Some of the MBTA’s most popular buses are expected to get a boost Monday as the state dedicates a southbound bus-only travel lane over the Tobin Bridge as part of a settlement with an environmental group.
Buses like the 111, which are often slowed by bridge traffic between Chelsea and Boston, will likely have a quicker ride over the Tobin, thanks to an agreement between the state transportation agency and the Conservation Law Foundation, according to the foundation.
“People who depend on the bus are constantly delayed as the Tobin is inundated with single-occupancy cars. This new lane will slash those travel times benefiting Chelsea residents and workers,” Staci Rubin, an attorney at the foundation, said in a statement Friday.
The initiative, which is the Bay State’s most ambitious bus-lane project to date, came as the foundation threatened to sue MassDOT over a decision to eliminate the High-Occupancy Vehicle lane on I-93 southbound without public input.
After more than a year open to all traffic, the left lane in Medford and Somerville reverted back to HOV status during morning rush hour last month.
As part of the settlement, MassDOT also agreed to undertake a pilot program allowing buses traveling on I-93 between Woburn and Somerville to use the right-hand shoulder as a bus lane, study future locations inside the I-495 area for bus and HOV lanes and other initiatives, and to make HOV lane changes with public input going forward, according to the foundation.
More than 400 buses cross the Tobin each weekday, accounting for nearly 14,000 riders before the pandemic. Previously, about 85,000 vehicles also crossed the bridge each day. For the highly used 111 bus, the bridge frequently caused delays despite other efforts to improve the efficiency of the route in Boston and Chelsea.
“It’s time to stop pandering to car travel at the expense of public transit,” Rubin said in a statement. “Making public transportation faster and more reliable is a key strategy to relieve the gridlock that has plagued our region.”
Material from previous Globe reports was used in this story.
Lucas Phillips can be reached at lucas.phillips@globe.com.
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December 13, 2020 at 03:49AM
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Tobin Bridge bus lane to open Monday - The Boston Globe
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