South Medford Shuttle Unlikely During Broadway Bridge Closure

MEDFORD, MA – The MBTA is not planning on providing a temporary shuttle bus for the South Medford and Somerville areas during the Broadway bridge closure in Ball Square, according to the Medford Transcript. A shuttle was one of several requests local officials made to mitigate the closure's impact on residents.

The bridge is expected to close for one year starting in January, despite initially being scheduled for the fall. It is the first of seven proposed closures during the Green Line Extension project.

Officials' concerns were detoured traffic onto Harvard Street and its potential impact on abutting streets and businesses, as well as the pedestrian and bicycle detour. The proposed pedestrian detour, which takes people from Broadway, to Winchester Street, to Harvard Street, to Boston Avenue and back to Broadway, would make a five-minute walk a 20-minute trip, the Transcript reported.

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