tidings
Thanks to a month-long blackout starting August 19, you’ll need to plan ahead.
The T has been running tests with buses to prepare for the shutdown. Photo by Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Here it comes, folks: The Big One. An unprecedented shutdown of the entire Orange Line is imminent, set to begin on Friday, August 19 at 9:00 p.m. and continue through September 19.
In the long run, we’re told, this will be good for the beleaguered segment of the MBTA because it will allow the T to make five years’ worth of repairs in one fell swoop. In the short term, however, it will be a problem both for the thousands of commuters who rely on it and for nearly everyone else in Boston who plans to commute, given all the disruption it could cause.
Since the closure was announced on Aug. 3, transit officials have been scrambling to plan and let commuters know what’s headed their way (even as of this week, public signage about the impending closure apparently had missed).
How complicated all this is and will be, consider the diagram T created to explain it to people, which should be easy for everyone to understand and neither mystical nor silly:
INTRODUCTION: Newly discovered hieroglyphs under Boston tunnels baffle even the experts. pic.twitter.com/tnanAyiML0
— Mass.gov fake tweets (@MassGovt) August 15, 2022
There are ways to avoid this. You can, for example, beg your boss to let you work from home, as officials have asked workers to do. You can try to travel during off-peak times to avoid rush hour. Or, as officials have strangely begun to say, you can avoid the region entirely until the diversion period ends.
Can you move too?
If that’s not in the cards, what follows are some plain English tips for getting moving. But first, some light music.
We were coming home from a jam in Boston and had a message about Governor Baker and the closing of the Orange Line: “Charlie (Baker) on the MBTA”#boston #orange #mbta #public transit #orangefire #30 days closing #charlieonthemta pic.twitter.com/UqDcN4TPNZ
— Giipini (@viracochalvsbac) August 15, 2022
Shuttle buses
A massive effort to flood the roads with around 200 buses is underway. As one official put it, we “will literally have every accessible bus east of the Mississippi in service.” The T will run two routes from Oak Grove to Government Center and from Forest Hills to Copley, with multiple stops along the way. She wants not stop between Tufts and State, so you must transfer to the Green, Blue, or Silver lines to complete your trip downtown. To prevent boats from getting trapped, new temporary bus-only lanes have appeared along the route. Some good news: Ships are free.
RIDE vans
Riders with disabilities who live within 3/4 of a mile of the Orange Line can also opt for free paratransit service provided by The RIDE.
Regular buses
If the transit buses end up being too crowded, or if you’d rather avoid participating in this large-scale experiment day after day, you can always choose to ride existing MBTA bus lines. Study up, you just might save some time (or some headaches).
Passenger railway
The T has also asked riders along the commuter rail to board those trains instead. Trains will stop at Oak Grove, Malden Center, North Station, Back Bay and Forest Hills. This means you’ll have to time your journey with the existing commuter rail timetable, rather than just getting on the Orange Line and waiting for the next train to depart. Plus, it also means potentially facing crowds that are much larger than normal. The good news: If you have a CharlieCard or CharlieTicket, you won’t have to pay for the privilege, as long as you’re inside Zone 1, 1A or 2. Just flash your card and you’re good to go.
Another T stop
One way to cut down on the chaos of the T’s mitigation efforts is to go to a nearby T station. How feasible this is, of course, will depend on where you live. But especially if other options don’t work for you, a brisk walk, bike ride, or bus ride to the nearest Green or Red Line stop may be your best bet.
However, this won’t work for you if you live on the northern limits of the Green Line, because it will also be closed and replaced with shuttle buses between Government Center and the new Union Square station from August 22 to September 18 .
Bicycle
Now might be a good time to consider pulling that old bike out of the basement and pedaling to work. Rest assured, as Boston’s roads can be treacherous on their best days, and given the extra traffic on the road, there will be more car with maybe even more angry drivers there with you. Plus, officials have noted that the shuttles are slightly larger and have larger blind spots than MBTA buses, so that’s something to keep in mind. The city said in a statement it will add protected window lanes “at Columbus Avenue and Stuart Street between Clarendon Street and Church Street and on Boylston Street in the Back Bay from Dartmouth Street to Arlington Street.”
bluebicycle
Don’t have a bike? You can also ride a Bluebike. The city announced this week that it is making available free 30-day passes to help people weather the storm, which can be used for unlimited 45-minute trips.
Something to watch out for, though: if many commuters are going from areas adjacent to the Orange Line to the north and south of the city, many Blue Bikes may be going in the same direction at the same time. You are reminded that Bluebike stations have a limited number of bikes available at the stations and spaces to store bikes after the journey, which means that Bluebike stations in the city center can be overcrowded. This can already be a problem even on regular non-orange line closure days:
The orange line isn’t even closed yet and there aren’t enough bikes around the Roxbury crossing @RideBluebikes @MBTA @MayorWu pic.twitter.com/06fqJRiT3r
— Patrick (@patrickww_) August 16, 2022
The city says Bluebikes staff will be on hand to address this, and you can also track how full stops are in real time on the Bluebikes app.
Ride-sharing
Look at you, bag of money! If you’re in a pinch, Ubers and Lyfts will happily drop you off at your destination for a fee. Just beware of surge pricing, which is likely to increase at peak times during closing.
By car
Transit officials desperately don’t want you to drive, but there’s no denying that’s what many of you will be doing. Just be forewarned that you won’t be alone, and that shuttle buses will cut lanes that they can run in many areas. As a result, transit officials are predicting significant increases in traffic, well, everywhere:
Map showing where congestion is expected due to the Orange and Green line closures😱…. pic.twitter.com/mw2ONlRPT3
— Darren Botelho (@DarrenBotelho) August 15, 2022
(The map, it seems, reminds us of something.)
Don’t forget the current weekend closure of the Sumner Tunnel, which has already slowed traffic in the area.
And a word to the wise: With all those extra cyclists on the road, be more considerate of them. You can save a life!
Consider getting into podcasts
A little something to keep yourself busy in the slog might be in order. We like it Shameful land.
