Skip to main content

April I-93 Signage Project Update

Image
By
I took a quick trip along I-93 this afternoon in the Quincy, Braintree and Randolph areas to check up on progress on the sign replacement project going on along the interstate from Exit 4 to Exit 20. This project started in the fall of 2011 but, until recently, little significant progress had been made in updating route or exit signage. I noticed, however, last week that the Mass. Guide (or Green) Signs (MGSs) at a couple on-ramps to I-93/US 1/MA 3 Southeast Expressway in Milton, that had been up since the 1980s and had I-93 and MA 3 shields, had been replaced by newer versions sporting I-93 and US 1 shields. I decide to take a look today at the roads leading to the interchange to the south, Furnace Brook Parkway, Exit 8, to see if those signs has been changed as well. The MGS at the on-ramp to I-93 North already had been updated in 2011. As this photo shows, the signage at the road leading to the north on-ramp has the new 2 route designation:
 
Quarry Hills, listed below Boston on the top sign, is a golf course built in the old Quincy granite quarries.

Signs at the southbound on-ramp had been changed as well:
Despite the dropping of MA 3 from these signs, the southbound control 'cities' have stayed the same. Needless to say, neither I-93 nor US 1 goes to Cape Cod, at least as of right now. With the installation of these new on-ramp signs, only Exits 11, 12 and 14 (SB only) now have the now out-dated I-93/MA 3 signage. 

There are no new exit or route signs south of Exit 8, for now. There are signs (sorry), however, that this will change soon. The contractors have completed placing foundations for new cantilever overhead signs along I-93/US 1 South for the first two MA 28 exit signs:
If you look behind the guardrail you can see one of the new sign foundations under an orange traffic cone, which is behind the orange tag with the project's sign number on it. This is apparently going on at the same time they have been closing lanes in the area at times to replace sections of guardrail.

There is also a completed foundation just behind this 1/2 mile sign for MA 28 North, I took the photo in case this sign is replaced soon:
I took a photo of the next overhead assembly for MA 28 as well for historic documentation (am a practicing archivist now, someone should have a photo before the current signs disappear). 

This assembly had no new foundations with it, nor the overhead 1/4 mile before for MA 24. The auxiliary sign for MA 24 in the photo is to be replaced as well. Taking the ramp for Exit 5A (already with a new sign put up in 2010) and turning around heading north, I also noticed a new sign foundation completed for the 1 Mile Exit sign for MA 37 and a foundation still under construction for the 1/2 mile MA 37 sign. 

Lastly, two of the intersecting routes between Randolph and Braintree have overhead signage that, while not inaccurate, are outdated and  will be replaced as part of the I-93 project. This includes these signs on MA 37 North by the South Shore Plaza:
The button copy Interstate shields are no longer MA sign practice and Canton has replaced Dedham as a control city for South I-93/US 1. The US 1 and arrow assembly on the light pole to the right predate the overhead signage and were put up when the overheads just referred to I-93. I am assuming, given its condition, that this will be removed too.

It is unknown whether the contractor plans to put up new sign support foundations for the entire stretch of I-93 from Randolph to Boston before placement of new sign supports and signs, or whether they plan to complete all the work along the '128' segment of I-93 first (Exits 4-7) and then move on to the Southeast Expressway portion (Exits 7-20) at a later date. I'll be monitoring the situation over the coming months, so stay tuned.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Angus L. Macdonald Bridge

By
At 1.3 kilometers (or about 0.84 miles) in length, the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge is one of two bridges crossing over the Halifax Harbour between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with the other bridge being the A. Murray Mackay Bridge . Opened in 1955 and named after former Nova Scotia Premier and Canadian Minister of Defense for Naval Services Angus L. Macdonald, the Macdonald Bridge was the first bridge that crossed Halifax Harbour that was opened to traffic. The Macdonald Bridge was also the subject of the Big Lift, which was only the second time in history that the span of a suspension bridge were replaced while the bridge was open to traffic. Planning began in 2010 for the Big Lift, while construction took place between 2015 and 2017. Similar work occurred on the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia before the project took place on the Macdonald Bridge. At this time, much of the bridge infrastructure is new, leaving only the towers, main cables and...
1 comment
Read more