Local bus routes set to undergo changes

Plans to improve the Route 39 bus have been delayed yet again until the fall, while changes to the Route 66 bus will begin in 2013.

The Route 39 renovation plan, which was first proposed in 2008, includes the elimination of some stops and “bump-out” sidewalk extensions and improved amenities like new shelters and benches at others.

The long-delayed Route 39 bus renovation was scheduled to begin this spring, but is now set for the fall with completion slated for spring 2013. The most recent delay allowed the MBTA to garner more input from abutters to the project, a criticism the agency received for not doing so when it first unrolled the plan.

The MBTA will hold a meeting in Jamaica Plain on June 12 to present the plan to the public. See What’s Up listing.

According to MBTA spokesperson Lydia Rivera, the Route 66 improvements will begin in early 2013 and include bus-stop consolidation, new shelters, benches, trash barrels, signs and improved accessibility for seniors and persons with disabilities.

“The MBTA recently completed a comprehensive public process that enabled us to collect recommendations for how to best improve Route 66,” River wrote in an email. “We are now wrapping up the required engineering work necessary to implement said improvements.”

The Route 39 bus runs on Huntington and S. Huntington avenues. The Route 66 bus runs on Tremont Street and Huntington Avenue. The routes share some stops.

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