JP's 39 Bus Route Moved

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — If you take the bus, listen up: The 39 Bus route has moved.

"As part of the Casey Arborway Project, the MBTA Route 39 bus will cease operating from the Route 39 loop at the northern (towards Doyle’s Café and the Monument) end of the Forest Hills Station block following the end of bus operations on Friday, October 13," reads a press release from MassDOT.

The following day the route will be accessible via the upper busway at the Forest Hills Station. If you're coming from the Forest Hills MBTA stop and you're looking for the 39 bus, head to the upper busway as you normally do and turn right as you exit the station.

This is a permanent change, says MassDOT.

What's happening to the area where the 39 used to loop? That's becoming part of the Casey Arborway work zone. MassDOT says it's working to make sure a safe pedestrian route from Forest Hills Station’s northern exit to Hyde Park Avenue and South Street be maintained.

A new traffic signal will be turned on on Washington Street to allow buses to exit there. The signal at South Street adjacent to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post will remain active, according to MassDOT.

In March 2011, MassDOT initiated a study of alternatives to replace the existing Casey Overpass. The study worked to identify safe, accessible, multi-modal landscape, streetscape, and transportation options to accommodate all modes of transportation. The planning study considered alternatives that would replace the existing Casey Overpass with a new bridge or overhead structure, as well as alternatives that would eliminate the bridge and instead build a new at-grade roadway to accommodate the traffic currently carried by the Overpass.

The $74 million project is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

From MassDOT, what you can expect in the rest of this week:

During the week of October 9th, operations will concentrate on the following:

• Between Cemetery Road and Washington Street:
  • Installation of landscape walls along the westbound (towards the Arboretum) Arborway.
  • Installation of curb and sidewalks at Orchardhill Road and Morton Street.
  • Planting of trees and placement of grass hydro seed.
  • Installation of permanent roadway signage.
  • Installation of permanent pavement markings. As stated in the reminder notification distributed during the week of September 25th, this work will take place at night.
• In and around Forest Hills Station:
  • Installation of walls and platform associated with the new northern headhouse.
  • Installation of components, and forming and pouring new concrete elements associated with supporting the permanent alignment of the Arborway
  • Installation of sidewalk and curbing in the upper busway.
  • Following the end of bus operations on October 13th, permanently relocating the Route 39 bus to the upper busway. Route 39 buses will operate from the upper busway with the beginning of bus operations on October 14th.
• For the Arborway west (towards the Arboretum) of South Street:
  • Installation of 48" water line.
  • Relocation of fire hydrant.
  • Reconstruction of sidewalks.
  • Installation of permanent signage.
  • Forming and pouring the footing for the retaining wall along the northern (towards the Monument) edge of the permanent Arborway alignment.
  • Forming and pouring the retaining wall along the northern (towards the Monument) edge of the permanent Arborway alignment.
• On Washington Street west (towards the Arboretum) of Forest Hills Station:
  • Installation of the new traffic signal to control the new upper busway exit.

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