The MBTA’s Blue Line project that was originally scheduled to start back on April 2 and continue through this Thursday has been rescheduled and will begin at the end of this month.
The Blue Line will now close between Airport and Bowdoin Stations from April 25 through May 8 for scheduled maintenance and repairs.
The MBTA is planning on replacing 1,800 feet of track in the Blue Line’s harbor tunnel and this work is going to make the tunnel more resilient and less prone to some of the concerns from the environmental community like flooding. The work will also make Blue Line service a little more reliable in the future.
The work also includes tunnel inspections, tunnel lighting repair, fiber optic cable installation, and removing abandoned cable that exists in the tunnel.
However, the collapse of a portion of the Government Center Garage that killed a construction worker and dumped tons of concrete on the road above the Green Line tunnel at Haymarket forced the MBTA to push back the Blue Line project.
Rep. Adrian Madaro announced that he and his colleagues have worked with MBTA administrators to help mitigate Blue Line service disruptions during the course of the work.
Madaro announced this week that the MBTA will add ferry service between Lewis Mall in Eastie and Long Wharf in the North End. Madaro said the ferries will run every 20 minutes from 6am to 7 pm.
“Over the last few weeks, I have heard from many riders about the impact of Blue Line closures on their commutes and their ability to travel to work, school, and other places within the city,†said Madaro. “After many discussions with the MBTA, I’m thrilled to share that there will be additional measures to mitigate the impact of these closures on the Blue Line. In addition to providing free shuttle buses, the MBTA will increase capacity on the Silver Line 3 and temporarily run ferries between East Boston and the North End.â€
Madaro added that he also heard from many residents about the state of disrepair of the pedestrian bridge at Suffolk Downs.
“After highlighting this with the MBTA, I’m pleased to share that the MBTA will close between Wonderland and Orient Heights Stations to repair the pedestrian bridge from May 12 through May 29,†said Madaro. “I want to thank the MBTA for listening to residents and providing alternatives to ease the burden on commuters during these challenging times. I also want to thank them for making much-needed repairs to the pedestrian bridge at Suffolk Downs. These efforts will bring much-needed improvements to the Blue Line.â€
During the Blue Line closure the MBTA is also planning to perform signal repairs, which is a major source of issues on the Blue Line when there are so-called “blind delays” as well as address some of the drainage issues in the harbor tunnel.