TollRoads News reviews the "terminally inept Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff joint venture at the Massachusetts Turnpike's Big Dig project", and examines how the project is improving mobility -- estimated to be worth $168 million per year.
"Dec 31 2007 marks the end of the terminally inept Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff project management joint venture at the Massachusetts Turnpike's Big Dig project. How such stellar companies could mismanage construction so totally is difficult to explain except in terms of the Turnpike's perverse structuring of the incentives - the send-us-the-bills-whatever deal which meant that the more B/PB screwed up the more they earned."
... "The project was soundly conceived and is delivering substantial transportation benefits. That's because Fred Salvucci's concept of replacing the old elevated with a higher capacity underground facility was excellent. Not only does the new facility have more travel lanes - 8 or 10 vs 6 previously - but it applies modern traffic engineering principles to minimize turbulence from the merges and the diverges of the expressway... The motorist benefits of all this have been studied and quantified, and they are huge."
FULL STORY: Bechtel/PB JV finished at Big Dig - bad news, good news

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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
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