Repairs that will shut down part of Green Line extension postponed until September

Apr 18, 2024

A bridge repair project that would have shut down one of the newest sections of the MBTA for much of the summer has been delayed until September, the office of Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said Wednesday.

Repair work on the Squires Bridge was set to begin on July 18 and last until Aug. 28, during which time rail service on the new Green Line extension would have been suspended between Lechmere and Union Square.

Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Healey, said Wednesday that service would not be suspended during the previously-announced timeframe after the Massachusetts Department of Transportation determined work could be safely postponed.

Hand did not say what day in September repair work was scheduled to begin.

"MassDOT crews inspected the bridge over the weekend and determined it is safe to delay repairs until 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," Hand said in a statement. "The administration is grateful for the feedback we received from local officials and community members and will maintain close communication as we work to reschedule the Squire Bridge construction."

The section of railway is relatively new, but already critical to people who live and work along the route.

"It's one of the reasons why I moved to this area," said Maddy Dickinson.

"Probably very disruptive," Rachel Sisson said after learning last week that the shutdown was expected. "I take the train every day."

"I was pretty devastated," said Leeanna Spellman. "This is how we get anywhere."

Riders told NBC10 Boston Friday that they had not heard about the planned closure, which the MBTA had announced a day earlier.

"It would be nice if we could hear it from someone other than you, like a community notification or something, because that's going to be really inconvenient," Jen Marino-Kibbee said.

Rep. Mike Connolly, a Democrat serving Cambridge and Somerville, said he had just found out about the closure, too. He called on the MBTA to be more transparent and put up signage.

"It's a problem that they wait to bury a story that they ought to be up-front and proactive about," Connolly said Friday.

He questioned why the bridgework was not done before the long-planned Green Line extension opened.

He is also concerned that the MBTA was not adding shuttle buses during the shutdown. Instead, current bus routes were supposed to be able to handle the ridership.

"If I was the member of the public, I wouldn't have trust that what I hear is true, because so often, the communication comes in bits and pieces," Connolly said.