Roxbury: Blue Hill Avenue bus-lane plan faces Orange Line push

Blue Hill Avenue’s redesign is back in the spotlight in Roxbury and Mattapan. Boston councilors Miniard Culpepper and Brian Worrell want the MBTA to drop the center-running bus-lane plan and instead study an Orange Line extension from Ruggles Station to Mattapan Square.

For Roxbury residents, the immediate issue is the current Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan. Boston says the project covers Blue Hill between Warren Street in Grove Hall and River Street in Mattapan Square, and the city lists the project phase as design, not construction.

Boston’s own materials also say some Mattapan Square decisions are still open, including whether the corridor should have center-running bus lanes and a direct left turn for buses into Mattapan Station. The city also says it will only spend public money on a project with public support.

What the councilors are asking for

A March 4 City Council resolution asks the MBTA and the city to cancel the proposed center-running bus lanes and redirect the money to continue Boston’s fare-free bus program on Routes 23, 28, and 29. WBUR and NBC Boston both report that the subway-extension idea is drawing pushback from transit advocates and state officials, who say it lacks a funding source, timeline, and operations plan.

For people along Blue Hill Avenue, the practical stakes are bus reliability, traffic flow, safety, and access to Mattapan Station. For now, the bus-lane redesign is the active project; the Orange Line concept is still just a proposal.

Sources

• Boston.gov: Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan
• Boston City Council Legislation Details 2026-0483
• WBUR: Boston city councilors propose subway extension instead of center bus lane for Blue Hill Ave
• NBC Boston: Amid bus lane pushback, Boston city councilors propose Orange Line extension