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CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Mass Pike construction could back up traffic for hours this weekend. Here's what Boston drivers should know.
A major construction project on the Mass Pike near Boston could have drivers sitting in traffic for hours this weekend. Starting later today and lasting through early Monday morning, work to replace a highway bridge will require lane closures in both directions. The construction work will be a headache not just for drivers on I-90, but for MBTA and Amtrak riders as well. Transportation officials are urging people to plan ahead and avoid unnecessary travel in the area. Here's what you need to know about construction on the Mass Pike this weekend. Where is the Mass Pike construction happening? Crews are demolishing and replacing a Mass Pike bridge over the MBTA railroad on the Newton/Weston border. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction between exits 123 and 125. A map of lane closures on the Mass Pike this weekend. MassDOT This is part of a $400 million project to replace and repair eight bridges at the I-95 interchange. Mass Pike construction time This is the first of two weekends of lane closures in this area of the Mass Pike. The lane closures this weekend start at Friday, May 30 at 9 p.m. and last through Monday, June 2 at 5 a.m. A second weekend of lane closures begins on Friday, June 20 at 9 p.m. and runs until Monday, June 23 at 5 a.m. Residual delays could extend into the Monday morning commute, transportation officials said. How bad could traffic be on the Mass Pike? The affected area of the Mass Pike typically sees more than 100,000 cars on a weekend day. If that many drivers try to pass through this weekend, there could be delays that last between two and three hours, highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver says. That's why highway signs have gone up around the Boston area urging drivers to seek alternate routes. Gulliver said if traffic can be limited to about 50% of normal levels, then the delays will be "manageable." "We're looking for you to just stay away from the area," Gulliver said at a news conference Tuesday. Commuter Rail, Amtrak service affected by Mass Pike construction The construction work will require a temporary shutdown of train service on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line, as well as Amtrak service between Boston and Albany on both weekends. Shuttle buses will replace trains between Framingham and Boston. Click here for a bus schedule.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
San Clemente passenger rail to reopen ahead of schedule
Passenger rail service through a popular Southern California route is set to resume after more than a month's worth of repairs. The Orange County Transportation Authority on Friday announced the San Clemente rail will reopen for passenger service on Saturday, June 7. Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner are scheduled to resume full service on that date. Starting on April 28, service was halted in order for crews to conduct emergency reinforcements to sections of the track that were at risk from landslides and coastal erosion. The project will be completed a few days earlier than the estimated six weeks, OCTA says. Construction has been a daily occurrence since the closure. Crews placed riprap, or large boulders, to protect the track in appropriate areas. Remaining work includes demobilizing equipment, clearing out construction areas and conducting inspections. Crews will remain at the track daily between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. until June 7, with possible nighttime work if needed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
I'm American. My Boyfriend's Not. Trump's Immigration Crackdown Could Force Us Apart.
Last August, I packed up a 10-foot U-Haul, leaving behind my comfortable college town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, ready to start graduate school in New York City. When I moved to New York, I was only a year out from ending a long-term relationship with my high school sweetheart, so I planned to take my dating life slow. I hoped I'd go on a few dates. But I didn't expect to fall in love. Until I met my boyfriend — a Fulbright scholar on a student visa. We met organically at a graduate student social event outside of a bar in Greenwich Village last August. Friendly coffee meetups turned into dinners in Clinton Hill and walks along the Brooklyn Bridge. Until one night, after a first date filled with ferry rides and skyline views, he asked me to be his girlfriend at 11:59 p.m. in the middle of Times Square. When we first started going out last October, we discussed what a future might look like for us. Fulbright requires students to return to their home countries for two years after the completion of their program. We have talked about how we might navigate that time apart, but mainly we stay focused on the guaranteed time we have together until he graduates next spring. Our experiences as graduate students living in New York have revolved around each other. We've attended Broadway shows, Carnegie Hall performances and visited museums together. We've taken the Amtrak train to different cities, like Boston and Washington, D.C. We can agree that this bustling city would feel a little less full without each other. But this guaranteed time, the year and a half we have left while my boyfriend is on a J-1 student visa, has started to feel less guaranteed. The Trump administration's federal funding freeze led to delayed or partial stipends for Fulbright students earlier this year, creating uncertainty as to whether these payments would resume at all. My boyfriend is also from a country that the Trump administration has considered restricting in the latest round of proposed travel bans — so there is some anxiety about whether he can safely travel between the U.S. and his home country. In light of recent immigration crackdowns, U.S. universities like Columbia University and Cornell University released guidance advising international students to postpone international travel plans over spring break. This month marks almost 10 months since he's seen his parents and siblings. There's a plane ticket to his hometown burning a hole in his email inbox. For months he has agonized over whether it is safe to go, consulting with friends, family and immigration lawyers. 'I just want to see my family,' he says. If my boyfriend chooses to travel and isn't allowed back into New York, he'll lose the prestigious Fulbright scholarship he spent over a year applying for. He'll lose all his progress on the degree he's been working toward for almost a year. All those hours spent studying in his room and at the library will be wasted. He'll have nothing to show for it. If he isn't allowed back into New York, we might lose each other, too. But I can't tell him not to go. With my mother a one-hour plane ride from me in North Carolina, and my dad a three-hour train ride away in Rhode Island, I don't know what it's like to go without seeing my family for months on end. As much as I fear what may await him at the U.S. border, I understand that for him — someone with a marginalized identity — the stakes reach far beyond our relationship. It's a choice between family and his future. Even though he is here legally and abides by the law, my boyfriend lives with the constant fear of being sent home. This fear isn't imaginary — but created by the Trump administration's aggressive revoking of several student visas at universities across the nation, like North Carolina State University and Columbia. The administration also recently blocked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students. While the Harvard ban has been temporarily halted by a federal judge, my boyfriend would say that all of the back-and-forth has only made his decision harder. He wishes there was a definitive answer — something that would guarantee he would either have safe travels home or that he should stay put in the U.S. As I watch him agonize over daily news push notifications, I wish there were a clear answer, too. Studying in the U.S. was supposed to be freeing, but instead it has made my boyfriend feel trapped. He spent his entire life idealizing the image of life in America. Now he wonders if it was truly worth all that he gave up. 'When you're in a place, and they keep telling you, 'We don't want you,' eventually you start to believe no amount of fighting will make you belong,' he told me on a recent FaceTime call. It hurts to see my country do this to him. Like him, I feel trapped by Trump's deportation push. I've spent hours worrying about what may happen if he chooses to visit home. I've prayed a million prayers asking that he is able to travel back and forth safely. I've tried to imagine what my life would be like if he never came back to me. International students bring with them a diverse set of perspectives and cultural traditions that American students can learn from. Meeting my boyfriend has introduced me to a world of culture I wouldn't have found without him. Being in spaces where I am the only American at the table has sometimes made me uncomfortable, but it has forced me to recognize — and grow from — that discomfort, making me a more empathetic human being. I can confidently say I engage with the world around me differently now than I did less than a year ago. That's why Trump's crackdown on international students is so alarming. With more than 1 million international students attending U.S. colleges and universities each year, efforts to expunge these students come not only at a price to our nation's economy — international students contributed nearly $44 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-2024 academic year — but also carry a number of other risks. With the majority of international students pursuing STEM-related degrees, we risk losing important research developments while simultaneously shrinking our worldviews and reinforcing a climate of xenophobia. For my boyfriend and I, the administration's crackdown sometimes feels personal — but it's about so much more than my relationship. I don't know if my boyfriend will choose to use his plane ticket home. If he does, I have to hope his valid documents will allow him to pass through customs and that he isn't questioned simply because of his identity. I have to hope that he will come back to me. Until then, I will cling to every present moment we have, praying our clock doesn't run out before it's time. Do you have a compelling personal story you'd like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we're looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@
Time Out
3 days ago
- Time Out
The East River Tunnel shutdown is going to mess up your LIRR commute—here's what to know
Your LIRR commute just got a lot more complicated. As of Friday, May 23, Amtrak officially began a three-year, $1.6 billion rehabilitation of the East River Tunnel, a project that has already set the stage for delays, congestion and general commuter chaos. The work involves a full closure of two of the four century-old tubes beneath the East River, which serve as critical infrastructure for Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road. And while Amtrak insists the full gut renovation is necessary to fix lingering damage from Superstorm Sandy, LIRR officials and Governor Kathy Hochul argued for a less disruptive approach. For months, state leaders pushed for a 'repair-in-place' plan, similar to the L train fix, which would have kept daytime schedules intact. But Amtrak held firm, citing safety concerns and the need to fully replace power, signal, track and fire-safety systems to meet modern standards. They maintain that patchwork repairs aren't feasible in a high-speed, high-voltage environment like this. Line 2 was taken completely out of service Friday night and will remain offline for 13 months. After that, Line 1 will shut down for another extended stretch. During this time, Amtrak and NJ Transit will prioritize the two remaining tubes, forcing the LIRR to share limited tunnel space and warning of possible schedule disruptions for its 125,000 daily riders. LIRR leadership previously called a full shutdown 'catastrophic,' as reported by the New York Daily News. Amtrak has promised to minimize the pain with extra inspections, more crews and emergency locomotives on standby. Still, the fallout is already being felt. 'With the onset of the spring and summer travel seasons, it's imperative that New Yorkers have convenient and reliable passenger rail service to help them get where they want and need to go,' said New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez. 'We want to continue to work with Amtrak to find a way to do this work without inflicting unnecessary burdens on New Yorkers.' Despite the outcry, the project is underway—and your commute may never look the same until 2028. So if your train feels more packed or your schedule is off this week, now you know why. Brace for delays, grab a good book and maybe leave a few minutes earlier—just in case.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Candidates for governor say how they would revamp NJ Transit
The candidates running to be our next governor say they would dedicate more funding to NJ Transit, monetize the agency's assets, and push Amtrak to improve infrastructure. (Photo by Edwin J. Torres/N.J. Governor's Office) The candidates running to become our next governor are making big promises to reform NJ Transit. The six Democrats seeking their party's nomination for governor on June 10 and the three Republican front-runners agree that the embattled public transit agency is broken, but they differ on what they'd do to address spotty service and funding problems. Eight years ago, Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, began his first term pledging to fix NJ Transit even 'if it kills me.' Since then, he has touted new, modern train cars and buses and a dedicated funding source via a new tax hike on businesses, but major delays, rising fares and a recent, four-day strike by train engineers have caused headaches for commuters. Most candidates hoping to succeed Murphy said their top priority for NJ Transit is finding a financial fix. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, a Democrat, criticized the new funding source — called the corporate transit fee — saying the 'system and current structure from Phil Murphy's not working.' Fulop said he would make that fee permanent. 'They only implemented it for five years, and you can't capitalize or bond on five-year revenue, so you need to change that into perpetuity. It's got to be in perpetuity,' said Fulop. Former state Sen. Steve Sweeney, a Democrat, said he would also make the fee permanent and would constitutionally dedicate the revenue from it to NJ Transit (the agency is expected to receive about $800 million from the fee in the next fiscal year). If that doesn't happen, Sweeney said, lawmakers can take some of the revenue to plug holes in the state's budget. 'That would be first and foremost because … you will see that money gone in three years if it's not dedicated, and New Jersey Transit needs funding,' he said. Sean Spiller, a Democrat and president of the statewide teachers union, said he also would stop transit funding from getting pulled into the state's budget and repurposed for other projects. That would be key to funding improvements that make service better, he said. 'We've got to dedicate those dollars and use them to make the step-by-step improvements that we can map out then when we have that plan, and own that and live by that plan and keep people updated,' he said. Republican state Sen. Jon Bramnick said he would turn to the federal government for funding help. 'We actually have infrastructure problems, and the major reform is you've got to get federal money on infrastructure. Otherwise, you're going to continue to have serious problems. That's the reform,' he said. Candidates on both sides of the aisle hammered Amtrak for failing to maintain the tracks along the northeast corridor that are used by NJ Transit. Sagging catenary cables and aging signals on Amtrak's lines are often assigned blame for NJ Transit's delays, especially last summer. NJ Transit gives Amtrak $200 million annually to rent the tracks, money Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat, said he would stop paying until the infrastructure problems are fixed. Gottheimer also said he would 'immediately replace' NJ Transit's aging trains and buses. 'The broader point is to keep people safe … that's why we need to fix these things,' Gottheimer said. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said she would 'hold Amtrak accountable' for infrastructure upkeep but said her chief priority would be to spur more housing construction around transit stations. 'The long-term fix I would apply is transit-oriented development, which we're doing to some extent, but really use that as a long-term funding mechanism so that we have a dedicated source of revenue for New Jersey Transit,' Sherrill said. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat, said NJ Transit is too focused on the commuters who travel between New Jersey and New York and Philadelphia. Baraka said he would require the agency to pay more attention to New Jerseyans who use its trains and buses to get around the Garden State. 'I think that's important for us to do. Whether it's the light rail in Hudson/Bergen or buses in Glassboro/Camden or from Atlantic City to Newark, we begin to focus on moving people up and down and around the state of New Jersey, and using some of the capital dollars that we have to do that, as opposed to widening these roads,' he said. Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor in 2021, said he would make NJ Transit part of a new Garden State Transportation Authority along with the Atlantic City Expressway, the Parkway, and the Turnpike, to bring the agency under more state control. 'It'd be better for accountability and transparency and a better management structure,' Ciattarelli said. Bill Spadea, a Republican radio talk show host, said he'd monetize NJ Transit's assets by giving the properties they own 'back to the town' to be used as rateables. Spadea also said he'd 'close the system' by requiring riders to show their tickets before boarding trains. 'That should be processed like they do at the MTA and others, where you can't get on the platform until you show your ticket. That's going to cut down on millions of dollars in lost revenue,' Spadea said. Nikita Biryukov and Dana DiFilippo contributed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
