pleasing,
environmentally responsible, and cost Shownbeloware
examplesofhow
conscious in design, the plan for the theCentralArtery/
Tunnel Projectis
new Charles River Crossing has been attemptingtomini-
mizeconstruction's
approved bystateandfederalagencies impactoneveryday
life. TTieseinclude
andfinal design will begin thisfall. (from leftto right):
Innovativeconstructiontechniques, likethisundergroundboringmachine(Lx>inglowered buildingpedestrian
Meanwhile, work continues in intoposition),helpreducedisruptionsaboveground totraffic,pedestrians,andbusinesses. walkwaysand
the Third Harbor Tunnel as crews install the tiling, lighting, computer handicapped ramps,
whenpossible,
sensors, and ventilation systems. And since the new tunnel will help workingduring
off-hours (and plat-
ease legendary traffic jams in the Sumner and Callahan Tunnels, ingoverthestreet
duringthedayto
Governor Weld has proposed the new harbor tunnel be namedafterleg- ensuretrafficflow);
endary Nezv England sports figure Ted Williams. When the tunnel providingsafe,
well-marked paths
opens to commercial traffic next year, it will reduce traffic in the exist- forpedestriansand
vehicles;and utiliz-
ing tunnels by 6,000 vehicles a day. ingtechnologyfor
digging,likethis
At the southern end of the new tunnel, the South Boston Haul hydromillstation,
thatcreates lessdirt
Road is already open and keeping an estimated 1,500 trucks off the and noise,aswell
asreducestruck
streets ofSouth Boston daily.
trafficwithina
constructionsite.
two-and-a-halftimes as high as the Empire State BuildingC] Central
Artery: Number of lanes today: 6; number of lanes on new under-
groundartery: 8-10 Current numberofaccess ramps downtown:27;
Access ramps to/from new undergroundexpressway: 14 Tonsofsteel
in existingCentralArtery: 100,000 (enough to buildfive Tobin Bridges)
Yards ofconcrete needed to build the Central ArteryfTunnel Project:
SORTING
3.8 million cubicyards (enough to build a sidezvalkfrom Boston to San
IT ALL OUT;
Trancisco 3 times)C\At its deepest point, the tunnel will be more than
8stories undergound You could wrapa one-inch steel bararound the
Earth's equator with all tlie reinforcing steel tluit this Project will useH
Traffic: Designed capacity ofexisting Central Artery: 75,000 vehicles
"^^^^ dig history. Before the Central ArteryfTunnel Project digs perday Traffic volume ofCentralArtery today: 190,000 vehicles per
for Boston'sfuture, the Project's historic resource protection program day CapacityofnewundergroundCentralArtery:250,000vehiclesper
is digging into Boston's past, helping day Currentaveragespeedofevening
us learn all ivc can about the history rush hour traffic: 8 mph (northbound)
ofour region. Projected average speed ofevening
One particularly rich find was rush hour traffic on new underground
made under a parking lot under the Central Artery: 30 mph Current
elevated Artery in the North End, traffic volume through Sumner/
yielding many interesting artifacts Callahan Tunnels: 100,000vehicles per
of Colonial life, from tiles to ceramic day; Sumner/Callahan traffic in 2010
wig curlers. with addition ofThird Harbor Tunnel:
Beforeconstructioncould begin,archaeologistswerefirstgiven theopportunity
Out on Spectacle Island, research- to unearthnewinformationaboutColonialand NativeAmericanhistory- 70,000 vehicles per day Related
ers also unearthed a Native American shell midden ~ a 1,400-year old Mass TransitImprovements:Numberofneivsubway and streetcars
dump where remains ofmeals, broken tools, potterxj, spear and arrow being added to MBTA'sfleet: 200 [JNumber ofnew buses to beadded:
points, and other trash werediscarded. This discovery will tell us much 200 Numberofcommuterrailpark'n ridespots beingadded through-
about the way NativeAmericans lived in the area. out metroarea: 15,000-20,000 Environmental:Acres ofopen space
Facts andfactoids. Tlnrd Harbor Tunnel: Traffic capacity: 4 lanes thatwillbecreatedon topofnew undergroundartery:27 Sizeofpub-
(2eachway,doublingexistingcrossharborcapacity) Numberofgiant lic park that will be created at Spectacle Island: roughly 105 acres
325-foot tubes needed tospan harbor: 12 _ Time it will take to build the Reduction in overall carbon monoxide levels as a result of improved
tunnel: 4 years; time it will take to travel through the tunnel: less than trafficflow provided by Project: 12% ^Archeology: Date ofartifacts
10 minutes Numberofaveragebathrooms that could befinishedwith unearthedat Paddy's Alley: 1680-1740 Likelydates ofartifactsfrom
the ceramic tiles used to cover the tunnel's walls: 4,600 Ifyou zvere Spectacle Island: 4000 BC-1500 AD[JEconomics: Number ofcon-
to stack the tunnel's 12 tubes vertically, they would stand more than struction workers atpeakconstruction: 5,000 Total numberofpeople
,1