Boston, MA
Government Center Station
Scope/Solutions
Although the station was modified many times since opening in 1898, Government Center Station lacked accessibility. The Improvements Project includes installing new elevators from the surface to the Green and Blue Line levels, renovating platforms, constructing a new headhouse as the primary entrance, adding a new egress structure on Cambridge Street, improving circulation between the two lines, and reconstructing the adjacent plaza. SGH designed temporary support of the existing structure during partial demolition and construction.
SGH developed temporary support concepts to help Barletta prepare bid pricing. After the project award, SGH finalized the designs and developed an erection sequence to help the contractor team accomplish the following:
- Avoiding removing and replacing three Green Line columns, as anticipated by the contract documents
- Installing temporary vertical support at the plaza level and Green Line platform
- Installing temporary and permanent horizontal support for earth loads
Our work included the following:
- Designing a new platform-level ring beam to support temporary vertical and permanent horizontal loads around the new elevator shafts, which we accomplished without requiring column removal
- Convincing the owner to reduce loads required to be supported during partial demolition of the roof framing to actual loads in place at the time
- Designing temporary struts to span across the station and support lateral earth loads
- Repurposing the street-level ring beam to temporarily support the vertical loads around the tunnel roof opening
- Developing a color-coded sequence for erection, demolition, and temporary member removal, while maintaining load continuity and avoiding physical conflicts
Project Summary
2016
Key team members
