MILTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Work got underway Monday night to demolish a set of stairs that have fallen into disrepair at the MBTA’s Milton station, with crews seen in the area completing set-up work ahead of several days of planned demolition.
The stairs have been closed off for years. Now, as crews move to tear them down, some in Milton are raising concerns about the T’s plans.
Work is scheduled to last three days, with demolition running from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
Shuttle buses will replace service along the Mattapan Trolley each night beginning at 8:45 p.m. while the work goes on.
The T’s demolition plans are part of an 8-10 year restoration project along the Mattapan Line, which includes the Milton station.
The T has said it will “urgently move forward with design work for the new Milton station.” The work, the T said, will include a path that is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act “to travel in the area where this staircase is located.”
In the interim, the T said, passengers will be able to access the Milton station from Wharf Street.
Officials including State Sen. Walter Timilty have criticized the T and its plans.
“The MBTA once again is demonstrating not just incompetence but arrogance,” Timilty, who represents the area, said this week.
Milton sued the MBTA to get the stairs fixed in October. The T has decided to tear the stairs down.
With demolition beginning, state and municipal leaders have said there is no plan to replace the stairs.
“I think it’s an absolute disgrace,” Timilty said.
The T said in a statement that it considered the concerns of local and state leaders. It said the demolition will continue, though, because of the risk the stairs pose to public safety.
Other stairs along the Red Line have been removed in recent years.
In Dorchester, a rusted staircase near the JFK/UMass station was removed in 2021 after a Boston University professor died in an apparent fall.
The JFK/UMass stairs had been closed for 20 months prior to the incident involving the professor, according to state police.
Back in Milton, many are hoping for improvements.
“If they’re going to do something different, have something for the handicapped so they have a way to get down here so they can use the trolley as well,” neighbor Koi Lartey said.
Town officials have said demolition work will use a hydraulic hammer. As a result, officials have warned residents that the work could be noisy.
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