MBTA officials say workers are putting the finishing touches on the new central Columbus Avenue bus run, which is slated to open for service later this month.
Boston’s first central bus lane will operate between Walnut Avenue (on the northern edge of Franklin Park) and Jackson Square Orange Line Station, and will benefit MBTA bus routes 22 and 44.
The T estimates that by eliminating conflicts with other traffic and parked vehicles along the curbs, the center bus will save drivers 4 to 7 minutes each time they travel down the corridor.
Under current bus timetablesBus 22 takes 30 to 40 minutes to travel between Ashmont and Ruggles. T officials say these timetables could possibly be adjusted to take into account the time saved by the new bus lanes.
In addition to new red paving materials on the bus lanes themselves (picture above), work on 8 new bus platforms along the corridor is almost complete.
Here is the new bus stop on Dimock Street, south of Egleston Square:
According to a presentation earlier this week at a public meeting for T, these new bus stops represent a new “gold standard” bus stop design that the MBTA intends to introduce on other dedicated bus corridors across the region.
One of the standout features of the new stops are these large screens that show drivers real-time arrival and departure information:
The city of Boston and MBTA are already planning a northern extension of the busway from Jackson Square to Ruggles.
This extension, which would continue north on Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street, is Boston’s busiest bus corridor with four of the busiest bus routes on the MBTA system: the fifteen, the 22nd, the 23, and the 28.
