Old Colony line: Early, and on budget

The cost of delayed infrastructure maintenance and upgrades just about equals the cost of the BIG DIG. Curious!


The overall news about the state’s aging highway, bridge, and transit network is grim.
More than $15 billion in repairs and replacements are needed


Old Colony line: Early, and on budget

A major MBTA project to replace crumbling concrete ties on the Old Colony commuter rail lines is on budget and ahead of schedule. And in Massachusetts, home of the Big Dig, that’s news.

The project was necessary after ties installed in the late 1990s failed far short of their predicted lifespan. The T is suing the manufacturer. While that sorry outcome sounds all too familiar, what happened next is worthy of note.

The tie-replacement job went to the lowest bidder, J.F. White Contracting Co., with a fixed price tag at $34.9 million. The T anticipated a two-year timetable. But the fixed budget with no option for change orders gave the contractor an incentive to do the work quickly and efficiently. Besides holding the line on cost, state transportation officials also shut down service on two branches between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, replacing trains with buses, to speed the project along. On weekends, all three branches were shut down. There were some complaints, Transportation Secretary Richard Davey said, but the value of the shut-down outweighed the inconvenience.

The overall news about the state’s aging highway, bridge, and transit network is grim. More than $15 billion in repairs and replacements are needed, and the T faces a projected $161 million deficit for the coming year. Having one project proceed on budget and ahead of schedule does not change that picture. But it does show that every once in a while, you can teach an old dog new tricks.