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Some MA Highway Observations and Photos

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Took the annual holiday pilgrimage (sorry, wrong holiday?) to Massachusetts and while the weather was not too great for photo taking, I did take a few when leaving which will be scattered among my observations below.

1. The MA 3 Re-signing Project
This project is still not complete. MassHighway now lists its completion, which was to be during the Spring of 2008, as Spring 2009. There appears to be only 2 mainline BGSs that need to be replaced. Going north in Braintree the 1 mile Exit 20 I-93 sign (as featured on BostonRoads.com's Pilgrims Highway site) and the 1/2 mile sign going southbound for Exit 17, Union Street. They have put up new signs northbound 1 and 1/2 mile out for Exit 16, MA 18 in Weymouth. These did not replace old signs since, for as long as I can remember, there never was a 1 mile sign. The 1/2 mile sign was knocked down in the early 1980's and never replaced. The only warning of an upcoming exit since then has been a blue business sign. As you can see below, they have also not replaced all the signage on the ramps from Washington Street in Braintree...
The Mass. green sign to the right is new but the overheads to the left have not been replaced along the ramp until after the exit for Burgin Parkway and the Quincy Adams MBTA station.
After that though, the signs are new...
They still haven't posted trailblazer signs on the posts for US 1 or MA 3 as the MassHighway engineer I talked with said they would. The arrows change direction slightly for the next set of signs...
Not only are there no US 1 or MA 3 signs, they left the old North MA 128 sign on the left. (Maybe they plan to add a 'To' sign above?)

2. The I-93 Re-signing Project
This project was delayed from a letting in December to today (1/6/09). The contract states the project will replace all the signs from Exit 4 (MA 24) to Exit 20 (I-90). The Big Dig contractors have put up new signage after Exit 15 going NB and to the Andrew Square exit southbound. Are they planning to replace these, or is MassHighway just planning to reimburse the Turnpike Authority? Though the contract went out today, there already is a one new sign near the southern end of the project. They put up a new sign southbound for Exit 5B, MA 28 South...
Sorry for the poor quality, I noticed it at the last minute. Why the signs in this section need replacing is unknown, most are less than 15 years old, fairly new by MassHighway standards. (For contrast, the SE Expressway signs they are replacing as part of this project date to 1983/84). They plan to put up many VMS for this project which is supposedly not to be complete until sometime in 2010.

3. Progress on the "'128' Add-a-Lane" project.
Sorry I didn't get any photos here but part of this project to add an additional 4th lane from MA 24 to MA 9 is complete. It is the less than a mile section southbound between the University Ave/RR Station (Exit 13) interchange and the I-95 interchange (Exit 12, which is actually a 'left exit' for staying on '128' as it becomes I-93/US 1). They have put up new overhead signs for Exit 12, diagrammatic as per the latest MassHighway Standards that feature the yellow tab above the exit number tab indicating a left exit. They have dropped Braintree as a control city. Only capital cities need apply, as the signs show a straight arrow for I-93/US 1 North, Boston and a right curving arrow for I-95 South, Providence. They have also put up new 'End MA 128' and 'Begin I-93' ground mounted signs after the I-95 ramp. They are starting to excavate for what will be the fourth lane after the I-95 ramp to MA 138 on I-93/US 1 North.

I also took a couple trips into Boston. If anyone has any questions about signs I may have spotted, let me know.

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