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Boston revamps Blue Hill Avenue plan: center bus lanes stay, bike lanes shrink

Boston revamps Blue Hill Avenue plan: center bus lanes stay, bike lanes shrink

Built World Boston, MA local

A $163 million redesign keeps center bus lanes and adds parking, but City Council members want a subway instead — and have subpoenaed the MBTA's general manager

October 29th, 2026: Subway ask routed to 25-year plan

Overview

Updated Nov 2

Boston's $163 million plan to rebuild Blue Hill Avenue still has its center-running bus lanes, but the argument has moved from parking to politics. The City Council subpoenaed MBTA General Manager Phil Eng on Oct. 21 after he skipped a hearing on the project.

On Oct. 29, the MBTA put a request to extend the Orange Line down Blue Hill Avenue into its 25-year long-range plan, while a separate state-funded Orange Line study for Roslindale moved ahead. The bus lane design keeps at least two general traffic lanes in each direction on 75 percent of the corridor, and construction is not expected before 2028.

Why it matters

Blue Hill Avenue carries more bus riders than any street in the MBTA system, and the final layout decides whether their trips get faster.

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Key Indicators

$163M
Project budget
Total cost of the Blue Hill Avenue redesign between Mattapan Square and Grove Hall.
40,000
Daily bus riders
City and MBTA figure for riders on the 10 routes using the corridor; bus-lane opponents have disputed the tally.
75%
Corridor with two car lanes
Share of the updated design keeping at least two general-purpose travel lanes in each direction, per the MBTA.
717
Parking spaces
Total parking under the latest design, up from 675 today, as city officials described it in September 2026.

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People Involved

Jascha Franklin-Hodge
Jascha Franklin-Hodge
Chief of Streets, City of Boston (during the redesign's design phase)
Led the redesign's public design work; by October 2026 the city's interim chief of streets was Osgood
MP
MBTA Better Bus Project
Co-lead agency on the Blue Hill Avenue redesign
Partnering with the City on bus-priority infrastructure along the corridor
 Phil Eng
Phil Eng
General Manager, MBTA
Subpoenaed by the Boston City Council on Oct. 21, 2026, over his absence from a Blue Hill Avenue community meeting

Organizations Involved

Boston Transportation Department
Boston Transportation Department
City Agency
Running block-by-block community meetings on the revised design; interim chief of streets Osgood said in October that updated designs were expected before December

The city agency responsible for Boston's streets, sidewalks, and traffic, currently leading the Blue Hill Avenue redesign.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Transit agency
Co-sponsor of the redesign; General Manager Phil Eng was subpoenaed by the Boston City Council on Oct. 21, 2026

Boston's regional public transit agency, operating the Blue Hill Avenue bus routes with the highest ridership in the system.
LivableStreets Alliance
LivableStreets Alliance
Nonprofit Advocacy Group
Ran a bus rider survey along the corridor; advocates for transit and bike improvements

A Boston nonprofit promoting transit, biking, and walking infrastructure, which surveyed riders on Blue Hill Avenue during the planning process.
Boston City Council
Boston City Council
Municipal legislature
Pressuring the MBTA over the bus lane project; subpoenaed General Manager Phil Eng on Oct. 21, 2026

Boston's 13-member elected council, which reviews city spending and has become a venue for opposition to the Blue Hill Avenue bus lane design.

Timeline

2023 October 2026

13 events Latest: October 29th, 2026 · 1 week ago Showing 8 of 13
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Subway ask routed to 25-year plan

    Latest Policy

    The MBTA places a Blue Hill Avenue Orange Line extension request in its 25-year long-range plan, while MassDOT funds a separate Orange Line study for Roslindale. The $163 million bus lane redesign keeps moving through design.

  2. Council subpoenas MBTA chief Phil Eng

    Politics

    The City Council issues a subpoena for Eng over his absence from a community meeting on the project. The MBTA says the absence was communicated in advance; a councilor disputes that.

  3. Grove Hall meeting draws subway push

    Public Meeting

    City councillors press for an Orange Line extension and object to the bus lane project, which would remove 9 of the corridor's 19 existing stops.

  4. Final September town hall in Dorchester

    Public Meeting

    Fourth and last meeting of the September series, at the Albert D. Holland School of Technology, covers the block-by-block design for the three-mile corridor.

  5. First September town hall in Mattapan

    Public Meeting

    Mayor Michelle Wu and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng present the revised design at Morning Star Baptist Church. Five residents speak in support; two raise concerns about pulled-back bike lanes.

  6. Revised plan released

    Design Update

    City publishes the $163M design: center bus lanes stay, at least two general travel lanes on about 70% of the corridor, parking up to 717 spaces from 675, and a two-way bike path on the west side only.

  7. Short-term improvements done

    Infrastructure

    Street lighting, paving, and markings upgraded between Mattapan Square and Grove Hall in advance of final design.

  8. Concept design open houses

    Public Meeting

    City presents concept designs and reports short-term repairs: 198 streetlights, refreshed crosswalks and bike lanes.

  9. Rider survey completed

    Survey

    LivableStreets collected over 500 bus rider surveys in three languages; most respondents ride exclusively by bus.

  10. Engagement report released

    Report

    City publishes community engagement findings and Streets Cabinet evaluation of design approaches.

  11. July community meeting

    Public Meeting

    City details both alternative designs and states its preferred approach; asks residents for feedback.

  12. First design scenarios presented

    Public Meeting

    City shares design metrics and two alternative scenarios; 55 residents attend, mostly bus and pedestrian users.

  13. Planning partnership announced

    Initiative

    MBTA and City of Boston launch the Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan for the three-mile corridor.

Scenarios

1

Construction begins on revised car-leaning design

Likely Resolves by Jun 1, 2027

Discussed by: City officials and Universal Hub reporting

The Transportation Department moves the revised plan through final design and procurement, breaking ground within 18 months. The center bus lanes remain the project's core feature, delivering faster bus trips, while the reduced bike lane network and added parking satisfy the business community that pressed for car access.

2

Advocacy coalition forces restoration of two-sided bike lanes

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: LivableStreets Alliance and bike advocacy groups

Transit and cycling advocates pressure the City Council and mayor to reverse the bike lane cut, arguing the one-sided layout undermines the corridor's Complete Streets goals. A revised design restores bike lanes on both sides while keeping the center bus lanes, delaying the project by 6-12 months for additional review.

3

Funding gap stalls the project

Unlikely Resolves by Jun 1, 2027

Discussed by: City budget analysts and MBTA fiscal watchdogs

The $163 million price tag exceeds available state and federal grants, and the city struggles to close the gap as other infrastructure priorities compete for funds. The project enters a holding pattern with design complete but no construction timeline, preserving the street's current layout indefinitely.

4

Subpoena fight pushes construction past 2028

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Boston city councillors critical of the bus lane design

The council's subpoena of Phil Eng turns into hearings and a public fight over the design, and the city slows or revises the project before bids go out. Construction, already not expected before 2028, slips further while the street keeps its current layout.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1950s-1970s

Boston's 1950s urban renewal and the dismantling of streetcar corridors

Boston converted several of its busiest streetcar lines, including routes along Blue Hill Avenue, to buses while widening streets for cars under federal urban renewal funding. The corridor lost its dedicated rail right-of-way and became a heavily congested mixed-traffic bus street.

Then

Auto traffic increased sharply while bus speeds declined; the corridor became notorious for slow, unreliable service.

Now

Blue Hill Avenue now carries the MBTA's highest bus ridership but with buses stuck in the same traffic as cars, a legacy of the mid-century road-first approach.

Why this matters now

Today's redesign wrestles with the same core question: whether the street serves people moving in buses or cars. The center bus lanes reverse the 1950s decision to let cars dominate, while the reduced bike infrastructure shows the limits of that reversal.

2018-2022

Seattle's RapidRide H Line (2022)

Seattle spent about $100 million redesigning a 3.5-mile corridor on Delridge Way with center-running bus lanes, new stations, and signal priority, following years of community meetings where parking and business access were the most contested issues.

Then

Bus travel times dropped by roughly 20% after opening, and ridership grew despite the pandemic.

Now

The corridor became a model for city-run bus rapid transit outside dedicated BRT systems, showing that center bus lanes can work alongside retail streets.

Why this matters now

Seattle's experience demonstrates the tradeoff Boston faces: center bus lanes deliver measurable speed gains, but only if the city resists pressure to let cars reclaim the space. Boston's smaller bike allocation mirrors similar compromises elsewhere.

2019-2020

New York's 14th Street busway (2019)

New York City converted a stretch of 14th Street in Manhattan to a bus-only street during weekday hours, banning most private cars despite fierce opposition from drivers and some businesses. The move followed years of planning where bus speeds had fallen below 4 mph.

Then

Bus ridership grew and travel times halved; pedestrian traffic increased, and most businesses saw stable or improved sales.

Now

The busway became a template for car-restricted transit streets, but its success depended on political willingness to override business and driver complaints.

Why this matters now

Boston's Blue Hill Avenue plan keeps two car lanes and adds parking rather than restricting cars outright, a middle path compared to New York's busway. The contrast shows the range of possible outcomes for transit-priority corridors and how much political capital each approach requires.

Sources

(12)
+6
Universal Hub City of Boston Boston.com WBUR Dorchester Reporter The Boston Globe MBTA Mass Daily News MBTA City of Boston Dorchester Reporter Dorchester Reporter