Boston's Orange Line will shut down in a matter of days for major construction, and local mayors and town managers still lack "clear answers" from the MBTA on logistics, shuttle buses, traffic, service delays and more, one mayor said on Greater Boston.
Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said although it's necessary to repair the beleaguered Orange Line, "more time and thought should have went into the planning, more communication to mayors, town managers and cities that are going to be affected so greatly."
Lungo-Koehn said she sits on many calls with the MBTA, but "a lot of these calls you don't have clear answers."
She said she has asked the MBTA for some of the shuttle buses replacing Orange Line service to be express buses to avoid crowding and delays, but she hasn't gotten a commitment on that request.
Richard Dimino, president and CEO of the organization A Better City, said the shutdown should have been executed differently. "It seems really abrupt to be announcing a four-week shutdown of a major rapid transit line." He noted that the first two weeks of September mark especially bad timing for the shutdown, with students returning to school.
Dimino said Boston city officials started working on street planning two weeks ago. "That's no way to run a street system and it's going to be — unfortunately — it's going to be chaotic."
When asked whether the shutdown will actually be over in the allotted 30-day timeframe, Dimino had a quick and simple answer: "no."
Watch: Few ‘clear answers’ Medford Mayor voices frustration at Orange Line shutdown
