A six-week lengthy closure that transportation officers had deliberate for the Green Line Extension this summer time has been lowered to 25 days, with work starting in mid-September.
Initially, the state Department of Transportation and MBTA aimed to shut the Union Square department for 42 days between July and August, to accommodate restore work on the Squires Bridge, which carries McGrath Highway over Green Line tracks in Somerville.
But officers introduced Wednesday the size of the closure has been minimize to 25 days, commencing Sept. 18 and ending by mid October. The venture shall be centered on “completing critical beam end repairs, along with additional preventive actions, to ensure the bridge can remain open and safe for use,” they mentioned.
“Because the Squires Bridge work must be performed within the Green Line right of way, transit service on the Union Branch will terminate at Lechmere Station during construction,” officers mentioned in a launch. “Bridge work will not impact motor vehicle travel across the bridge, Commuter Rail service on the Fitchburg Line, or Green Line service to Medford/Tufts.”
MassDOT crews inspected the bridge in early July, and decided it was secure to delay repairs till September “so that the closure does not occur at the same time as the Sumner Tunnel closure and to allow appropriate time to explore mitigation options and communicate with the public,” a governor’s spokesperson beforehand informed the Herald.
The Sumner Tunnel is because of open Friday.
The preliminary plan prompted “cause for alarm” from Somerville state representatives who wrote a letter to state officers about their issues relating to the Green Line Extension shutdown.
“This is a big improvement,” state Rep. Michael Connolly mentioned of the up to date venture, “and yet I will continue advocating for all necessary mitigation and communication efforts during this inconvenience, especially for the Fluff Festival on Sept. 23 and for all necessary bus service to Lechmere and East Somerville stations, and for extra BlueBike availability.”
Officials highlighted how Squires Bridge averages 40,000 motor automobiles a day, roughly the equal journey volumes via the Sumner Tunnel. About 1,500 folks board the Green Line at Union Square every weekday, with fewer boardings on the weekend, based on information the MBTA gathered for January via March 2023.
“We know this will come as an inconvenience to Green Line riders and we have worked to adjust our construction schedule to minimize impacts as much as possible while balancing the need to complete necessary infrastructure work,” MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver mentioned within the launch.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”