City of Somerville & MBTA Move to Improve Bus Service on East Broadway

The City of Somerville and the MBTA are installing a series of quick-build traffic changes on Broadway east of McGrath Highway to improve bus service and roadway safety for all users. 

This summer, the City will install dedicated bus lanes on both sides of Broadway between McGrath Highway and Minnesota Avenue, extending the existing bus lanes by about two-tenths of a mile. To complement this work, the MBTA will consolidate and relocate a number of bus stops on Broadway between McGrath Highway and Pennsylvania Avenue. The City is also lengthening bus stops and relocating obstructions to ensure the remaining stops are accessible and that buses can reach the curb.

Buses will serve the new stops on both routes 89 and 101 starting in mid-July. Bus stop changes include: 

• Routes 89 and 101 Eastbound (toward Sullivan Square)

  • Broadway at Cross St. will be relocated further west between Autumn St. and Cross St. 

  • Broadway at Glen St. and Broadway at Franklin St. will be combined into a new stop between Glen St. and Cutter Ave. 

  • Broadway at MacArthur St. will be removed.

• Routes 89 and 101 Westbound (toward Davis Square) 

  • Broadway at Indiana Ave. and Broadway at Michigan Ave. will be combined into a new stop at Illinois Ave. 

  • Broadway at Kensington Ave. will be removed.

Improving bus service is key to delivering more equitable transit and making the bus a more desirable option for all residents. After Broadway’s existing bus lanes were painted between Main Street and McGrath Highway in 2019, average bus ridership increased by 30% and more people used buses on weekends than before the bus lanes were installed. By extending the bus lanes and consolidating stops, the City and MBTA intend to shorten ride times and improve reliability for more than 4,500 people taking the 101 and 89 buses daily, which have the second- and fourth-highest ridership, respectively, of all bus routes in Somerville. 

“All Somerville residents need safe, reliable transit options, and these changes on East Broadway will go a long way toward improving bus service for thousands of riders,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “Better buses mean safer roads, more equitable transit, and a healthier environment for people in East Somerville and across the region. I thank the MBTA for their collaboration as we work together to ensure our public transit is truly working for the public good.”

“The MBTA has great municipal partners who continue to collaborate with us on improving bus services, and we’re grateful to the City of Somerville for building on the success of the 2019 Broadway project to now extend the dedicated bus lanes,” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “This will add to the reliability benefits already felt by riders on Routes 89 and 101 every day, improve bus service for more of East Somerville’s residents, bring riders to their destinations more quickly, and bring riders closer to the Orange Line at Sullivan Square faster. We thank Somerville for their partnership, and the Commonwealth for their investment and first-phase design support.”

“East Somerville is at a transit crossroads,” said Ward 1 City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin. “It’s the entryway to Boston and train services from Sullivan Square and the new Green Line station. Thousands of people from Somerville and the surrounding area pass through by car and bus. We need to make public transit a more viable option to address congestion, safety, and the environment.”

In addition to bus service improvements, the City will install new paint and signage at intersections on Broadway between McGrath Highway and Mt. Pleasant Street to mark existing parking restrictions established by local and state law. This strategy, known as “clear corners,” is a quick, low-cost way to improve safety at intersections. In Somerville, local law prohibits parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk and state law prohibits parking within 20 feet of an intersection. Marking that space with white paint and signage will help keep corners clear of parked cars, which increases visibility for people driving, reduces the likelihood of crashes, and improves safety for people crossing the street. Broadway has some of the highest crash totals of any street in the city, so these changes are designed to make immediate safety improvements where they’re needed the most.

To learn more about the changes on Broadway, go to somervillema.gov/eastbroadway and mbta.com/bus. For more information about the clear corners initiative and other traffic-calming strategies in Somerville, go to somervillema.gov/trafficcalming.

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.