Local News

Blue Hill Avenue will look a lot different after a $44 million renovation, city says

The Roxbury/Dorchester artery will follow in Jamaica Plain's footsteps with center-running bus lanes.

A cyclist navigates traffic and parked vehicles within a poorly-painted bike lane on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan Square in 2022. Lane Turner/Globe Staff

By Molly Farrar

February 28, 2024

2 minutes to read

Blue Hill Avenue will be getting a much-needed facelift this year ahead of a complete redesign of the busy corridor that will cut commute time for bus riders in half, the city announced.

$44 million — from the City of Boston, the MBTA, and a federal grant — will be invested into the dangerous stretch of Blue Hill Avenue from River Street to Warren Street.

Boston will invest $18 million on top of a $15 million RAISE Grant from the Department of Transportation. The MBTA will contribute $11 million.

“This substantial investment in Blue Hill Avenue is a vital opportunity to make the corridor safer and smoother for the residents and commuters who depend on it daily,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement.

Residents will see short term improvements this spring before a full reconstruction, including center-running bus lanes, in 2026.

The yellow line, from River Street north to Warren Street, marks the stretch of Blue Hill Avenue that will be reconstructed. – Google Maps.

Much-needed work done this spring

Blue Hill Avenue is not safe, residents have said — and the city acknowledged. It’s one of the most dangerous streets in Boston, and every three days, a crash there requires emergency medical services, the city said.

“Safety would be the biggest concern,” a resident told city officials. “My bus stop, we don’t have a crosswalk, so you take the chance of running across the street.”

Residents will begin to see “state of good repair work” soon. This means repainting crosswalks and other markings, improved street lighting, and repaving damaged roads and sidewalks. The city also said they’ll add median green infrastructure, speed humps, and more pothole maintenance.

Bus riders will see other “near term” improvements like new shade structures and green roofs on bus shelters.

As pot holes get filled and crosswalks get painted this spring, the city will begin planning in earnest for more substantial changes.

Center-running bus lanes in 2026

The redesign will follow in Columbus Avenue’s footsteps. In 2021, the Jamaica Plain thoroughfare from Franklin Park to Jackson Square added the first center-running bus lanes in New England.

Blue Hill Avenue — home to the fare-free 28 bus — sees more than 37,000 bus riders every weekday, which is more commuters than any one Green Line branch, the city said. With the new center bus lane, a trip from Grove Hall to Mattapan Square will take 25 minutes. The trip currently takes one hour.

One rendering shows a median bus shelter.

One of the potential designs for Blue Hill Avenue. City of Boston – City of Boston.

And, parking isn’t going away. In fact, most curbside parking will likely stay along the avenue with buses in the center lanes. This spring, the city plans to go block by block to consider wider sidewalks, more crosswalks, travel lanes, bike facilities, green space, and parking spaces.

There should be room for all, according to the city.

“Our neighborhoods deserve this kind of generational investment in their health, wealth, and well-being, and I am proud to play a part in the transformation of the corridor,” Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said in a statement.