Oak Grove Station Improvements Discussed

MALDEN, MA — You're not getting a new Oak Grove Station. But you'll be getting a much-improved one.

That's what officials said during Thursday night's public meeting on the Oak Grove Station Accessibility Improvements at the Malden Senior Center. The project will do everything from replacing old elevators and adding news one to improving the accessibility to giving the staton a good ol' fashioned cleaning.

"The scope of project as designed now is primarily to improve accessibility," Joe Nolan of City Point Partners said to a crowd of a couple dozen people. "It's not to build a brand new station, and I know some of you would like that, but it's to make this station better."

The project - currently estimated at $16 million - is still in its early design phase through early 2019. The construction will start late 2019 and is scheduled to go through the end of 2021. The construction that could impact tracks will take place during nights and weekends.

The improved accessibility includes adding two new elevators and reconstructing the two existing ones. The four elevators will have a more modern look with glass enclosures. One of the elevators will be on the Melrose side, and three will be on the Malden side.

>>>Related: See the meeting slides here | Read also: New Orange Line Train Testing Underway

The project will also paint and brighten the station, improve wayfinding and directional signage, upgrade station compliance with current codes, and improve sidewalks (no word on Washington Street roadway improvement, sorry.)

A lot of the public's questions had very little to do with elevators and new paint. Most wanted to gripe about pedestrian and vehicular traffic and parking. Malden City Councilor Ryan O'Malley pressed project officials. One woman even asked if the MBTA could clean up the number of LimeBikes in the area.

No dice. But Oak Grove is getting a facelift, and that's something.

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