The MBTA and the City of Boston have "tentatively" agreed to eliminate a major source of delays on the Green Line with a new dedicated transitway that will run down the middle of Huntington and South Huntington Avenues in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood.
Last week, the MBTA issued a "request for qualifications" for engineering firms to prepare shovel-ready plans for "accessible station designs for Mission Park, Riverway, and Heath Street stations (and) new transitway and track improvements" on the E branch.
In an update posted to the City of Boston website, city officials confirmed that "based on what we have learned in our conversations with community members, with the MBTA, and with other stakeholders, such as the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, the project will be moving forward with a centered Green Line track, with dedicated lanes for trains and buses. Stops will be served by side platforms."
Existing Mission Hill stations a known safety hazard
The E branch between Brigham Circle and the end of the line at Health Street constitutes the only part of the MBTA's rapid transit system where trains still share a roadway with motor vehicles.
Those streets – Huntington and South Huntington Avenues – currently have four lanes for moving vehicles, with Green Line tracks in the center lanes, and two parking lanes along the curbs.
Besides forcing transit riders to wait in traffic, this design also forces passengers to board and disembark in the middle of a busy street (see photo at the top of this article).
Both Huntington and South Huntington Avenue have been flagged as high-crash streets under the City of Boston's Vision Zero prioritization plan.
The proposed center-running transitway would mitigate both of those problems by keeping cars and trucks off the Green Line tracks and building new, ADA-accessible boarding platforms alongside the new transitway, similar to the Green Line's C branch stops on Beacon Street in Brookline.
Converting the center lanes to a dedicated transitway would consolidate private vehicle traffic into a single lane in each direction – a roadway layout that's considerably safer. The new boarding platforms would require additional roadway space, and might require the removal of some on-street parking zones.
A Green Line, but also a busway
The project could also benefit two of the MBTA's frequent-service bus routes, the 39 and the 66.
Officials from the MBTA and City of Boston confirmed that the transitway concept is being designed for both trains and buses, and bus passengers would share the same stops as Green Line riders at the new Mission Park, Riverway, and Heath Street stations.
During peak hours, buses on those two routes operate with average speeds below 12 mph, according to the data from the Boston Transportation Department.
Besides meeting accessibilty requirements, the T also needs to redesign many of its Green Line stations to accommodate its new "Type 10" trains, which are still scheduled to enter service in 2027.
Because those trains are longer, the T has been consolidating some Green Line stops to accommodate the longer platforms that the new trains will require.
In previous presentations, MBTA officials have indicated that Fenwood Road (which is only about 500 feet from the Brigham Circle stop) and Back of the Hill (which is 400 feet from the Heath Street stop) would be eliminated.
MBTA officials told StreetsblogMASS that the new E Branch transitway and stations are currently scheduled to begin construction in fall 2027, and the agency hopes to open the new facilities before the end of 2029.
The T is also advancing plans to improve accessibility on two other Green Line branches before the end of the decade.
A project to rebuild and consolidate several stops along the C branch through Brookline is currently under contract with completion expected in 2026.
Another project to upgrade 10 stops on the B branch on Commonwealth Avenue through Brighton is scheduled to begin in 2026, with completion in late 2027.
