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BUSINESS NEWS BALFOUR BEATTY,
GLX
Adjustments to the overhead wire on the East Cambridge Viaduct that will eliminate a temporary 10 mph speed restriction, allowing trolleys to operate at the system’s designed speed of 25 mph on a permanent basis. The higher speed is necessary to maintain proper schedule intervals as five new Medford Branch stations are added to the system. The final testing and integration of track switches, power lines, signal equipment, and digital communications between the Green Line’s currently operating Union Branch, the newly operational Medford Branch, and the MBTA’s Operations Control Center. Completion of a nearly two-mile extension of the Community Path which provides access to other pathways leading into Boston. The installation of the last remaining sound wall panels along the Union Branch and non-critical work items along the Medford Branch.
Beatty team and partners for officially completing the final line of MBTA’s Green Line Extension project,” said Mark Konchar, Balfour Beatty senior vice president and managing director of U.S. rail operations. “Opening the Medford Branch is a monumental milestone in the project’s delivery along with many others that our teams worked hard to accomplish to enhance the traveling experience for thousands of passengers. In partnership with the MBTA, our industry partners and community stakeholders, Balfour Beatty looks forward to finishing final stages to prepare for project closeout in 2023.” With revenue service commencing along GLX’s new branches, the MBTA can significantly reduce automobile congestion and related air emission in Boston and provide communities with universal access and new stations that meet or exceed the Americans with Disabilities Act standards. It is also expected to support increased ridership of more than 50,000 passenger trips per day and reduce regional daily Vehicle Miles Traveled by 25,728 miles. Balfour Beatty is an industry-leading provider of general contracting, at-risk construction management and design- build services for public and private sector clients across the United States.
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CONSTRUCTORS CELEBRATES OPENING OF GREEN LINE EXTENSION PROJECT’S FINAL BRANCH TO MEDFORD Balfour Beatty, as part of Green Line Extension Constructors joint venture team, celebrates the grand opening of the Medford Branch, the last line completed during the construction of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s GLX project. Opening revenue service at the GLX project’s Medford Branch is the final line of two developed along the 4.7- mile light rail. The opening follows the completion of the project’s Union Square line in Somerville which began revenue service in March 2022 to further provide an enhanced travel experience for passengers and allow a more reliable, sustainable and urban redeveloped public transit service in the Boston area. To successfully open branch two, the joint venture team constructed five stations on the existing Lowell Commuter Rail corridor, extending from Lechmere Station in Cambridge to College Avenue at Tuft University. In addition, project teammates worked to advance final- phase construction elements along the light rail including the overhead wire system and the East Cambridge Viaduct. These activities included:
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■ Additional last work and various outstanding construction items along the Union and Medford Branches’ tracks, stations, and rights of way. “I couldn’t be more proud of our Balfour
kids’ lives when they were in school and always tried to make their sporting events and even took time out to coach. They also know time away from the office is a must-do in order to hit the reset button. And while their staff are a very dedicated bunch, they manage to escape as needed. In fact, a recent staff poll revealed that when they do want to get away, this is where some folks differ. Forty-three percent opt for the beach, 40 percent head to the mountains, and 17 percent prefer mixing it up. It sounds like a healthy and happy staff makes for a healthy and happy business. meet clients’ needs as opposed to forcing a solution we want has been one of the many reasons we’ve been successful and have so many repeat clients.” “I think the mindset of listening really well and trying to create solutions that
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meeting tools, so they just had to work to get not just some, but everyone, up to speed on the technology. Eventually, they landed on a hybrid work model. Today, they give staff the choice to work remotely a few days a week if they choose to do so. That said, Sproles does not minimize the importance of collaboration. “As a firm where designing across the table and collaborating is so important to not only our creative design solutions, but also learning from others, we find that charretting still works best in-person, and we schedule those design sessions when all can be physically present,” he says. Of course, Sproles says he and the staff have always appreciated the flexibility that Derck & Edson provides. “There are certainly times where family and work overlap in a deadline-oriented profession like ours, but I was always able to work in off hours to get the job done, working around the family events.” Sproles and Wenger both believe it’s important to prioritize family as much as possible. They were both very active in their
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THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 16, 2023, ISSUE 1472
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