Mayor Michelle Wu & Boston Transportation Department Share Updated City Preparations Ahead of Orange Line Shutdown

Mayor Michelle Wu and Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge as we speak shared updates on the Metropolis’s preparations forward of the MBTA’s Orange Line restore shutdown. The Mayor and Chief Franklin-Hodge offered design adjustments to Boston’s streets to ease visitors congestion for MBTA shuttle buses, together with precedence bus lanes in key areas and road closures. Boston transportation officers are additionally serving to commuters make the most of different transit choices by increasing bicycle entry and bike lanes, and conducting neighborhood outreach for these most impacted by the shutdown. The Mayor and Chief made the announcement from the Metropolis’s Site visitors Administration Middle, which might be used all through the shutdown. 

Starting at 9:00 p.m. on August 19, the MBTA’s Orange Line will shut down for a month of security repairs. For the reason that MBTA introduced the shutdown earlier this month, the Metropolis of Boston has participated in day by day conferences with the T, neighboring cities, and transit advocates to mitigate the impacts on residents. 

Shuttles & Avenue Adjustments

The Metropolis of Boston is making short-term adjustments to roadways on the MBTA’s shuttle diversion routes. The MBTA introduced two main shuttle bus routes between Oak Grove and State Avenue/Authorities Middle and between Forest Hills and Again Bay/Copley. This shuttle service might be for free of charge to riders, ADA compliant, and assist join riders to Inexperienced Line service to fill-in service gaps.

The shuttle service will carry as many as 200 shuttle buses onto Metropolis streets. To permit these shuttles to maneuver safely and effectively, the Metropolis is implementing a number of adjustments, together with bus lanes, transit-only areas, and parking restrictions. Since Sunday, Metropolis crews have been altering road markings and signage to create transit hubs at Copley Sq. and Authorities Middle. This consists of devoted bus lanes, parking restrictions, and curb area to permit shuttle buses to load passengers and queue. Extra road adjustments might be made within the coming weeks at North Station.

In partnership with MassDOT, devoted bus lanes are being added on the Gillmore Bridge between Cambridge and Charlestown, Rutherford Ave., and in Sullivan Sq.. These will cut back journey time and enhance reliability on the northern shuttle bus route. 

Different road adjustments, together with parking restrictions, are being carried out at factors alongside the shuttle path to create area for loading and to make sure buses can safely make turns. Sign timing changes might be made upfront of and throughout the shutdown to assist shuttle actions.

A number of streets might be closed to basic visitors to permit shuttle operations, together with:

• State Avenue between Congress Avenue and Washington Avenue
• Dartmouth Avenue between St. James Avenue and Boylston Avenue
• Washington Avenue (northbound-only) between Arborway and Williams Avenue

The short-term transit hubs at Copley Sq. and Authorities Middle will embrace operations and dispatching services for the MBTA shuttle program and passenger ready areas. The Metropolis is working to safe tents to permit passengers a coated place to attend throughout wet or sizzling climate. The transit hubs may also enable quick access to Bluebikes for passengers and wayfinding to assist information pedestrians to close by locations. 

Division Collaboration

The Boston Transportation Division has been working intently with the Workplace of Neighborhood Companies, Mayor’s Workplace for Immigrant Development, the Disabilities Fee, the Age Sturdy Fee, and the Workplace of Financial Alternative and Inclusion to make sure commuters and native companies are conscious of the service adjustments and to deal with questions and issues. 

Metropolis departments have been working in Chinatown and the Downtown Crossing space to make sure residents are conscious of the hole within the MBTA’s shuttle bus providers. On Wednesday, Metropolis officers held a gathering in Chinatown to reply questions on the hole in shuttle providers within the space. On Tuesday, Immigrant Development hosted a gathering with immigrant neighborhood leaders to determine potential gaps in entry and outreach, and the Fairness Cupboard hosted a digital info session the place 300 attendees joined to obtain up-to-date particulars on the Metropolis’s response to the shutdown. 

To assist the Chinatown neighborhood, the Metropolis labored with the MBTA to get a cease added to the Silver Line – SL4 outbound route. The Floor Artery @ Kneeland Avenue cease creates direct entry to Chinatown from South Station. This is a crucial connection for earlier southern route Orange Line riders who’ve switched to the Commuter Rail throughout the shutdown.

Metropolis transit officers are engaged on wayfinding road markings in Chinatown and translated guides so commuters on this space are conscious of Inexperienced Line, Silver Line, and Crimson Line different routes.

Boston Public Colleges

Boston Public Colleges (BPS) continues to work intently with the Metropolis and MBTA to assist college students getting ready to journey the MBTA, particularly throughout the Orange Line shutdown. BPS has secured 5,000 Charlie Playing cards loaded with free 7-day passes for college students and households to follow utilizing any new routes upfront to make sure they’re snug navigating their journey to and from college. College students ought to plan for delays and guarantee they depart further time to get to and from college. College students arriving late as a consequence of transportation points is not going to be penalized. BPS may also plan to offer further workers assist to assist information college students alongside the Orange Line shuttle route. College students may also be supplied wholesome breakfast even when they arrive “after the bell.” 

Households also can apply for a waiver on the BPS Transportation Assist Portal for college students in seventh and eighth grade solely to obtain yellow bus service as a substitute of MBTA service.

College students and households are inspired to contact the BPS Transportation Helpline at 617-635-9520 or by electronic mail at schoolbus@bostonpublicschools.org. The Transportation Hotline is open for college students and households from 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on days that faculty is in session. As well as, the hotline is open for restricted hours on college holidays, sometimes from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

Accessibility 

To extend accessibility for individuals with disabilities, the Metropolis of Boston is designating curb area for accessible vans along with the curb area designated for shuttles. The Metropolis’s architectural entry workforce has been reviewing circumstances alongside the shuttle bus routes, trying particularly at accessibility of the sidewalks which are being devoted to the buses and accessible vans. A number of locations in want of security repairs have been recognized and the Public Works Division has been patching and leveling sidewalks all through the week. The Metropolis may also relocate any accessible parking areas which are positioned on Metropolis streets the place parking is being eliminated for pop-up lanes.

Extra on accessibility, together with a information for individuals in search of accessible journey choices, may be discovered at boston.gov/orangeline. 

Communication and Outreach

To complement the MBTA’s communications efforts, the Metropolis of Boston has created a one-page information in 11 languages explaining the shutdown and outlining different transit choices. These flyers are being distributed by Metropolis workers and neighborhood organizations. The multilingual flyers may be downloaded at boston.gov/orangeline.

Various Transit Choices

Boston is increasing entry to different strategies of journey, together with bicycling. Final week, the Metropolis introduced free 30-day Bluebikes passes throughout the upcoming MBTA Orange Line shutdown. These bike share passes might be out there to anybody, and supply a limiteless variety of 45-minute journeys for free of charge. Passes might be out there on bluebikes.com and within the Bluebikes app starting Friday, August nineteenth. Moreover, the Metropolis might be offering extra bike storage racks downtown and putting in short-term bike lanes alongside Columbus Ave. within the South Finish and alongside Boylston Avenue in Again Bay. 

MassDOT, the Metropolis, our municipal companions, and transportation advocates are additionally partnering on figuring out secure biking routes between Cambridge, Somerville, and Charlestown to make sure that cyclists are higher accommodated throughout the Orange Line diversion interval. 

Commuters are strongly inspired to take the MBTA Commuter Rail the place doable. Through the 30-day shutdown, riders can use the Commuter Rail throughout the Metropolis of Boston at no cost just by displaying a CharlieCard or CharlieTicket on board. This encompasses Zones 1A, 1, and a couple of on all Commuter Rail traces. The CharlieCard doesn’t have to be loaded with funds to entry the Commuter Rail – merely present your CharlieCard to the conductor to journey the prepare. The Metropolis distributes CharlieCards at Boston Public Libraries and Boston Metropolis Corridor.

Shifting Ahead

The Metropolis stays dedicated to a clear and collaborative course of throughout the shutdown. Extra info on the Metropolis’s response to the shutdown may be discovered on boston.gov/orangeline. MBTA riders in Boston with questions, issues, and concepts are welcome to electronic mail the Metropolis at orangeline@boston.gov.