MBTA: Green Line service to be restored by Monday morning
The MBTA announced today that it intends to have the Green Line near Newton Centre restored by Monday morning.
“They had a good night,” said Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman. “They were able to get all of the water out, and now they are starting the rebuilding.”
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Pesaturo said crews are working 24 hours a day until the rebuilding is complete. Workers will now begin installing fill material, as well as installing a new drainage system to prevent flooding problems in the future.
“[The workers] will begin the installation of a 250 foot long concrete drain pipe,” Pesaturo said. “This is necessary so this never happens again. This new drainage system will divert the water from the rail bed if waters come down the slope again like they did Sunday and Monday.”
Pesaturo said the MBTA is “developing a cost analysis” for the upgraded drainage system.
When asked if the MBTA would apply for federal funds to aid the construction, Pesaturo said “no such decisions have been made.”
The time-table is an improvement from earlier estimates. Tuesday, a T official estimated it would take five to seven days.
Passengers on the Green Line’s D-branch were shuttled on buses between the Newton Highlands and Reservoir stations, adding at least 20 to 30 minutes to most commutes.
Yesterday, 20 workers built makeshift dams, employed mechanical pumps, and unloaded gravel from specially equipped dump trucks that run on T tracks in an effort to divert and pump out the water that had rushed into the pit beneath the T tracks.
The sheer size and depth of the hole suggested there had been a powerful surge of downhill water, most likely coming from the nearby Webster Conservation Area. The MBTA plans to order 500 tons of ballast and earth to fill the 12-foot deep hole, which measured 50 feet across when it finally stopped expanding early yesterday.
The T will also lay down boulder-sized rocks known as riprap to act as a retaining wall, and will install a 250-foot-long pipe to divert water permanently from the area.
At a press conference at the site, state Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan did not give a cost estimate of the project, but said the funds would come from the MBTA.
“The money will come out of the MBTA’s budget,” Mullan said. “We have contingencies set aside for these things.”
Mullan also made assurances that this fix will be for the permanent.
“This will be a permanent fix,” Mullan said. “We’re not putting the line back in service unless we’re 100% sure its safe, and that means a permanent fix.”
Mullan says the problems that arose from the storm are “unique,” and will not inspire the approach other areas seeking similar safety concerns.
“You know, this is an unheard of storm dealing with unique conditions,” Mullan said. “We are constantly walking tracks looking for issues that need remediation, but I don’t know if any special steps need to be taken other than what the MBTA safety engineers do on a daily basis.”
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