Gov. Files $13.7B Transportation Bond Bill

The transportation bond bill would provide funding for modernization and maintenance of the transportation system.

Gov. Deval Patrick filed a transportation bond bill this week that will finance an ambitious 10-year plan to overhaul the state’s ailing transportation system. The bill would invest $13.7 billion over 10 years in The 21st Century Transportation Plan “The Way Forward” if it is accepted by the state’s legislature, according to a press release from the governor’s office. The funding would address a backlog of deferred maintenance and strategically improve the state’s transportation system by reducing congestion on roads, curbing delays and minimizing crowding on trains and buses, according to the press release. “These investments will create the jobs and opportunity today that will build a stronger Commonwealth for tomorrow,” Patrick said in …

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CONSTRUCTION & ROAD WARRIOR

MassDOT: Saxonville Bridge Projects Start Monday; Scheduled to End Summer 2015

MassDot is scheduled to close the Wickford Road Bridge Monday, March 18.

Starting Monday, the Wickford Road bridge will be closed. Originally, residents were told the Wickford Road bridge would re-open in the fall, but yesterday a spokesperson for MassDOT said it could be later. "Due to a significant pothole that recently developed on the Wickford Road Bridge, and in order to accommodate construction activities, the Wickford Road Bridge will be closed as of Monday, March 18 and will reopen near the end of calendar year 2013," said Sara Lavoie, MassDOT spokesperson. A detour will be put in place until the bridge is reopened. A map of the detour is attached to this report. Framingham School bus drivers began telling parents this week that with the bridge closure students likely will have a longer afternoon bus …

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Cumberland Farms To Pay Commuter's Friday Night MassPike Tolls

Framingham-based Cumberland Farms will pay tolls for drivers in Allston, Natick and Weston plazas Friday from 5 to 6 p.m.

This Friday, Mass Pike drivers are in luck!  Just ahead of St. Patrick's Day, Massachusetts Turnpiketolls will free on Friday, March 15 from 5-6 p.m. for travelers passing through the Allston/Brighton, Natick, and Weston toll plazas (Interchanges 13, 15 and 19), thanks to a sponsorship from Framingham-based Cumberland Farms and its SmartPay Check-Link program.   The Cumberland Farms SmartPay Check-Link payment program allows users to pay for gas and in-store purchases using their mobile phone or with a swipe of a card. After completing a free online enrollment process at cumberlandfarms.com/smartpay, customers will automatically save 10 cents on every gallon of gas, every day. Cash customers must still stop at the toll plaza where booth …

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CONSTRUCTION & ROAD WARRIOR

UPDATED: Wickford Road Bridge Detour To Begin March 18

MassDOT and Framingham DPW says the Wickford Road Bridge will be closed until the fall of 2013.

Starting today, MassDOT will begin preparations to close the Wickford Road Bridge. The bridge will close on March 18. The MassDOT project consists of replacing both the concrete Central Street bridge and the steel Wickford Road bridge over the Sudbury River in Saxonville. A public hearing for the $6.2 million project was held in April 2012 at the Memorial Building. To minimize the length of the total project, MassDOT called for the complete closure of the Wickford Road bridge. BETA designed the replacement superstructure to maintain the existing hydraulic opening and roadway profile, as well as to be installed quickly, by using continuous rolled steel beams and full-depth precast concrete deck panels. The use of the precast panels will …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

Why Do Sidewalks End at Route 9?

The latest 'You Ask, Patch Answers' addresses that question.

Why are there no sidewalks on much of Route 9 asked a MetroWest Patch reader. Patch asked Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Verseckes. "Sidewalks along state highways are typically provided as a result of a request from the municipality during project design or are constructed by a private developer as a form of impact mitigation.  "Right now, on Route 9, there are sidewalks through sections of Shrewsbury, a small piece of Southborough, and some through Framingham and Natick.   "Sidewalks are typically located in area where pedestrian traffic exists or is expected, such as residential areas and central business districts.  Sidewalks are often added sporadically over the years, which leads to disconnected sections…

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MassDOT To Review Pedestrian Safety on Route 9

Massachusetts Department of Transportation will review pedestrian safety, along Route 9, between Temple and Prospect streets, after the death of a University student in December.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) informed Framingham State University President Timothy Flanagan it will review pedestrian safety, along Route 9, between Temple and Prospect streets, said Framingham Town Manager Bob Halpin. MassDOT has pledged "to work with University, the Town and others to develop a plan for safer pedestrian crossings over Route 9," Halpin told Framingham Selectmen Tuesday night. MassDOT's decision was in reaction to a letter sent to the Commonwealth by University President Flanagan following the death of a 21-year old student from Melrose, who was struck and killed trying to cross the busy highway at night near Maynard Road. Despite warnings from campus police and university officials, students …

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Charlie Denison

12:49 pm on Friday, February 15, 2013

When you design a street like a highway, that's what it ends up being. The recent project to reconstruct Route 9 had a lot of potential to convert it into an actual city street that people could feel safe walking or bicycling along. As it is now, if you're not in a car, the street basically says "you are not welcome here". MassDOT added a few crosswalks and pedestrian signals and wide shoulders …   more ›

Free Coffee Offered at Highway Service Plazas on Christmas Night

There will be free java served at the state's 18 travel plazas from 10 p.m. on Christmas night to 5 a.m. on Dec. 26.

One theory about how Santa gets all his work done is: Coffee. Lots of it. Even if you're not St. Nick, if you need to stay alert driving on Christmas night, the state's highway service areas are here to help. All 18 Department of Transportation service plazas will serve up free java from 10 p.m. on Dec. 25 to 5 a.m. on Dec. 26, including Framingham westbound on the MassPike and Natick eastbound on the MassPike. The same offer applies on New Year's Eve. That's between 10 p.m. on Dec. 31 and 5 a.m. on Jan. 1. The free coffee is sponsored by McDonalds, Burger King and Gulf. Here is a list of all 18 service plazas in Massachusetts.

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Tips to Travel Safe During the Holidays

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is urging residents to drive safety and use public transportation.

During the holidays, we're all in a rush to get to our respective celebrations and enjoy the holidays. But also during this time of the year, the weather doesn't always cooperate.  Information for Drivers With some wintry weather in the forecast, drivers should be prepared to encounter varying roadway conditions as they head to their holiday destinations, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). MassDOT encourages residents and visitors to drive safely and use public transportation where possible during the upcoming holidays.  Although holiday traffic is the worst around Thanksgiving, road conditions can still get pretty congested during peak travel times. “Historically the days surrounding Christmas and New …

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Can Route 9 Be Made Safer at Railroad Crossing/Fire Station?

Framingham State Rep. Chris Walsh had a conversation with MassDOT Monday following the death of a Framingham State University senior Friday night. The students was struck by two vehicles as she tried to cross Route 9.

If you have ever driven Route 9, you've likely witnessed a pedestrian trying to dodge car and trucks to get to the other side. It happens even more frequently at the intersection of Route 9 and Maynard Road where there are no guardrails and jersey barriers, as there is an opening for the railroad crossing and also an opening for the Framingham Fire Station. Friday, Framingham State University senior Colleen Kelly, 21, was struck by not one but two vehicles trying to cross Route 9 after 10 p.m. She made it halfway across Route 9 when she was struck in the westbound lane, thrown into the eastbound lane, where she was hit again. Both Framingham drivers stopped.  Framingham Police are investigating. Repeatedly, throughout the semester, …

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Free Coffee! Free Tolls! And More Thanksgiving Travel Tips

Here are some tips from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to make your Thanksgiving travel a little easier.

Will you be driving on Thanksgiving night? If so, you can snag a free cup of joe courtesy of the state. And if you're hitting the Turnpike on Wednesday afternoon, you can also get on I-90 (for one hour) without having to pay the toll. Free coffee will be served at all 18 Massachusetts Department of Tranportation (MassDOT) service plazas between 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving night until 5 a.m. on Friday, Nov 23, courtesy of McDonalds, Burger King and Gulf. Meanwhile, Plymouth Rock Assurance will sponsor free tolls at the Allston-Brighton interchange on I-90 from 3-4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 21.  Thanksgiving holiday traffic is expected to be at its peak on Tuesday, Nov. 20, Wednesday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 25, according to MassDOT. To avoid…

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