For the last ten years, the Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging the bottom of Boston Harbor in an effort to make more room for larger cargo ships. Dredging is almost complete on the project.
"After the state and federal governments have spent nearly $100 million, the massive dredging project is nearly done."
"'This might not have been as glamorous as the Big Dig, but it will have a comparable effect on the economy of this region,' said Mike Keegan, the project manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers."
"The clam-shell dredges were needed to remove the inevitable build-up of sediment that has made the harbor's shipping channels increasingly difficult to navigate for the growing number of large ships now visiting city ports. The channel, meant to have a depth of 40 feet, was on average 36 feet and, in some places, as low as 24 feet."
"With global trade expected to double by 2020 and cargo ships built larger to transport more goods, Boston is one of more than 25 ports in the United States that have been either expanding their channels or considering such projects. Both New York and Los Angeles are digging 50-foot channels."
Read the full story: The other big dig
Massachusetts Converts HOV Lane to General Purpose Lane
Road planners looking to increase capacity without adding lanes are focusing on managing existing lanes more effectively. Massachusetts has gone the opposite direction. The Conservation Law Foundation plans to hold them accountable.
The 'Big Dig' Was a Big Catalyst
Over ten years after the Big Dig finally completed construction, more and more people in Boston are willing to say the project was worth all the trouble.
Ten Years Later: Evaluating the Big Dig
Ten years after the completion of the Central Artery and Tunnel project—or the Big Dig, as it's more commonly known—has the project become more justifiable?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority