What do ya think?

The project is pretty much complete. Notice the shinny new signage and all lanes are officially open. We would be interested in getting some feedback from morning commuters if things have have gotten any better.

Also we would like to thank people like Brian McNamee the ONLY Quincy city official to respond to us and give his contact info to our readers. 

A little less confusion

Some of the new signage that will point drivers in the right direction when heading south over the NRB into Quincy.

On another note: All northbound lanes were open for this morning's commute.

and all we hear are crickets!

We have reached out to not only The J.F White Construction Company the contractor for the Neponset River Bridge reconstruction project  the city of Quincy and Ma DOT and have yet to receive any reply. Brian McNamee who is the City of Quincy ward councilor for this area of Quincy has yet to make any comments nor has he even been keeping the residents of North Quincy and Squantum apprised of what is going on. Where are the community meetings? This is discraceful. To contact Brian McNamee you can send him an email:  bmcnamee@quincyma.gov.  but don't expect too much from him.

Here is a comment we received this morning from one of more avid readers and respondents


HANS1974 Writes:

7:40am on Wed 9/19/2012 traffic backed all the way up Commander Shea Blvd (coming out of Marina Bay) all the way into Seaport Drive in Marina Bay! Too many QSD commuters think they are taking "shortcut" by going longer way by turning right onto E. Squantum, left into and thru Marina Bay, then left onto Commander Shea Blvd. When it's as backed up as it is, it takes 15+ minutes just to go 1/2 mile to get thru the 5-lanes-merge-into-1 bottleneck.




Guess this is what happens when the city of Quincy hit the "MegaMillions jackpot" in public funding for multiple bridge repairs to be done concurrently. The N. Quincy area resembles the Big Dig w/ the Neponset River Bridge and the Hancock St. overpass being completely rebuilt at same time.



But the lack of communication from the MA DOT and city of Quincy is at best, appalling

More communication problems?

               The  ramp to Hancock Street on the northbound side of the NRB is closed this AM due to repaving the road below. The problem is you don't know about it until  it's too late as there are no signs warning of the closure until you are right on top of it. 

Near the end of the road

 Work crews continue to put the finshing touches into place.

Staying on schedule

 Jersey barriers are removed by work crews making way to open up the new lanes.



               The newley opened northbound lane is open for the morning commute

You can't miss it!

Some of the signage that dots the roadway at  the reconstruction site.

Contract 61371

Nailed to a tree along Quincy Shore Drive, Quincy. Just in case you have any concerns or questions.

In this case two is better than one

The new northbound on ramp from Hancock Street will be wider than the old ramp allowing for two lanes of traffic.

Under over

A look at things from under the I 93 overpass

End seen for phase two?

 A look at things on a recent rain filled day. Work on the northbound ramp from Hancock Street is still going strong and steady, well, a little less steady on this dismal day perhaps.

The folks at Neponset Landing won't be disappointed to see  phase two of the Neponset River Bridge completed sometime soon. Rumor has it that the bulk of phase two will be done sometime this August -we shall see.

Managing the flow

A state trooper keeps things moving during the afternoon rush at Neponset Circle.

Iron and Steel brought to you by...

16,000 lineal ft of traffic rail, 4" pipe with posts and 3,000 lineal feet of pedestrian rail for the Neponset River Bridge roadway fabricated and color galvanized.

Santini Bros providing all those nice looking green railings.

Fork in the bridge

Looking at the Quincy side of things.

Business as usual

It's business as usual during construction on the Dorchester side of the Neponset River Bridge.

Taking the new road

A look at the new northbound side off - ramp to Hancock St. south. Notice the the nice wide sidewalk.

Your comments welcomed

Quincy resident Hans1974 is very frustrated with the morning commute. Here's what he has to say:

Morning traffic towards the bridge into Dorchester over the past couple of weeks has been worse than ever, regardless of the weather. In my 8.5 years of living in Marina Bay, the past two mornings have been the most difficult commutes to the N. Quincy Red Line station via the shuttle service that runs between the station/Boston Scientific/Marina Bay.

On a typical weekday morning the shuttle takes 18-20 minutes to perform its round trip. On the past two mornings this trip has taken approximately 40 minutes! This is all attributed to the extreme congestion on both Quincy Shore Drive and Hancock Street towards the bridge, and the ripple effect it has on Marina Bay residents.

The backup on Quincy Shore Drive past the E. Squantum St. intersection has been so severe that many drivers are now attempting to circumvent it by turning right at E. Squantum Street, cutting thru Marina Bay and onto Commander Shea Blvd. This has resulted in significant backups on Commander Shea Blvd. For instance, this morning at 8:15, the backup extended onto Seaport Drive in Marina Bay - almost to the rotary!

Again, in my 8.5 years living in Marina Bay, I've NEVER seen anything like this! It should NOT take almost 40 minutes to go 1+ mile; walking from Marina Bay to the N. Quincy station would take less time.

The severity of the traffic congestion is hurting real estate prices and the quality of life for the many Marina Bay residents who work in Boston. I can't imagine even trying to sell a condo/townhouse in that community right now because of how difficult the morning commute into Boston has become.

November 8, 2011 8:23 AM

No lines no waiting

A rare moment when there is no line of traffic waiting to get up on to the deck of the northbound side of the bridge.

Looking good

A view of the new off - ramp complete with new wide sidewalk (imagine that!) and railings.
{click on image for larger view}

Walking with ease

A pedestrian crosses the NRB with ease thanks to the new sidewalk on the southbound side of the bridge.And don't those new railings and lightpoles look great?

Editorial

During the morning commute there are basically three northbound lanes open. This helps ease traffic on Quincy Shore drive and with the addition of State police moving things along at Neponset Circle the morning commute is as good as it's going to get for now. One thing we want to point out is that drivers MUST have patience. From our observations some (not all drivers) insist on driving over the bridge as if there is no construction going on at all. We all must remember that travel lanes keep changing and there are drivers out there who are unfamiliar with the bridge construction and constant lane changes. Let's all be patient and try to cut each other some slack when using the bridge especially during this time of construction. Driving in excess of the speed limit and fuming at drivers who may be lost or confused by the construction changes does not help anyone and is a safety hazard for all.

Soldiers mark the way for trucks

Truck lane markers line the new Southbound side of the Bridge directing trucks away from Quincy Shore Drive and on to Hancock Street

New traffic patterns mean more...

...traffic?

This was the scene this morning  as the new traffic pattern took effect yesterday.

Traffic was backed up almost to the Dunkin Donuts on Quincy Shore Drive early this AM

This is going to get interesting after Labor Day when most commuters are back from summer vacations.

Artistic Remains

Some tagging of old still remains beneath the bridge

A revamp of the old ramp

The new North bound Hancock Street ramp is coming along.

The sound of steel and cement

From this location one can hear the crumble of cement as an excavator hammers away above.

What Lies Beneath

Below the Neponset River Bridge lies this cavern-like setting that echoes the sound of vehicles crossing overhead.

Smooth Traveling

Here you can see the newly surfaced Southbound lane of the bridge complete with new light poles and railings. This lane is now open for southbound traffic. Smooth traveling on the new asphalt, no potholes yet!

The late afternoon sun reflects off of the Neponset River Landing Apartments as traffic maneuvers the construction zone on the bridge.

Snow slowing things down

Record snow has fallen slowing progress on the reconstruction project a bit. Here you can not only see snow but some of the new lighting along the roadway

The latest from massDOT

Click it to enlarge and read.