green line viaduct ---> Lechmere

Right, but they still had to connect the new (temporary) elevated to the old, existing one. This presumably required a few days of closure but I don't recall the details.

Actually I believe they may have done it quicker, between end of service on Friday night and beginning of service on MOnday....but it was so long ago I can't be certain.

The WSEL OL was actually shut-down on Friday 5/1/87 at 2:00 AM, right after Thu, 4/30 which was the last official last day. So on 5/1/87, ther was NO service at all on the Aboveground EL and the new opening for the open-cut SWC was on 5/4, which ironically fell on a Monday.

In between that weekend time, there were some demonstration rides happening on the SWC so that railfans and other users could get a sneak preview of the new alignment.

Ron Newman wrote:Right, but they still had to connect the new (temporary) elevated to the old, existing one. This presumably required a few days of closure but I don't recall the details.

And it take little time to do that when everything is already in place BEFORE you shut down service. You can't have concurrent service while constructing when the direct connection requires demolition of the old structure BEFORE you can even start the connection to a new structure. AND on top of that, there wasn't construction going on adjacent to the Orange or Green Line connections back when they were connected to the old structures- not so in the Lechmere Viaduct's case.

It seems that the new structure at Lechmere could certainly be designed to have significant construction take place before demolition of the existing structure is demolished. I guess I need to take a walk down there and take another look at how the connection could be made. And what is the major interfering construction project you're thinking of with the Lechmere viaduct?

ckb wrote:It seems that the new structure at Lechmere could certainly be designed to have significant construction take place before demolition of the existing structure is demolished. I guess I need to take a walk down there and take another look at how the connection could be made. And what is the major interfering construction project you're thinking of with the Lechmere viaduct?

I'm talking about the construction around the Leveritt Connector, all Big Dig related construction that could not go on concurrently with the MBTA's Green Line still running AND the new Green Line connection. Sure it COULD be done, but at a massively more expensive cost AND a longer time span. It's either you hinder the Lechmere viaduct ridership for a year or drag it out for 18 months or longer...

Oh, wait, you're talking about the work on the Boston side. I think everyone here understands why the Green Line to Lechmere is closed now -- the construction around the Big Dig work is a total mess.

We've been talking about the reconstruction of Lechmere station (over on the Cambridge/Somerville side) for the potential GL extension though Somerville (and also to more directly serve the upcoming North Point Development). Like I said earlier, this project seems to be somewhat more complex than previous tie-in work (it will likely be somewhat aerial) but not nearly as complex as the work around Leverett Circle (just before Science Park).

ckb wrote:Oh, wait, you're talking about the work on the Boston side. I think everyone here understands why the Green Line to Lechmere is closed now -- the construction around the Big Dig work is a total mess.

We've been talking about the reconstruction of Lechmere station (over on the Cambridge/Somerville side) for the potential GL extension though Somerville (and also to more directly serve the upcoming North Point Development). Like I said earlier, this project seems to be somewhat more complex than previous tie-in work (it will likely be somewhat aerial) but not nearly as complex as the work around Leverett Circle (just before Science Park).

I was responding to Ron's comments, but you are indeed correct. A brand new terminal/run through station adjacent to Lechmere WOULD be like what Ron et al are talking since it would in fact have little impact on the line other than the tie in- if the tie in does not require demolition to make the connection. Depending on where the tie in would be(before the viaduct lowers to street level or some point close to that) it could be done WITHOUT a major shut down- like the three major tie ins in the past(both ends of the Orange Line and the new Green Line incline).

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Buzz wrote:zim blat zocke weft vap! omph gop deraguge klip klop

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