Traffic lighter than expected on first weekday commute of Orange Line shutdown
BOSTON – Massachusetts Department of Transportation highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver said traffic has been lighter than expected as the MBTA faced a big test during the Monday morning commute.
Gulliver spoke to WBZ-TV as shuttle buses made their way along the Orange Line route during a weekday commute for the first time since the month-long shutdown began.
"So far things are looking pretty good out there," Gulliver said. "The traffic is lighter than we expected, which means we can thank people who really listened and limited their trips today and hopefully will continue to do so throughout the duration."
Gulliver said the shuttle buses seem to be moving "really well" throughout the Orange Line route.
"We're happy people are respecting those bus lanes. That's something that's going to be really important as this continues on," Gulliver said. "Those bus lanes and those bus turning lanes, those are reserved for the buses and emergency vehicles and first responders only, so we're really asking motorists to be mindful of that throughout this whole week."
Gulliver said it's important for drivers to remember that the shuttle buses have a wider turn radius than MBTA buses.
People are asked to commute outside of peak hours if they are able to while the Orange Line is out of service.
"You can expect that there's going to be a lot of extra people on the roadways in general throughout this Orange Line area," Gulliver said. "We have to displace the number of people by implementing these bus lanes. Expect there's going to be more congestion than usual. Plan ahead, really be careful. Take your time on this. When you're out there we want you to be safe."