Christian MilNeil

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A derailed Red Line car blocks the tracks at the JFK/UMass station on June 11, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Boston Fire Department.

Final Safety Inspection Report Focuses on Hiring, Workforce Challenges at the T

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 31, 2022 | No Comments

On Wednesday, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published the final report from its detailed “safety management inspection” and gave the T a list of 53 tasks to repair what the federal government called a “pattern of safety incidents” that include train crashes, derailments, and runaway trains. “The associate administrator of the FTA who presented the […]

Temporary fencing lines the sidewalk on the DCR-controlled approach to the Beades Bridge. Google Street View imagery suggests that the temporary fencing has been there for nearly 8 years. Photo by Tony Dutzik.

It’s Not Just the T: Analysis Finds Unusually Large Backlog in Commonwealth’s Bridge Repair Needs

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 31, 2022 | No Comments

Roughly one in nine bridge crossings in Massachusetts occurs on a bridge where engineers have found serious problems with weight-bearing structural elements that need repair or replacement, according to a new analysis by MassBudget. In MassDOT’s comprehensive bridge inventory, out of 7,880 bridges in the Commonwealth, 644 bridges have been classified as “structurally deficient,” a […]

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu posted a selfie of herself and several other members of a bike convoy that rode to downtown Boston from Roslindale Square on August 24. Courtesy of Mayor Michelle Wu.

Mayor Wu, Bike Commuter

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 30, 2022 | No Comments

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who ran for Mayor last year on a “Green New Deal” platform, has ridden her bike to work three times this month, and is taking notes about how the city can improve bike infrastructure on the 7-mile route between her home in Roslindale and City Hall. The mayor, who has been […]

A rendering of a proposed high-rise lab building on Brookline Avenue in the Fenway shows proposed new two-way bike paths (lower right) that would provide a protected connection between the Fenway neighborhood to Longwood, via Brookline Avenue, and to the Riverway. Courtesy of the BPDA.

Protected Intersection Could Bridge Critical Bike Network Gap on the Fenway

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 29, 2022 | No Comments

A city spokesperson tells StreetsblogMASS that there are "plans to have a two-way cycle track on the south side of the Muddy River crossing (Brookline Avenue between Park Drive and Fenway), as well as a two-way cycle track connecting north along Park Drive to the Fenway Path through the Landmark Center site."

Noah Berger, administrator of the MVRTA, stands in the open doorway of an MVRTA bus.

Higher Wages, No Fares, and a Massage Chair: How the MVRTA Is Recruiting New Drivers

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 25, 2022 | No Comments

Bucking a nationwide trend of driver shortages, the MVRTA is expanding its workforce of bus drivers and adding more service.

A bus driver at Sullivan Square. Courtesy of the MBTA.

Shuttle Buses Exceeding Expectations, But the T’s Own Buses Are Struggling

By Christian MilNeil and Grecia White | Aug 24, 2022 | No Comments

An ongoing bus driver shortage is forcing the T to reduce service on 43 bus routes.

A Green Line train passes over the viaduct over the future Community Path west of Lechmere Station

Somerville Community Path, An Ideal Shortcut, Won’t Open During Orange Line Shutdown

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 23, 2022 | No Comments

The new Community Path will provide a shortcut for bikes and pedestrians between East Somerville and Lechmere, but it won't open for several more months.

A view down an empty "bus only" lane on Boylston Street, looking towards downtown Boston, on the day before Orange Line replacement bus shuttle service takes effect.

Eyes On the Street: New Bus, Bike Lanes Popping Up All Along the Orange Line

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 19, 2022 | No Comments

“We know that this shutdown is going to be disruptive and challenging for the city," said Mayor Wu's Chief of Streets, Jascha Franklin-Hodge. "So over the last two weeks we have engaged in an unprecedented effort to reconfigure our streets, to boost alternative transportation options, and to help residents and businesses in Boston prepare.”

Bicyclists ride on a section of the Southwest Corridor between Green Street and Stony Brook stations during the group bike ride with Mayor Michelle Wu last Thursday morning.

Weekend Construction Work On the Southwest Corridor Set to Overlap with Start of Orange Line Shutdown

By Grecia White and Christian MilNeil | Aug 17, 2022 | No Comments

The Department of Conservation and Recreation, DCR, the managing state agency for the Southwest Corridor, will “implement moving closures along the Southwest Corridor Park bike path in the City of Boston to accommodate repair work” during the first weekend of the Orange Line shutdown. @MassDCR has issued the following UPDATED recreational advisory for the Southwest […]

A Google Street View image of Broadway in Somerville near the site where Stephen Conley crashed. The roadway includes two parking lanes against the curbs, two travel lanes for cars, and two green-painted bike lanes in between the parking and moving vehicle lanes. In the middle distance is a traffic light at the intersection of Packard Avenue. The bike lanes do not continue beyond that intersection.

Mayor Pledges ‘Immediate’ Action After Somerville Resident Killed In Door-Zone Bike Lane

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 16, 2022 | No Comments

Somerville police believe that the victim, identified as Stephen Conley, 70, of Somerville, was traveling westbound in the painted bike lane on Broadway when a driver in the adjacent parking lane opened the door of his Land Rover into Conley’s path.

the MBTA's official detour map for the Orange Line shutdown, illustrating closed subway stops on the Orange and Green Lines, dashed lines indicating alternative shuttle service (between Forest Hills and Back Bay and Copley to the south, and between Oak Drove and Government Center to the north). To cross downtown Boston, riders will need to transfer from shuttles to the Green Line at Government Center or Copley, ride the Green Line a few stops, then transfer back to another shuttle on the other side.

Orange Line Shutdown: Here’s What You Need to Know

By Grecia White and Christian MilNeil | Aug 15, 2022 | No Comments

The entire Orange Line and a downtown segment of the Green Line will shut down for a month starting this weekend, and the MBTA and coordinating agencies in state and local governments are scrambling to nail down the details for alternative transit services. The Orange Line is the T’s second-busiest rapid transit line. Post-pandemic ridership […]

A large crowd of bike riders gathers on Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square beneath the Citgo sign.

Boston Seeks Plans for Bus Priority, Protected Bike Routes Through Longwood and Kenmore Square

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 9, 2022 | No Comments

The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) just released a request for proposals to conduct a new transportation study of the Longwood and Kenmore Square neighborhoods that aims to accommodate millions of square feet in new development with new transit-priority streets and better-connected networks of trails and protected bike lanes. According to the BPDA, over […]

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