Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan
As part of our Better Bus Project and Bus Transit Priority programs, we're partnering with the City of Boston on the Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan, which will redesign the corridor between Warren Street in Grove Hall and River Street in Mattapan Square.
We’ll be working on this project’s design throughout 2024. Sign up below to be informed about upcoming opportunities to participate.
About Blue Hill Avenue
Blue Hill Avenue runs through Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan, and serves 10 bus routes with some of the highest ridership in our system.
During the week, more than 40,000 people ride buses on Blue Hill Avenue every day. Collectively, they lose 3,056 hours weekly stuck in traffic.
Rider Benefits
This project will provide riders with:
- Reduced bus delays
- Improved travel times
- Improved traffic safety along the avenue
Project Features
- Improved street space for pedestrians, drivers, transit riders, and bicyclists to reduce traffic and conflict between cars and buses
- Center-running bus lanes for a faster and more reliable rider experience
- Raised platforms along the bus lanes for an easier boarding experience
- New and enhanced bus shelters
- Traffic signal upgrades to prioritize buses and reduce traffic-related delays
- Enhanced pedestrian safety by creating better visibility at crossings and shortened crossing distances
- Improved pedestrian accessibility with new and upgraded crosswalks and repaired and enhanced sidewalks
- Planting trees along the avenue
- New amenities such as better street lighting, benches, bike parking, and public art
Provide Feedback on Our Design
Our goal is to address the issues you've shared with us. These include buses slowed by traffic, safe pedestrian crossings, and double-parked cars. We’re asking for your feedback on the design, especially on the following details:
We know many riders experience long bus rides and unreliable service. Center-running bus lanes will increase bus efficiency. Raised platforms along the bus lanes will result in an easier boarding and deboarding experience. We're determining potential platform locations that will result in improved service. We want to hear what your priorities are to help us determine the location of bus stops.
Physical safety is a critical issue on Blue Hill Ave, especially for pedestrians. We've reviewed crash and safety analysis data along the corridor to identify priority areas. We want to hear more about which crossings you think need improvement and where we should create new ones.
You've requested maintained parking access. Residents and businesses need access to parking, along with faith-based institutions. In the fall of 2023, we collected extensive parking data. This informed us where parking usage is highest, where turnover is most frequent, and which areas deal with double and illegal parking.
Our goals include responsible management of stormwater and increasing trees in the corridor. We’d like to know where you think we should place trees.
We’re looking for your input on locations where you think bike parking belongs on Blue Hill Avenue.
We’re collecting general comments and feedback on other design elements. We'd like to find out where you feel we should include outdoor dining and benches.
Resources
City of Boston’s Frequently Asked Questions:
Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan Fact Sheet:
- English
- Spanish | Español
- Portuguese | Português
- Haitian Creole | Kreyòl ayisyen
- Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt
- Cape Verdean | Kabuverdianu
Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan Spring Newsletter:
Open House Meeting Presentation (June 2024)
We Want to Hear from You
You can provide your feedback in person by attending one of our Pop-up Workshops or Community Open Houses.
Pop-Up Workshops
We're holding a series of Pop-up Workshops where you can talk to team members. Join us and help inform the design of Blue Hill Ave, including bus stop locations, pedestrian crossings, parking, greenery, and more.
Community Open Houses
Join us at one of two Community Open Houses where we'll mark up plans with your ideas. You can talk to team members and help inform the design of bus stop locations, pedestrian crossings, parking, greenery, and more.
Event Type | Location | Address | Date | Time | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Event Type | Pop-up Workshop | Location | Blue Hill Ave at Mattapan Square Bus Stop * | Address | 1624 Blue Hill Ave @ Mattapan Sq | Date | Wednesday, May 29 | Time | 4 PM – 6 PM |
Event Type | Pop-up Workshop | Location | Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library | Address | 1350 Blue Hill Ave, Mattapan | Date | Thursday, May 30 | Time | 3 PM – 5 PM |
Event Type | Pop-up Workshop | Location | Blue Hill Ave at Morton St Bus Stop * | Address | 1168 Blue Hill Ave | Date | Tuesday, June 4 | Time | 4 PM – 6 PM |
Event Type | Pop-up Workshop | Location | Blue Hill Ave Commuter Rail Station * | Address | Blue Hill Avenue Station | Date | Thursday, June 6 | Time | 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
Event Type | Pop-up Workshop | Location | Walkway to the Georgia St Municipal Parking Lot (next to Flames Restaurant) * | Address | 461 Blue Hill Avenue at Georgia Street, Dorchester | Date | Wednesday, June 12 | Time | 4 PM – 6 PM |
Event Type | Open House | Location | Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library | Address | 1350 Blue Hill Ave, Mattapan | Date | Tuesday, June 25 | Time | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM |
Event Type | Open House | Location | Franklin Park - William J. Devine Golf Course Clubhouse | Address | 1 Circuit Dr, Dorchester | Date | Thursday, June 27 | Time | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM |
Event Type | Pop-up Workshop (Note: This workshop has been rescheduled from Thursday, June 20 due to a heat advisory.) | Location | Harambee Park * | Address | 930 Blue Hill Ave, Dorchester | Date | Tuesday, July 2 | Time | 5 PM – 7 PM |
* Outdoor workshops are dependent on the weather and subject to change. Please check back here prior to the event for the latest information.
Past Events
More Information
Send questions or comments to betterbusproject@mbta.com.
To learn more and sign up for project updates, please visit the City’s Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan page.
Building a Better T
As part of our $9.6 billion, 5-year capital investment plan, we're renovating stations, modernizing fare collection systems, upgrading services for our buses, subways, and ferries, and improving the accessibility of the entire system.
Better Bus Project
Bus Transit Priority
Building a Better T
As part of our $9.6 billion, 5-year capital investment plan, we're renovating stations, modernizing fare collection systems, upgrading services for our buses, subways, and ferries, and improving the accessibility of the entire system.