Lysney Heffernan Via email: lheffernan@mbta.com Re: City of Boston Columbus Tremont Phase II Comments Dear Lynsey, The City of Boston has reviewed the MBTA’s 75% design for the proposed Columbus Avenue Bus Lanes, Phase II project. Below are our consolidated comments from the Streets Cabinet, Planning Department and Disabilities Commission, which in general speak to the need for a reconsideration of the design approach for the project. While technical rationale is provided for these comments, our review is focused on ensuring the direction of the project is well established and does not present a complete technical review of all project details. We look forward to continued collaboration on this project in order to deliver our collective goals for a safe, accessible and reliable Tremont Street and Columbus Avenue. Safety and Operational Lessons from Columbus Avenue Phase 1 Since installing the first phase of the Columbus Avenue project in 2021, we have had an opportunity to learn valuable safety and operational lessons. The current 75%-100% plans do not fully address the safety and operational challenges from Phase 1, which must be considered. To support our collective understanding of expected operations, the City is requesting a comparison of projected versus realized operations for the Phase 1 project area to ensure operational analyses and assumptions for Phase II are as well-calibrated. General Purpose Traffic Operations and Management The City of Boston continues to have concerns regarding the projected general purpose traffic impacts demonstrated in the provided analysis. Previous comments
provided by the City of Boston regarding the projected peak hour operations shown in the CDR dated March 2023 have not been adequately addressed. The summary of morning and afternoon operations provided in the Project’s synchro analysis, which include projected mode shift and/or traffic evaporation, show numerous locations with significant vehicle queues that will impact both Columbus Ave/Tremont Street, as well as neighboring streets. Areas of particular concern include: ● ● Columbus northbound at Heath Street, where afternoon queues on Columbus Ave (1,255 feet) are projected to extend beyond the next signal to the south at Centre Street and beyond the traffic circle to the west on Heath Street (770 feet). Columbus Ave southbound at Malcolm X Blvd, where afternoon queues on Columbus Ave (1079 feet) are projected to extend beyond the next signal to the north at Prentiss Street and beyond the next two signals to the west on Tremont St (900 feet). Summary tables with measures of effectiveness (MOEs) are enclosed for both the morning and afternoon peak periods. While some locations have been modified from previous submittals to address queuing with significant spillback impacts, others continue to demonstrate an unacceptable level of congestion. Beyond impact to the major thoroughfares included in the project area, the City of Boston is concerned about the impact increased delay and queues will have on traffic diversion onto and through residential streets that are not designed to handle such volumes. Orange Line Diversion Planning The Phase II section of the Columbus corridor serves as a critical Orange Line diversion route during the suspension of service for work within the MBTA Right of Way. The City requests to understand where a future, post Phase II construction, Orange Line diversion route be located and how it would be operationalized.
Madison Park Project Coordination The City of Boston recently announced plans to build a new Madison Park Technical Vocational High School campus at Parcel P3. An early review with the Madison Park team has recommended the Tremont Street frontage as the preferred location for school bus activity. As plans for Tremont/Columbus Phase II evolve, this future need should be considered. As the school project is at a preliminary stage of planning and design, it is anticipated that the design team may make curbline changes along the Parcel P3 frontage to accommodate a lane for school pick up and drop off. Suggestions for Further Exploration Recognizing the majority of southbound service turns left onto Malcolm X Blvd, we recommend considering replacement of the center-running bus lane between Malcolm X Blvd. and Heath Street with side-running bus lanes in both directions. This would restore a second travel lane which would address vehicle storage and queuing concerns, mitigate the bus operational and safety issues associated with Phase I, and allow for continued use of the corridor for Orange Line diversions. The limited parking and curbside demand along this portion of the corridor, coupled with the arrival of automated enforcement, should help mitigate historic challenges associated with side-running bus lanes while offering a balanced approach to overall traffic operation and impacts. Lastly, please note we are also enclosing comments from our partners at the Disabilities Commission for reference. The City is committed to working with the MBTA to find a design solution for this corridor. We are happy to schedule time to discuss these comments in detail. Thank you. Regards, Nick Gove Interim Chief of Streets
We also shared with Streetsblog our full comment letter to the T (drive.google.com/file/d/11cJf...) & the Disability Commission’s markup on the technical drawings (drive.google.com/file/d/17zW1...). Neither were referenced in the article.
