MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn has expressed major concern about the Orange Line shutdown and its effect on her community, attempting to work out solutions with the MBTA.
“We have commuters asking what are alternate routes they can take, people are asking what is going to happen in West Medford, which is where we have our commuter rail,” said Lungo-Koehn..
Lungo-Koehn said she has been in constant communication with the MBTA, Mass Department of Transportation, and other Mayors about the diversion plan that has been put in place.
Lungo-Koehn asked for a bus lane to be added from Malden’s Oak Grove Station to the Wellington Station in Medford to help with traffic congestion but said the state shut down the idea, claiming adding police details along the route would be a better solution.
“Who’s gonna provide the details? Who’s going to support payment for the details? Is it going to be for peak hours? Is it going to cover the whole shift? Because there are union contracts in place,” said Lungo-Koehn. “We still do not have those answers.”
Another concern facing the Medford mayor is shuttle buses filling up in Malden and Melrose before getting to Medford. To combat this problem, Lungo-Koehn is pushing for express shuttles from Malden and Melrose stations directly into Boston.
“It’ll be frustrating to those waiting to see the full buses, and then it’ll be frustrating for the people on the buses who just have to continually go from stop to stop, when all they wanna do is get directly into Boston,” said Lungo-Koehn.
According to Lungo-Koehn, the T said they would consider the idea.
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