Ashmont T Station

Ashmont Body Count = 12

Lots of guys on site this morning. All look like they are ready to work on the busway. Only 4 working days left with striping, lighting, signage and the inevitable invisible and highly intensive "signal work" still to go. I have other euphemisms for "signal work" but I'll leave it alone for now. Today's picture describes the extent of yesterday's work at the busway. One handicap ramp and sidewalk! Of course there maybe signal work in there somewhere.

Ashmont Body Count = 3

There are 25 guys on site this morning. 15 guys working on the North Plaza. 3 guys installing a light post on the busway and a Lull moving a compactor. That leaves 6 guys inside the station including the elevator guys making glacial progress to complete the elevators.
Today's pictture shows the first piece of curtain wall framing. Any guesses on how long that will remain unfinished?

Ashmont Body Count = 0

Stopped @FlatBlackCoffee for a double
Espresso this morning and managed to count no one working on the busway. 10 guys toiling at the North Plaza, which looks great, but is not the top priority. 7 working days left. Why should work happen everyday when you can just rush at the end?

Ashmont Body Count = 12

The busway was paved yesterday! A great day to lay asphalt, though not for the guys doing the work. The asphalt looks ok, though the edges at the street area little rough. I hope they fix that. Since the paving is complete, today's body count only applies to the site guys working at the North Plaza. I included the worker in white chinos and the golf shirt out of incredulity more than anything else. I'll try to take pictures of our new aircraft carier size busway tomorrow. 

Next up: finish package

MBTA Update on Busway Work

I got the following message from the MBTA on progress at the busway. It almost reads like poetry.

Just a quick up date on Busway Schedule

Water line out to dot ave complete.

Curbing out to dot ave on the busway both north and south complete.

Final Paving will be complete today.

Work to complete

Handicap ramps at the north and south entrances

Stripe all crossings

Set center island light poles

As of now we are on or ahead of schedule

September 1st is still good

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

(apologies to Robert Frost)

Ashmont Body Count

After a week off, progress is evident at Ashmont Station, though in a kind of working at the edges method. I counted 11 workers and 4 dump trucks. Only 4 workers and the dump trucks were actually involved in busway work. This contrasts with the 6 man BWSC crew filling in a hole at E. Cottage St. and Pleasant St. Only 9 more working days until September. The tension mounts.

Ashmont Body Count on hiatus

I'm heading off for vacation this week and will not be providing our voracious readership with timely updates of Barletta/MBTA efforts to complete the station. All are welcome to conduct their own counts. I will post them here.
Progress is visible, however, and they should hit their deadline of "end" of August.

Fare increase Public Meetings

The link below shows the schedule of Public Meetings that the MBTA will hold to discuss the (probably inevitable) fare hikes. If you have ideas or simply a need a venue to vent your frustration with the MBTA, make a plan. http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Fare%20Increase%20Flyer.pdf Christopher Stanley (617) 510-5334

Wow - Granite being installed at Ashmont Station......

A good question on the new granite finish.

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mark Juaire Date: Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 4:42 PM

Hello neighbors. You may have noticed the work at the north plaza of the station this week. The finish granite is being cut and installed, and you can just imagine how beautiful it is going to be! WOW. I do have a major concern that such an open space, with so many steps and pilings, etc, is going to be a major attraction for skateboarders! Many downtown sites (i.e. the park at the front of Trinity Church) have taken a real beating by skateboard abuse. Monuments and steps and curbing get chipped and worn down. I fear that the beautiful new granite, if damaged, will never be correctly repaired and maintained.

Is there anything that can be done proactively to dissuade skateboard use of the plaza?

Ashmont Body Count

I had about 28 guys on site on Wednesday morning, only two guys visible on the busway.  Overall, a HUGE turnout It might have been coincidental but there were several elected officials coming to the site yesterday.