Massachusetts Turnpike

State wants to build more parks in area where it already ignores the park it has

adamg — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:09:06 +0000

They could rename it Pigsty Park.

The Globe today reports the state Department of Transportation has some ambitious plans for the land and air around the turnpike/93 interchange in Chinatown, which it hopes will eventually become a new gateway to the city, featuring new development and parks.

Parks, huh? The photo above is the latest on file with the city's Citizen Connect service from Mary Soo Hoo Park, the little plaza at the pedestrian gateway to Chinatown that is owned by the state Department of Transportation - or at least, that's what the city and the Greenway Conservancy keep telling residents in explaining why their crews can't pick up the trash that keeps getting left there. A couple of weeks ago, the city actually did dispatch a DPW crew to remove trash, but this latest complaint is marked "closed:"

Case Referred to External Agency. Mass dot jurisdiction. details forwarded.

Some people might be a bit late for Thanksgiving dinner

adamg — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:51:11 +0000

Around 11:40 a.m., Jim Lokay posted a photo of the backed up traffic on the turnpike westbound between Framingham and 495.

Around the same time, Dave reported a major jam on 128 north by Rte. 20 in Waltham caused by a multi-vehicle crash that closed three lanes. Sarah Nelson reported a similar situation involving another multi-car crash on 495 south between exits 26 and 27.

Flaming pickup delays commuters

adamg — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:22:21 +0000

Teagan photographed Boston's burning pickup of the day around 5:30 p.m. on the turnpike westbound by the BU bridge. Nobody was hurt, but the fire delayed both drivers and riders on the Green Line - because of firetrucks on Comm. Ave. above the highway.

10/28/11 - 5:30 pm

Mini-disaster stalls traffic on turnpike

adamg — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Brooke, who took this photo of smoke from flaming westbound car by the Allston/Cambridge tolls around 3:15 p.m., reports traffic was tied up for miles.

Our crumbling infrastructure, Turnpike edition

adamg — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:38:29 +0000

Channel 4 reports two westbound lanes on the turnpike were shut overnight after concrete chunks fell on them from the Comm. Ave. overpass.

Truck fire stops turnpike traffic in West Newton

adamg — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:06:03 +0000

Smoke from turnpike truck fire billows over West Newton. Photo by JJ Free.

AlertNewEngland reports the cab of a semi on the Massachusetts Turnpike westbound caught fire around 10:50 a.m. by exit 16. All traffic is being diverted at exit 17.

Drivers headed for the turnpike are biden' their time today

adamg — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:51:24 +0000

Because the vice president, who used to take Amtrak everywhere, is now being chauffeured around town today and so Boston ramps to the turnpike westbound are currently shut.

Another truck behaving badly today

adamg — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:01:41 +0000

Ryan Boyle couldn't help but notice the flipped truck at the Allston tolls on the turnpike around 12:30 p.m. today. He adds State Police did a great job keeping the traffic moving.

Posted under this Creative Commons license. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

The pantheon of crazy has a new entrant tonight

adamg — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 03:46:10 +0000

CKP tweets a guy jumped onto the turnpike eastbound just before the Pru exit tonight and then started pounding on car hoods. As you can see, State Police arrived and subdued him before carting him away.

Turnpike rollover sends two to hospital, jams highway for more than an hour

adamg — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:10:14 +0000

A rollover on the turnpike eastbound in Newton around 1 p.m. shut the road and sent two to the emergency room, state Transportation Secretary Jeff Mullan reports.

Among those sitting with no place to go until the scene was cleared was Sean William, who tweets he was stuck for 90 minutes in the car with his fashion-impaired mother:

I wasn't sure how much longer I could sit in the car with my UGG wearing mother before saying something!

Crash between two 18-wheelers shuts Pru tunnel

adamg — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:55:17 +0000

Channel 5 reports.

North Shore Dish, stuck right in the middle of it all, posted this trafficjamcam shot:

It was the least they could do

adamg — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:54:44 +0000

Luke managed to get a shot of somebody on the turnpike who clearly spent sheer seconds clearing the car off.

Fill up your sleighs for cheap!

JohnAKeith — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 01:17:10 +0000

Seen at the Charlton Gulf Station, Massachusetts Turnpike, 5:38 PM, December 23, 2010.

Either someone wanted to give drivers an early Christmas gift or someone else is about to lose his/her job.

Gas pump prices:

Posted prices:

The turnpike is just so boring sometimes

adamg — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:48:44 +0000

Can you blame a Masshole for catching up with some reading?

Kevin Smith reports he was amazed when he looked out his window on the passenger side around noon today to see a guy reading a book - as he was doing about 70 on the eastbound turnpike by exit 13 in Natick. So, naturally, he took his photo.

When the turnpike was like an arrow through the head

adamg — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:40:05 +0000

You oldtimers will remember when the turnpike had giant toll cards featuring a grinning Pilgrim with an arrow through his head, sitting atop a map of the turnpike. I haven't been able to find a copy of one of those, but yesterday, while walking into the North End to take another photo, I happened upon what looks to be an original brick turnpike tollbooth (UPDATE: Supervisor booth, see the comments), in front of the old tunnel administration building on North Street.

By itself, it's kind of an interesting little building, but it also sports the turnpike's two original logos - one showing Paul Revere ("The Nash Ramblers are coming! The Nash Ramblers are coming!"), the other featuring this green arrow through the Pilgrim hat that was allegedly how founding turnpike honcho William Callahan (our version of Robert Moses) chose to stick it to the Brahmins.