Hitting the road? MassDOT identifies top areas of concern as Orange Line shutdown ramps up

BOSTON — State transportation officials are warning the public of heavy traffic congestion in certain areas as commuters navigate the 30-day Orange Line shutdown and the partial closure of the Green Line.

Be prepared to sit in heavier traffic than usual if plan on driving in and around the Boston area, especially after Labor Day when students return to class for the new school year, MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver told Boston 25 News.

The shutdown of the subway line got its first real test Monday with hundreds of shuttle buses on hand to transport subway riders along the Orange and Green lines.

For the most part, the morning commute seemed to go off with few issues, according to Gulliver.

“So far this morning things are going well. We’re seeing shuttle buses moving, traffic seems to be moving,” Gulliver said. “All-in-all fingers crossed that this continues to be manageable.”

Gulliver also highlighted a number of trouble spots on the roads that transportation officials made note of.

“The areas that we expected to be trouble spots are trouble spots...Wellington Circle, Leverett Circle, Sullivan Square to name a few are some of the big ones,” Gulliver said. “We are seeing some congestion on the usual hot spots on 93 and Route 1.”

Gulliver noted that there was an uptick in traffic on the Southeast Expressway over the weekend as well.

Gulliver said his highway operation staff is monitoring the evolving situation and changes will be implemented if need be.

“We will deploy some police details if necessary to pull traffic through, but again so far so good,” Gulliver explained. “I do want to stress that this is the first day and its very hard to draw conclusions from it.”

Gulliver said the state is preparing for higher traffic volumes in the coming days and a major jump in congestion right after Labor Day.

“Really, so far, people seem to heeding our advice and staying away,” Gulliver said. “If you’re seeing light traffic, don’t expect to see that light traffic again tomorrow...If you do have to be on the road, we’re really urging drivers to be careful, be patient, and plan ahead.”

The Orange Line is slated to reopen on Sept. 18.

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