By Zack Sampson and Colin Young, News Staff
The MBTA detailed plans earlier this month of how it will improve the Route 39 bus, a key connector of Mission Hill and the Northeastern campus and a staple of many students’ daily routines.
The proposal is part of the authority’s broader Key Bus Route Improvement Program, and calls for reduced stops, added bus shelters and more reliable service, according to a slideshow posted on the MBTA’s website.
“The goal of the Key Bus Route Improvement Program is to improve the overall quality of service for customers on these Key Bus Routes by reducing trip times; enhancing customer comfort, convenience and safety; and making the bus service more reliable and cost-effective,” the MBTA said in its description of the initiative.
The buses travel from Forest Hills to Back Bay with a total route length of less than five miles. According to the transit authority, there are more than 14,000 daily boardings on the buses, which run every six to 12 minutes. The MBTA lists the 39 as its second-busiest route.
Northeastern students frequently use the service as they shuttle from off-campus housing on Mission Hill to the main campus for classes.
The MBTA intends to quicken the 39 bus route by improving traffic signals and reducing the number of stops. Among the stops that would be cut is the inbound site at Parker Street.
The authority also hopes to provide more comfort to its customers by adding 11 benches, 29 trash barrels and as many as 10 shelters along the route.
“It would be great if the bus came more often,” Zacorah Jackman, a graduate student, said. “I guess I would use a bus shelter, but I never really thought about it.”
An outbound shelter would be added at the intersection of Huntington Avenue and Louis Prang Street, and inbound and outbound shelters would be placed in the heart of campus at 360 Huntington Avenue. The construction of shelters is contingent on abutter approval, according to the MBTA.
Northeastern spokeswoman Renata Nyul declined to comment on the MBTA’s plan.
In a schedule described in the slideshow, the MBTA said it intends to hire a contractor this summer, start construction in the fall and finish all alterations in the spring of 2013. The authority said bus service will not be disrupted during construction beyond minor inconveniences with temporary stops and sidewalks closures, and it will notify community members in advance of changes.
The “Key Bus Route Improvement Program” entails enhancements to 15 routes, according to the MBTA, and it is funded by a $10 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant.
