Two Boston city councilors have a new proposal for improving public transit on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan amid some controversy over the current plan.
“Everyone keeps saying buses, I say no buses,” said District 7 Councilor Miniard Culpepper.
For years the city and state have discussed ways to improve the crowded commuter corridor and landed on a dedicated center bus lane, though some in the community oppose it, going so far as to ask the Trump administration for help.
Culpepper and District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell are now calling for an extension of the Orange Line instead, drawing up a map which would include eight additional stops.
“What’s the long-term investment?” said Worrell. “This subway is that plan.”
They took the plan directly to MBTA General Manager and interim Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Phillip Eng on Tuesday.
Culpepper said Eng was “pretty receptive,” though he added “it did get a little hot in there for a little while.”
He said it can be “hard for people to understand something as new as an Orange Line going from Mattapan to Ruggles Street.”
Creating a whole new section of subway would be a major undertaking. Even so, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu seems willing to have a conversation.
“Anytime we’re talking about trying to expand public transportation access … that’s an idea worth pursuing,” said Wu, adding, “going underground, digging tunnels is a major endeavor.”
The scope and scale of that project, including the overall cost, is a concern that came up during a news conference on Tuesday. Culpepper says solutions can be found if all parties involved are willing to pursue them.
“Whenever it comes to the Black community, folks start talking about ‘a whole lot of money,’” said Culpepper. “We want to be treated like everyone else.”
After we reached out to Eng for comment, MassDOT sent the following statement, attributed to a MassDOT spokesperson:
MassDOT, through its Office of Transportation Planning and in collaboration with the MBTA, is conducting a study to determine the feasibility of expanding transit service between the Forest Hills Orange Line station and the Roslindale Village commuter rail station. This study will be funded through Fair Share funding. The study will seek to analyze scenarios for future rapid transit between Forest Hills and Roslindale Village, including potential alignment for Orange Line service or more frequent commuter rail service. The study will also evaluate criteria such as ridership, accessibility, social equity, cost, and economic and land use impacts. The study team expects to release a report detailing analyses of each service scenario by fall of 2026.
More Mattapan news
Source: News – Boston – necn
