Grand Prix race would block Silver Line’s airport bus route during Labor Day travel
The planned course for the Grand Prix of Boston’s IndyCar race Labor Day weekend would block the MBTA’s Silver Line service to Logan Airport, creating potential airport transit woes during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The Silver Line—the most direct public transit option between South Station and the airport—will require yet-to-be-finalized route adjustments to avoid the headache, MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola said.
The Grand Prix is under pressure to reach agreements with various state agencies before it can finalize its IndyCar race in Boston’s Seaport District.
The proposed course would disrupt access to the Massport Haul Road, which surrounds the Silver Line Way Station. Silver Line buses turn right onto the road to meet the Massachusetts Turnpike en route to the airport. Another Silver Line route that takes passengers to the Design Center would also be affected.
Asked whether organizers have a plan for addressing the blocked Silver Line routes, Grand Prix spokesman Sean Flanagan said in an email: “I can tell you there is a plan and we are working on it with the MBTA.’’
Flanagan said he could not provide any further information, but that adjusting the race route is not currently on the table. DePaola said a strategy for dealing with the interruption has yet to be determined.
“We haven’t really worked out an operational plan for that yet,’’ he told Boston.com. “We will do our best when we need to do it.’’
DePaola said one option is to run regular buses from South Station to the airport over the race weekend, bypassing the Seaport for trips to Logan. Meanwhile, Silver Line buses could make an abbreviated run from South Station into the Seaport. That would still allow air travelers to get from South Station to the airport, and it would allow the T to haul people from South Station to the Grand Prix, he said.
“That way you could feed people to this race event,’’ he said.
DePaola said doing so would be “an expense’’ for the cash-strapped T—or whoever paid for it—because the T would have to bring in buses to run to the airport.
While the Seaport has routes to the turnpike that don’t require using the blocked road, Silver Line buses cannot make the necessary turns once they emerge out of the tunnel from South Station. That’s because they are powered by overhead wiring called a catenary system until they reach Silver Line Way Station, at which point they switch to diesel power. The buses cannot detach from the catenary sooner, DePaola said.
“I don’t know how you would take it off the catenary arm,’’ he said. “That would be problematic.’’
City officials have urged Grand Prix organizers to reach agreements with state agencies who control parts of the course within two weeks.
Organizers are in discussions with agencies including the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Massport and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Michael Verseckes, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said race organizers met with MassDOT and MBTA officials Wednesday. He said they need to show how they would address a number of transportation factors, including “potential effects on existing T service,’’ before the agency can issue the necessary permit.
Lauren Grymek, executive director of the nonprofit Seaport Transportation Management Association, which advocates for the neighborhood’s transportation needs, said she is “not concerned yet’’ about the need for Silver Line route adjustments. She said the T has had to draw up alternative routes for the line when it has closed the Silver Line tunnel for repairs.
According to an MBTA spokesman, 3,760 people typically take the Silver Line to Logan on Fridays, 2,410 on Saturdays, and 2,540 on Sundays. The spokesman could not provide specific Labor Day weekend data. The airport is also accessible by public transportation using the Blue Line and the T’s ferry system.
The busiest stops on the MBTA:
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