Tobin Bridge Bus Lane Pilot Begins: What To Know

BOSTON, MA – On Monday traffic will look different as a dedicated bus lane opens southbound on the Tobin Bridge to help with crowding and delays on the Route 111 bus route.

The year-long pilot is part of the MBTA’s Rapid Response Bus Lane program that was tasked with identifying routes, such as Route 111, that have seen some of the highest rates of bus ridership since March and experience above-average chronic delay.

As of November, Route 111’s ridership is about 73 percent of its pre-pandemic levels for the same time period, but it still ranked third highest ridership routes in the MBTA bus system.

“We are piloting the idea of a preferential lane for the MBTA’s 111 route and the lane’s success will be evaluated after collecting data on bus travel times, crowding, and ridership, along with how safe the dedicated lane is for all travelers,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack in a statement. “We’ve been pleased at how receptive in general that community members have been during the pandemic to rethinking how public space is used, and we believe this is an opportune time to try a dedicated lane for buses traveling southbound over the Tobin Bridge and toward City Square Tunnel.”

The pilot will be in place for a year and then officials will analyze how it impacted travel time, operations, crowding, and ridership on the bus. They'll also evaluate non-bus traffic volumes, travel time and safety to determine if the pilot should become permanent.

Extending 1.1 miles, the dedicated bus lane begins after the Everett Avenue on-ramp merge in Chelsea and extends across the Tobin Bridge, ending just before the City Square Tunnel in Charlestown.