Route 28 bus

On Tuesday, state Sen. Jack Hart said that the lawmakers had extended their deadline for a commitment from EOT about continuing community input into any 28X planning to noon yesterday. The legislators will request the funding application be withdrawn if a commitment is not made, he said.  Read more

The future of Blue Hill Ave. and the fate of $140 million in federal funds remains unclear after a Monday meeting at which elected officials and community members once again voiced their disapproval of how the neighborhoods along the Blue Hill Ave. corridor have been treated by the Patrick administration’s top transportation officials.  Read more

The community discussion over whether the state’s Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) should seek federal dollars to establish an express bus route along Blue Hill Avenue is now in its fifth month.  Read more

The state Executive Office of Transportation held a community meeting concerning the controversial 28X Blue Hill Ave. enhancement at the Mildred Ave. Community Center on Monday followed by a second meeting at the Dudley Branch Library on Wednesday. These were the final public meetings held before the EOT submits its application on Sept. 15.

Planners presented project concepts to a crowd that seemed to be overwhelmingly opposed to the 28X enhancement, an atmosphere EOT officials have struggled in since the first meetings in June.  Read more

The Executive Office of Transportation held another meeting last Thursday concerning the controversial 28X line, this time with a newly organized advisory group of concerned community leaders and activists from neighborhoods along the 28 bus route. The meeting, at the recently opened Grove Hall Branch library, was the first of a series of focused advisory group meetings planned for this month.  Read more

Transportation Secretary James Aloisi had his Charlie Card at the ready as he boarded the 28 bus in Mattapan Square on Wednesday morning. The main bus route from Mattapan to Roxbury had one more commuter than usual Wednesday morning as state Secretary of Transportation James Aloisi Jr. rode the Rt. 28 bus and spoke with riders about controversial changes he has planned for the Blue Hill Ave. corridor.

Accompanied by state senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Aloisi ate breakfast at Brother's Café in Mattapan Square before hopping on the bus for the ride to the Dudley Square Silverline station. “I don’t think people have paid attention to this neighborhood for a long time, so people are a bit skeptical, when we come in with this big idea,” Aloisi said.  Read more

Clarissa Hatchel and her son Jaheim think the plan "just might work"

“I pressed the ‘stop,’ don’t cha know, driver!” called a woman from the back of the bus.

Everyone along the MBTA’s Route 28 bus route seems to have a story about the almost hour-long ordeal that is a ride between the line’s terminal stations, Mattapan Square and Ruggles -- from overcrowding to unreliable schedules to missed stops to a strong sense of insecurity.

The Mass. Executive Office of Transit has set out to rectify the long-standing criticisms of the 28 line with its proposed 28X enhancement project, designed to streamline the crowded, often chaotic route. At four community meetings last month, community members voiced concerns about the construction, noise, safety, parking, and the effect of the undertaking on local businesses. The overall sentiment reflected a lack of trust between the community and the T.  Read more

The state’s Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) held a meeting at the Mildred Ave. Community Center in Mattapan on Tuesday regarding the MBTA service developments in Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester, most notably the proposed 28X express bus line.  Read more

When the Patrick administration rolled out a plan to “enhance” the Route 28 bus line along Blue Hill Ave two months ago, it came as a surprise to many civic, business, and political leaders in Mattapan. And the fact that it was not immediately hailed as a major triumph locally was a harbinger of what has followed.  Read more

The MBTA and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) held a community meeting at the Mildred Ave. community center on Tuesday regarding the T’s plans to revive a stalled transit-oriented development (TOD) project at Mattapan Station. The initiative is aimed at bringing new mixed-use commercial and residential buildings into Mattapan Square. The transit agency hopes that the development will be built on and adjacent to the current site of the Mattapan Station parking lot, the approximately 2.5 acre asphalt area to the north east of the station.  Read more