Boston has one of the longest histories in the United States of civic imagination. From the development of a city/metro park system in 1881 to the introduction of the subway in 1897, Boston has long been an innovator of meshing robust transportation systems with community spaces.  The purpose of this proposal is to present our unique way of building the nation’s biggest public works project to mitigate disruptions from construction, reclaim community spaces, and use the latest building technologies.

Objectives

To improve traffic patterns around the Boston area allowing for more cars, decreasing congestion and traffic delays, and make it easier to get around the city.  Reconnect neighborhoods severed by the old elevated highway, and improve the quality of life in the city beyond the limited confines of the new expressway. The city of Boston also wants to gain more green spaces by putting much of the new traffic underground in tunnels through the city.

Scope

This will be achieved by two major components:

Replacing the six-lane elevated highway with an eight-to-ten-lane underground expressway directly beneath the existing road, culminating at its northern limit in a 14-lane, two-bridge crossing of the Charles River. The tunneling process will be completed using the latest boring equipment and geologic technology.

The extension of I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) from its former terminus south of downtown Boston through a tunnel beneath South Boston and Boston Harbor to Logan Airport. The first link in this new connection will be the four-lane Ted Williams Tunnel under the harbor and South Boston Haul Road.

The map below shows the extent of the planned development.

Process

A panel of professionals–with experience in the numerous areas of engineering that are required to evaluate and plan this project–will be assigned as initial architects and overseers throughout the lifespan of the project.  The panel will have scheduled face to face meetings beginning on the first day of approval and in the first week of every month going forward.

Assumptions

The panel has made certain assumptions to be able to layout a timeline for the large job covered in the scope:

1. The structure of procurements would be developed on the basis of balanced allocation of risks and managed contingencies.
2. Cost elements for such soft areas as contingencies, overhead markups, and profit markups would be consistent with project risk and industry norms.
3. The development of final road alignments and other elements of the construction will be planned to minimize disruption of normal traffic patterns.
4. The disposition of excavated tunnel material and other refuse will be achieved through a proper balance of free market competition and preplanned reuse or disposal opportunities while minimizing the traffic impacts, trucking distances, and consequent roadway wear and tear.
5. The program management team will possess the requisite blend of skills, leadership ability, and knowledge to balance rigorous quality management with minimal duplication of effort, timely contract administration, effective technical decision making, and rapid dispute resolution.

Surveying

The initial planning process will include extensive surveying of the project area.  Rather than evaluate analysis done by others in the past decade of Boston area, our firm will be conducting all new analysis of the Boston area if records no older than a year ago cannot be found.  Surveying will include contracting new aerial photography of the area including a mile perimeter, obtaining the latest records of all utilities that will be affected within a five mile perimeter of all work, and getting a list of all current construction projects and projects in the pipeline for the Boston Area. An environmental review of the area will be included to understand the current ecosystem and soil consistencies as well as hypothesize environmental effects of the construction.

Planning

Once the surveying process has completed, planning of the new construction phases will begin.  The planning process will be broken down into different phases to mitigate the effects on Bostonian’s daily lives. There are three parts of the planning process: creating the drawings for the construction, building models of the expected outcome, and listing the resources needed to complete the job.

Quality Control

Our motto is, “take your time and do it right!”  Working closely with the City of Boston our firm will ensure third party observers are constantly monitoring the work of contractors and project managers.  We will be contracting the use of the latest technologies to bore underground and construct of the tunnels so that daily commuters will feel safe in the miles of tunnels we are creating.

Project Milestones:

• Receive funding approval, begin property mitigation, and begin aerial surveys.
• Exploratory physiographic, soil and rock analysis for boring.
• Preliminary planning and design before construction
• Construction pieces:
• At grade construction
  • South Boston Haul Road
  • Ted Williams Tunnel
  • Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
  • New Broadway Bridge
  • Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge
  • I-90 Connector from South Boston to Rt. 1A in East Boston
  • I-93 Northbound
  • I-93 Southbound
• Dismantling of the elevated Central Artery (I-93).
• Restoration of Boston city streets.

Timeline and Cost

This project is estimated to take fifteen years to complete.  This timeline is longer than the requested timeline due to built in time for meticulous planning on the front end to ensure quality and meet budgeting requirements.  Preliminary estimates for this project are set at $4 billion.