The MBTA shut down an entrance to the JFK/UMass station for greater than a month resulting from a “critical structural issue” that was threatening public security.
“During an inspection this past weekend, a critical structural finding was discovered at the entrance from Columbia Road to the pedestrian concourse leading to the station headhouse,” stated MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston.
“The MBTA determined that closing the entrance was in the best interest of public safety,” she stated in regards to the Red Line station.
Upon closing the doorway, Battiston stated inspectors continued to take a look at the remainder of the concourse and located further structural points that wanted to be addressed.
Given the design particulars, mobilizing materials and entry, the T anticipates that the doorway will likely be closed for at the least 4 to 5 weeks. Inspections will proceed and extra areas might should be closed and secured, Battiston stated.
Announced Tuesday, the choice comes per week after the widow of a Boston University professor who fell to his dying by a decrepit staircase on the Dorchester station filed a wrongful dying lawsuit in opposition to the MBTA and MassDOT.
Milton’s David Jones, 40, by some means accessed the staircase, which had been closed for practically two years, whereas out on a run and fell by the rusted-out stairs. His household referred to as his dying final September “preventable.”
During this closure, the MBTA directed pedestrians to divert to the pedestrian bridge connection from the bus ramp, and the exit-only stairs at Columbia Road to the Ashmont platform will likely be opened, permitting riders to enter and exit.
The entrance was fenced off and indicators have been positioned to inform the general public of the closure. Transit ambassadors are on website to help clients, and accessible van service is out there upon request for disabled riders between the Columbia Road entrance and JFK/UMass busway, Battiston stated.
“The MBTA recognizes that this is an inconvenience to our customers,” Battiston stated. “We remain committed to safely operating and investing in our facilities, infrastructure and vehicles while delivering reliable service to our riders that depend on the MBTA for their transportation needs. We will continue to update the public as more information becomes available.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”