Unused rights-of-way on Google Maps

[Pete from Boston]

An unused US 3 right-of-way in Burlington, Mass. from 1972 or so
appears in property lines on Google Maps:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=burlington+ma&hl=en&ll=42.473743,-71.21634&spn=0.01684,0.027595&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,56.513672&t=m&z=15

Not sure what the current ownership of this parcel is, though where
I've crossed it there doesn't seem to be any development.

Any other instances of ghost rights-of-way showing up where Google has
implemented this feature?

[richard]

Post by Pete from Boston
An unused US 3 right-of-way in Burlington, Mass. from 1972 or so
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=burlington+ma&hl=en&ll=42.473743,-71.21634&spn=0.01684,0.027595&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,56.513672&t=m&z=15
Not sure what the current ownership of this parcel is, though where
I've crossed it there doesn't seem to be any development.
Any other instances of ghost rights-of-way showing up where Google has
implemented this feature?

I wouldn't rely on google being the authority on property lines and ROW.
I'm not usre exactly what parcel you're speaking of. And the google marker
shows up on 3A not 3.

[h***@bbs.cpcn.com]

Post by richard
I wouldn't rely on google being the authority on property lines and ROW.
 I'm not usre exactly what parcel you're speaking of. And the google marker
shows up on 3A not 3.

Google maps can be misleading when down to the last mile or in tricky
situations, such as a wide median strip or when street names change.
The other day I printed a google map to guide me through a weird cul
de sac. Google was wrong; fortunately I had directions from the
people at the destination. This was the second time this happened.

Also, for some reason, they don't show the scale of miles on maps when
printed.

[H.B. Elkins]

In article <db6da788-9767-4ebd-a2fd-***@w4g2000vbc.googlegroups.com>,
Pete from Boston says...

Post by Pete from Boston
An unused US 3 right-of-way in Burlington, Mass. from 1972 or so
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=burlington+ma&hl=en&ll=42.473743,-71.21634&spn=0.01684,0.027595&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,56.513672&t=m&z=15
Not sure what the current ownership of this parcel is, though where
I've crossed it there doesn't seem to be any development.
Any other instances of ghost rights-of-way showing up where Google has
implemented this feature?

Sorry, but I'm not seeing what you're talking about. What "ghost ROW?" I'm not
seeing it.

[Nathan Perry]

Post by H.B. Elkins
Sorry, but I'm not seeing what you're talking about. What "ghost ROW?" I'm not
seeing it.

Google Map, in certain areas and at certain zoom levels, displays tax
parcels/property lines. You can find a lot of highways ROW's in the
spaces between the parcels, just as you would see them on an
old-fashioned plat map. (Except without the names.)

[Michael Moroney]

Post by H.B. Elkins
Sorry, but I'm not seeing what you're talking about. What "ghost ROW?" I'm not
seeing it.

Do you see all those faint gray lines all over the place? Those are
property lines from a tax map.

Now look at the interchange between US 3 and I-95 (excuse me, "Route 128")
You can see a long, skinny parcel heading southeast of the interchange.
This is where the freeway US 3 would have gone, had the extension south
of I-95 not been cancelled.

So, the project got as far as property acquisition in that area before
it was cancelled. The strip is divided by a few property lines, meaning
either the state acquired it in pieces and it's still separate parcels, or
perhaps it has sold some of it off. (looks like definitely a couple
of house lots on North St. near Lowell Rd)

As to how accurate those maps are? For my town, they must be using data
from 1998 or before (but not too much before), since they don't show
property lines I know for a fact were created in early 1999.

[Brian Polidoro]

Post by Pete from Boston
An unused US 3 right-of-way in Burlington, Mass. from 1972 or so
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=burlington+ma&hl=en&ll=42.473743,-71.21...
Not sure what the current ownership of this parcel is, though where
I've crossed it there doesn't seem to be any development.
Any other instances of ghost rights-of-way showing up where Google has
implemented this feature?

You can see the outline for Woodhaven Rd in NE Philly:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.11488,-75.00289&spn=0.008057,0.016512&sll=40.11488,-75.00289&sspn=0.008057,0.016512&t=m&z=17

And the goat path (PA 23) near Lancaster:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.068022,-76.218939&spn=0.016126,0.033023&sll=40.11488,-75.00289&sspn=0.008057,0.016512&t=m&z=16

Ownership in this case would probably be the state.

Brian Polidoro

[Joe Morris]

Post by Pete from Boston
An unused US 3 right-of-way in Burlington, Mass. from 1972 or so
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=burlington+ma&hl=en&ll=42.473743,-71.21634&spn=0.01684,0.027595&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,56.513672&t=m&z=15
Not sure what the current ownership of this parcel is, though where
I've crossed it there doesn't seem to be any development.
Any other instances of ghost rights-of-way showing up where Google has
implemented this feature?

You can see lots of these from Atlanta's old streetcar system
Here's one in Ormewood Park: it ran NE along Delware Ave but continued
diagonally to Moreland. The historic buildings all respect the ROW
but it's all trees now :)

http://maps.google.com/maps?sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,56.513672

[gskill]

Post by Joe Morris

Post by Pete from Boston
An unused US 3 right-of-way in Burlington, Mass. from 1972 or so
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=burlington+ma&hl=en&ll=42.473743,-71.21...
Not sure what the current ownership of this parcel is, though where
I've crossed it there doesn't seem to be any development.
Any other instances of ghost rights-of-way showing up where Google has
implemented this feature?

You can see lots of these from Atlanta's old streetcar system
Here's one in Ormewood Park: it ran NE along Delware Ave but continued
diagonally to Moreland. The historic buildings all respect the ROW
but it's all trees now :)
http://maps.google.com/maps?sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,56....
--
  Joe Morris          Atlanta history forums

There was an article in the Boston Globe's North section recently
about this property. I believe the Guetterez(sp) Company either has
an option on this property or has bought it from the state. The state
had taken the property for the extention of Route 3 south toward
Boston, but after Route 3 was permanently terminated at Route 128, the
state no longer needs it. Guetterez(sp) wants to develop the property
by building a Target store there along with an unnamed restaurant.
They have been working with the town of Burlington trying to rezone
the land from residential to commercial. Access to the property would
be via Wheeler Road west of the Middlesex Turnpike. However, the
Middlesex Turnpike between the Route 128 bridge and Adams Street is
probably the most congested roadway in Burlington and the surronding
area and there is no reasonable way to correct the problem. More
business in the area will only make matters worse. In addition, just
north of the Route 128 bridge, there is a large property that was a
Dodge dealer that is waiting for development and just north of where
the Burlington Mall ends, and west of the Turnpike, a large industrial
area is about to undergo a major redelopment that will include a huge
Wegmans Food Store, restaurants, residences and, I think, some
industry.

Jerry S

[H.B. Elkins]

Apparently I did not have Google Maps on the right zoom level because no
property lines showed up when I clicked the original link.

[gskill]

Post by H.B. Elkins
Apparently I did not have Google Maps on the right zoom level because no
property lines showed up when I clicked the original link.
--
To reply by e-mail, remove the "restrictorplate"

They are there but very faint. Try zooming in more. Look just east
of North St, and what look like house lot sized property lines are
there.

Jerry s

[Jimmy]

Post by gskill
Guetterez(sp) wants to develop the property
by building a Target store there along with an unnamed restaurant.
They have been working with the town of Burlington trying to rezone
the land from residential to commercial.  Access to the property would
be via Wheeler Road west of the Middlesex Turnpike.  However, the
Middlesex Turnpike between the Route 128 bridge and Adams Street is
probably the most congested roadway in Burlington and the surronding
area and there is no reasonable way to correct the problem.

There is a very reasonable way to correct the problem: MassDOT should
synchronize the @#$% lights! There's absolutely no reason why traffic
on Middlesex Turnpike that gets a fresh green should have the next
light turn red in its face a couple hundred feet further.

There's only 4 lights on the stretch of Middlesex south of 128: the
128 North ramps, the eastern segment of Wheeler, Adams, and Old
Concord Road. The first two are close together, as are the last two.
There's nothing particularly unusual about the traffic patters or road
geometry. In any other state, traffic there would be a non-issue.

Further down Lowell Street, there are traffic jams for another reason:
a lack of left turn lanes at lights. Depending where the left-turning
car stops and how timid following traffic is, sometimes a car turning
left isn't a problem, and sometimes it blocks the entire roadway for
the whole phase. MassDOT could fix this problem in a few minutes with
a can of paint.

Jimmy

[John S]

Post by Pete from Boston
An unused US 3 right-of-way in Burlington, Mass. from 1972 or so
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=burlington+ma&hl=en&ll=42.473743,-71.21634&spn=0.01684,0.027595&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,56.513672&t=m&z=15
Not sure what the current ownership of this parcel is, though where
I've crossed it there doesn't seem to be any development.
Any other instances of ghost rights-of-way showing up where Google has
implemented this feature?

The Commonwealth is preparing to sell this abandoned RoW as surplus
property. It may become commercial property, which is irritating
Lexington residents. The abandoned RoW land is in Burlington and is
very close to homes in Lexington. The RoW land was originally zoned
residential before it was seized by the state in the 1950s, for the
price of $1 per house or lot.

Some homes along North Street in Lexington near the abandoned RoW are
actually situated in Burlington, homeowners pay the bulk of their real
estate taxes to Burlington, but receive most of their services (schools,
voting, trash, plowing) from Lexington since their street curbs are in
Lexington.