Silver Line Station Construction to Continue Through Summer

A $3.4 million federally funded project to improve stations along the Silver Line is on pace for completetion by Fall, the MBTA reported this week.

Several South End stations have already been readied for the installation of laminated glass windscreens meant to shield riders from the elements while containing heat generated by overhead units. Salem Glass will begin installing the shields within the next two weeks, the MBTA announced. Work will start at Herald Street end of Washington Street and all 14 shelters should be completed by mid-October. 

Twelve concrete bus pads have already been poured along the route, which spans the South and Roxbury. The remaining four should be completed by the end of July.

Crosswalks along the Silver Line route are also being repaired, with work scheduled on weekends only. Crosswalks at Union Park Street and West Newton Street are slated for repair on July 9, and all crosswalks should be completed by the end of August.

Bus lane painting will begin on July 11 and be completed in mid-October, depending on the weather.

The $3.4 million project, which began last fall, is funded by a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and was expected to create at least 16 new construction jobs.

Ridership on the Silver Line has increased by more than 2,000 customers per day since the introduction of service to South Station in 2009, said MBTA General Manager Richard Davey. The nine-year-old rapid transit bus line currently serves about 15,000 customers every day.

"These upgrades could not have come at a better time," Davey said in a press release.