02038.com » Commute

King Street road reconstruction taking shape in Franklin, MA

Warren Reynolds — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:05:48 +0000

The $4.7+ million King Street and Route 495 Exit 16 ramp improvement project that has been underway for some time in Franklin, MA is finally showing substantial progress.

You can now get a good idea of how much of a difference it will make for drivers using what had become over recent years a dangerous and overburdened Exit 16 interchange on I-495.

See the video below to get an overview of what is planned and how the work is shaping up as of May 2010:

Traffic woes ending?

Ask anyone regularly using the King Street interchange with Route 495 (Exit 16) in Franklin, Massachusetts and you’ll likely hear stories of waiting forever on off ramps, hair-raising accelerations and weavings through heavy traffic, and lots of near accidents.

All that is destined to change for the better once the substantial work to King Street at Route 495 is completed.

Safety and traffic improvements project

Route 495’s Exit 16 along with portions of King Street and Upper Union Streets in Franklin, MA are getting an extensive makeover. The roads are getting widened and traffic signals are being installed. All this in an effort to end the well-known traffic woes in that area.

Drainage is being improved and sidewalks added.

At the completion of the project, it seems highly unlikley that any driver will be inclined reminise fondly about the ‘good old Exit 16!’

Overnight parking at MBTA commuter rail stations in Franklin, MA

Warren Reynolds — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:45:34 +0000

Have you ever wanted to visit friends in Boston over a weekend or holiday and didn’t want to park overnight in the city? Because the parking lot at the MBTA’s Forge Park commuter rail station in Franklin, MA routinely has many empty spaces, you’d think overnight parking would be allowed there.

Empty spaces mean overnight parking OK?

“Azjrb” asked the following question to 02038.com about the MBTA’s parking policy at the Forge Park commuter rail lot:

“Can I park my car overnight in the lot so that I can stay in Boston . . .?”

Nothing at the lot says you can’t

Overnight parking at Forge Park would make sense. You could use the commuter rail service from Franklin, Massachusetts to spend a night in Boston or perhaps take a short trip via South Station or Logan Airport and come back to your car in Franklin, MA.

The Forge Park MBTA train station’s parking lot certainly has plenty of empty parking spaces.

Nothing at the lot says you can’t

There’s no mention of an overnight parking ban at the lot. There are no signs and no information readily visible there concerning overnight parking rules.

MBTA website says no overnight parking at Franklin MBTA lots

Unfortunately, as stated on the MBTA website there’s no overnight parking allowed at Franklin’s Forge Park train station or at Franklin’s Downtown Station.

The MBTA allows over-night parking in only some of its facilities including: Braintree, Quincy Adams, Quincy Center, and Route 128 (Westwood)

So if you live in the Franklin, Massachusetts area, you might want to do your overnight parking in the Westwood, Braintree, or Quincy MBTA stations.

Parking lot fills early at Downtown Franklin MA MBTA train station

Warren Reynolds — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:41:18 +0000

You’ll need to get up early to grab one of the coveted parking spots at the Downtown Franklin MBTA train station in Franklin, Massachusetts. But if you want to sleep in, just head to Franklin’s Forge Park commuter rail station on Rte 495 to be assured of ample parking whatever train you take.

GPChaney recently asked 02038.com how quickly the two MBTA parking lots for the Franklin MBTA line to South Station fill up.

So I set out on a mission to find out and report back for everyone.

I chose two days for the test: one was a normal Monday workday with good weather; the other was a mid-week day with heavy rain.

Downtown rail station parking fills early

I staked out the Downtown Franklin, MA MBTA train station at 7 AM on the good weather day to see how the parking lot looked just before arrival of 7:07 AM train to Boston’s South Station.

Cars streamed into the lot at 7 AM; there was a harried, rushed feel to the traffic flow.

The Downtown Franklin commuter rail station parking lot was already almost full at 7 AM.

The few remaining spaces went quickly and many of the cars were dropping off passengers rather than looking for parking.

Get to Downtown station early

I arrived at the Downtown station a lot earlier on the second day of the test. The weather was raw and stormy with a steady rain.

The parking situation was much easier. There were plenty of parking spots when the 6:22 train arrived.

By 7 AM the Downtown lot nears capacity

Even the commuters catching the 6:42 AM train could find parking spots easily.

But as 7 AM neared, the parking situation tightened up, just as with the first day of the test.

The bottom line: if you want to be assured of parking at the Downtown Franklin MBTA, catch one of the earlier trains.

(Side note: Dolce Express has opened at Franklin’s Downtown MBTA station.)

Forge Park lot has ample parking

The parking story is much different at Franklin, MA’s Forge Park MBTA commuter train station.

Franklin, MA’s Forge Park parking lot was expanded about 8 years ago and there are plenty of available parking spaces.

On the first day of my test, commuters arriving for the 7:45 AM train had their pick of parking spaces.

I checked back just before 9 AM and again at 11 AM and found the same situation: many open parking spaces at Forge Park.

The results for the second day of the test at Franklin’s Forge Park were identical. There were many empty parking spaces.

People planning a day trip to Boston should be able to find plentiful parking at the Forge Park lot no matter what train they take.

Dolce Express opens at the Downtown Franklin MBTA train station

Warren Reynolds — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:25:28 +0000

The MBTA commuter rail service on the Franklin line got a major upgrade last week with the opening of the Dolce Express coffee shop at the Downtown Franklin station.

High quality food and drink

This is not the typical muffin-and-danish-wrapped-in-plastic place you may be used to.

Dolce Express offers weary commuters many of the gourmet coffees, teas, foods and baked treats that have been pleasing palates at the Café Dolce on East Central Street in the heart of downtown Franklin, MA.

An upgrade from old Choo Choo Stop

The new coffee shop replaces the old Choo Choo Stop which closed last November. With fresh paint and new décor, Dolce Express makes the former establishment seem a bit shabby.

More than just a coffee shop

The new eatery offers an impressive menu ranging from on-the-run snacks to sit-down meals.

It makes an interesting, active spot for breakfast or lunch for anyone working in the downtown area.

Dolce Express is a wonderful addition not only to the commuter rail station, but to the general downtown area of Franklin – it will bring more life to Depot Street and is certainly not just for commuters!

Click to learn more about Franklin, MA.

How the Commuter Rail Helps Franklin, MA

Warren Reynolds — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:15:54 +0000

It’s very beneficial to Franklin, MA having MBTA commuter rail service to Boston right in town.

Dean College students use the system frequently to get to and from class, so this helps Dean function well and thrive.

And a heavy flow of workers use the Franklin line to commute to jobs in Boston or along Route 128 daily.

There are two commuter rail stations in Franklin, MA: Forge Park/Route 495 and the Downtown/Dean College rail station.

From either of the commuter rail stations in Franklin, MA, service to and from Boston’s South Station takes roughly one hour each way.

Even if you don’t use the commuter rail to get school in Franklin or to work in Boston, there’s a lot of sports and cultural activities to enjoy in Boston and it’s very easy to use the the commuter train to get there. The scale is so much smaller and more manageable than what you can find in New York City!

The Franklin line train runs to Boston’s South Station. From there you can access Boston’s “T” subway and bus system.

Getting to Logan airport is easy via the Silver Line system which stops at South Station. I have made the run from Franklin to Logan Airport via the commuter rail and Silver Line system and found it easy and enjoyable. Beats driving and is a lot cheaper than a taxi!

Franklin, MA’s Forge Park Rail Station

Warren Reynolds — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:07:55 +0000

The Forge Park/Route 495 MBTA commuter rail station is one of two train stations in Franklin, MA. (The 2nd commuter rail station is in the heart of Franklin’s downtown area.)

This is the terminal station on the Franklin commuter rail line so many commuters from outlying communities drive to Franklin’s Forge Park rail station to catch the train to Boston. Fortunately, the parking lot is huge: capacity is over 700 cars. Travel time to and from Boston is approximately one hour depending on time of day.

(The lot at Forge Park/Route 495 commuter rail station in Franklin, MA is roughly 3 times the capacity of the downtown lot).

The Forge Park/Route 495 MBTA commuter rail station is located at 1000 West Central Street in Franklin, MA.

[Show as slideshow]

Franklin, MA’s Downtown Train Station

Warren Reynolds — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:45:48 +0000

There are two commuter rail stations in Franklin, MA: Forge Park/Route 495 and the Downtown/Dean College rail station. Travel time to Boston’s South Station is roughly one hour and trains run frequently.

The Downtown station sits right in the center of downtown Franklin, MA – but you might never know it!

The commuter rail line enters the downtown Franklin area in a lowered rail bed so it crosses under Main Street via an unobtrusive underpass. The station itself is nestled behind Main Street and is not readily visible from the downtown area. It is sort of a “pocket” train station.

The parking lot at Franklin, MA’s Dwontown station holds only 173 cars, so it fills early each workday. Weekend parking is a breeze and it is easy to drop off and pick up passengers anytime from your car.

The Downtown/Dean College MBTA commuter rail station is located at 75 Depot St in Franklin, MA.

[Show as slideshow]

How Route 495 Helps Franklin, MA

Warren Reynolds — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:08:50 +0000

Franklin, MA has two interchanges on US Interstate 495 (Exits 16 and 17).

Having two highway interchanges instead of just one helps alleviate traffic congestion at rush hours for Franklin residents and generally makes it easier to get across town – you can just hop on Route 495 for one exit!

Having Route 495 so accessible has other important benefits to Franklin.

It has brought a lot of industry and businesses to town, materially enlarging the tax base and helping keep real estate taxes low.

It also means a great number of retailers have located either in Franklin or a short drive away from town via Route 495.

So Franklin, MA residents have wonderful shopping readily at hand.

GATRA Bus Service in Franklin, MA

Warren Reynolds — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:57:00 +0000

The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) serves the public transportation needs of the residents of 26 Massachusetts communities, including Franklin.

GATRA recently initiated a public bus service in Franklin, MA; above is a map of the service route.

I hope this service does well and gains a sustainable long-term ridership base!