The new Washington Street busway. Passengers coming out of the train station will no longer walk straight to catch their bus but follow the zigzag canopy to waiting buses on the platform ( URS architects and engineers. Now Aecom).
The schematic drawings of the new Washington Street upper busway canopy and platform published last week caught many readers by surprise; it was the first time even the most active observers had seen the replacement shed. Some questioned the practicality of a flat roof.
The Jamaica Plain News asked the Department of Transportation for more clarification and Michael Verseckes, a MassDOT spokesman, sent the News the birds-eye plan.
He said in his message that the elevations and plan were all that MassDOT had to show the community; “The finalized design of the canopy will be done in accordance with Mass Building Code and snow, wind and seismic loadings.”
First and foremost the most significant part of this plan is that it moves buses away from South Street and Asticou Road; the biggest flaw of the 1982 station plan. Exiting buses will no longer be heading into the traffic flow of South Street traffic light or shining headlights into Asticou Road homes. Another design mistake is corrected with a new cab stand at a designated neckdown on the station side of New Washington Street; cabs no longer will make u-turns at Asticou Road into Washington Street traffic.
Nevertheless the shape and style of the new bus canopy was unknown to the community and we have added the schematic drawings.
It should be noted with regard to the flat roof that Ruggles Station designed by Stull + Lee has a wide flat roof that extends over the busway and four trackways.
