1. Proposed route, Harvard Stations.
2. Harvard Station S1, S2, further elevator analysis..
3. Harvard Station S3.
4. Connection to and JFK Park.
5. The prior reports.
1. Proposed route, Harvard Stations.
I have been doing a series on possible new rapid transit service for the Boston 2024 Olympics. A major part of my interest is my appreciation that the Boston 2024 Olympics peope want to destroy the starvation wall Cambridge and friends have created at Magazine Beach as part of their heartless abuse of the 34 year resident gaggle of the Charles River White Geese, and their environmental destruction at the Magazine Beach playing fields.
Normal human beings are a refreshing change over the vileness which dominates politics with regard to Cambridge, MA, USA and its accomplices in their environmental destruction and heartless animal abuse.
And here is a layout of the three station alternatives for Harvard Station, in the upper part of this map. I have presented Stations alternatives S1 and S2. Here we will go into Station 3 and the preferred route in this area.
2. Harvard Station S1, S2, further elevator analysis..
Station alternative S3 only makes sense is S1 and S2 will not work. It is a lot more expensive and intrusive. It would still require the moving of the staircase as described in the S2 analysis, and, might require work on the Brattle Square elevator if it interferes with the tunnel.
Looking at the map, going with S1 or S2, the best alternative would be to rebuild the elevator in place if it obstructs the tunnel. If that does not work, probably the lease obstructive alternative would be to put it on the south side of the Brattle Street side street.
Here is a photo from the sidewalk south of the Brattle Street sidestreet. Straight ahead is current elevator. A replacement elevator could readily be constructed on this plaza with a connecting tunnel above the Green Line A tunnel, very much on a straight line between the corners..
3. Harvard Station S3.
Here is the reverse camera view from the previous shot. This is the last block of Eliot Street. Station S3 would have to be constructed under this area if S1 and S2 were not feasible.
S3 is major construction. and almost certainly can be avoided.
It is unlikely that a full Green Line three car train could fit under this block. So the station would almost certainly have to be stretched under Mt. Auburn Street and into the next block.
In the above picture, Mt. Auburn Street is visible. The below shot is right at the corner.
The opening in the trees slightly right of the center of the photo is the walkway above the Green Line A tunnel.
Connection to Harvard Station would be through the Green Line A tunnel which would, in alternatives S1 and S2 be used for Green Line A. Connection would be straight to the lower busway removing part of the non load bearing wall.
The waiting area for the lower busway could be expanded into the Green Line A tunnel to handle the traffic from Green Line A, station S3, in addition to folks waiting for buses.
In reality, the distance from the main station concourse to Green Line A would not be significantly different from the existing walk from the pedestrian concourse to northern end cars on Red Line trains.
The distance is longer than it could be with S1 or S2.
And the expense and disruption of S3 is very major.
S3's handicapped elevator would work very well operated in conjunction with handicapped access to the upper bus tunnel. All that would be appropriate would be to put the elevator near the relocation of the elevator for access just to the busway, close to or to the left of where the photo is taken. If necessary that one elevator could be used for access both to the upper busway and to station S3. It certainly would be a lot simpler if the current busway elevator does not have to be replaced.
Once you do the major construction needed to build S3, pedestrian access would be just part of the major project. There is plenty of room. The biggest variable is how far beyond Mt. Auburn Street traffic would go.
The construction zone would probably not take up more than the two blocks, but it would take up the two blocks.
Traffic relocation, looking at the map, of traffic from Harvard Square would be left to Mt. Auburn Street. It can readily handle it. The block of JFK Street from Mt. Auburn to Eliot Street would have to be used as two way with on street parking, of course, removed.
Traffic to the Brattle Street side street would only be impacted if the upper busway elevator had to be removed. If it does have to be removed, the first block of the side street would become a stub end. During construction, all Brattle Street side street service would be from the next street to the north, which connects directly from Harvard Square.
Eliot Street from Eliot Street to JFK Street would see traffic which currently travels on Mt. Auburn Street. The alternate route is clear. That traffic would be turning north on JFK Street and then east on Mt. Auburn Street.
The combination of turns to JFK Street would significant increase traffic on JFK Street with probable backups on the approaches.
4. Connection to and JFK Park.
On the preferred alternative 1 route and its companion alternative 2, Green Line A would travel in the existing subway tunnel two stories underground.
This is the entrance from Eliot Street. To the left is the newest JFK School building. To the right is the Charles Hotel residential complex.
A view further in.
The trees up above are the ones you are looking at in the previous picture. This parking lot of the JFK School used to be part of the Red Line train storage area.
On looking at these photos, I realize I was wrong in saying you cannot see the tunnel anymore because of the construction of the building straight ahead.
The thick black line is probably utilities. As you approach the building, you will see a second line between the thick black line and the pedestrian walkway. That line is the top of the existing tunnel. The area between the lines is the tunnel.
Here is Harvard JFK School’s map of the area, and a better view of the parking lot and walkway support.
Access to extend the tunnel would be easy even after reaching the second Harvard Building next to the walkway / subway tunnel.
Here is the view of the walkway from JFK Park.
This is JFK Park. This is where Alternative 1 would go. There is even a break between the trees if construction were necessary further up. JFK Park has been constructed to ease installation of a rapid transit connection.
There is a plaza which would probably have to be rebuilt. It is between the location from which the last two photos were taken. It could be possible that the construction under the pedestrian walkway could get far enough down for deep bore. However, JFK Park, whichever means of crossing the Charles is chosen would have to be the center of construction of the northern end of the tunnel under the Charles River. It seems inconceivable that that plaza could avoid being rebuilt.
The layout of JFK Park is perfect from an environmental impact point of view. NO TREES WOULD BE DESTROYED in JFK Park for alternative 1, and JFK Park is key in the construction.
I am sorry about my lack of photo of the plaza. I anticipate there was a lighting problem. Note the overexposure above.
Here is a better view of the opening between trees.
5. Layover.
The double track Green Line A would have to end at JFK Park because of the existence of only tunnel room for one train. There is room in JFK Park, without tree destruction, to add layover tracks for additional cars waiting to get into the terminus, or for storage.
If alternative S1 or S2 is chosen, the tunnel still exists connecting to the existing lower Red Line tunnel. I am not certain if there is room between S1 and the Red Line tunnel to layover a train as well, almost certainly not. If S2 is chosen and the rearrangement accomplished for S1, layover would be possible.
6. The prior reports.
● General analysis: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/charles-river-new-green-line-ideal-for.html.
● BU Bridge end of Green Line A: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/charles-river-green-line-boston.html
● Charles River: Green Line A Rapid Transit for Olympics — Harvard Square: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/charles-river-green-line-rapid-transit.html
● Charles River - Harvard Square: Corrections to Green Line A Harvard Station Proposal:: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/charles-river-harvard-square-to-green.html
● Charles River, Comments: Olympics, Green Line A; fraud in Cambridge, MA, USA City Hall” http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/charles-river-comments-olympics-green.html.
● Charles River: Green Line A for Olympics, map with options: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/charles-river-green-line-for-olympics.html
● Charles River: Olympics Rapid Transit map reorganized; change Green Line B rapid transit stop name? http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/charles-river-olympics-rapid-transit.html
● Charles River: Olympics Rapid Transit: One Harvard Station site for consideration. http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/charles-river-olympics-rapid-transit_18.html
● Charles River: Olympics Rapid Transit: A Second Harvard Station site for consideration: http://charlesriverwhitegeeseblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/charles-river-olympics-rapid-transit_19.html
