MBTA Project Update
By Tara Hughes
September 30. The MBTA gave a project update to the Select Board at their last meeting on September 26. While construction is ongoing, they came before the board to discuss a number of delays, some accommodations they may request, phased opening schedule and an upcoming virtual public meeting they will hold on October 4 from 6 to 7:30. To watch the meeting go here: https://wincam.org/programs/ondemand/ To review the presentation go here: https://www.winchester.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/4599?fileID=13879
The construction delays have been caused by a required change in plumbing materials from PVC to cast iron (requiring news permits and generally causing a delay of months), pandemic supply chain issues with regard to their Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) platform manufacturer and an Automatic Train Control (ATC) outage to replace and test the system that has caused the redirection of trains to the tracks they are working on requiring them to stop work and vacate the track area more frequently.
As accommodations to help mitigate the delays, the MBTA will be asking for expanded work hours (including select night work from late night until 4:00am-5:00am, weekends and holidays), an extension of temporary easements that expire March 1, 2024 and a potential increase in police details. They did however indicate that they would have a better idea regarding the necessary accommodations in about a month.
In addition, in order to alleviate the effect of the delays, they are planning to do a phased opening. The first phase will be a partial opening in July of 2024 of the south half of the platforms with 2 elevators, return of the parking in the Aberjona and Waterfield lots and a completion of the work on Waterfield Road. The second phase will be a full station opening with Laraway Road and parking returning to full service in November of 2024.
For more information and to register for the virtual public meeting on October 4, please visit https://www.mbta.com/events/2023-10-04/public-meeting-winchester-station-construction-update-virtual?mibextid=Zxz2cZ