Report: Poor MBTA Planning Cost $11M, According To Audit

A state audit has found that the MBTA wasted more than $11 million on three major station renovation projects because it failed to craft more thorough designs and get community input earlier in the planning process.

The state auditor's report released this week said last-minute changes in the projects for Kenmore, Maverick and Ashmont stations, including extra stairways, larger elevators and a new roof deck, cost much more than if they had been included in the initial plans.

The three station renovations cost a total of almost $147 million.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials tell The Boston Globe the agency's planning processes have changed in the years since those projects began, pointing to more transparency and the significant role now given to community meetings.