Facing Big Dig detours, Boston schools add buses

Boston public schools will add more than two dozen buses to its fleet of 611 this fall to help cut the amount of time students are stuck in traffic stemming from the continued closure of a Big Dig tunnel.

Instead of a bus picking students up at 10 stops, for example, it may only stop at five and will shave minutes off its route, said Michael Contompasis, Boston's interim superintendent. Another bus would pick up the students at the remaining five stops.

The school system will, as usual, mail letters to parents before school starts on Sept. 7, telling them the locations of their children's bus stops. Areas most likely to be affected are South Boston, East Boston, and Charlestown, Contompasis said.

Along with extra buses, the school system has added 25 standby bus drivers. The district is still completing specifics of the plan, such as how many and which bus routes would be affected, as well as the cost, he said.

``We're in a state of unknown," Contompasis said. ``It's fluctuating."

The school bus changes are necessary because Big Dig and state highway officials expect repairs on a ramp connecting the Ted Williams Tunnel to Interstate 93 to continue after Labor Day. Traffic caused by the detours is expected to worsen once school starts.

In addition to the extra buses and drivers, the school system is directing principals to keep an adult at each school to make sure all the children have been picked up by buses. Some buses could run late on the afternoon pickups because of the traffic problems.

Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com.