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Boston's Morning Newsletter
What to know about the MBTA's overlapping Green and Blue line closures in June
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
It will be hot and hazy out today, as smoke from wildfires burning in Canada blows over the region. Kyle Pederson, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Norton, told WBUR's Fausto Menard that the haze may be noticeable in the skies, but it isn't expected to cause any health issues for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions (though it could be a different story in parts of northern New England).
But first, a double whammy of MBTA closures is bearing down on riders this week, the first of which begins tonight:
On the Green Line: Starting at 8 p.m. tonight through the end of this coming weekend, all underground trolley service will be suspended. That means no service at all between North Station and Kenmore. Plus, all E branch service south of Copley will be suspended, as will all B branch service between Babcock St. and Kenmore.
- How to get around it: There'll be free shuttle buses replacing the suspended part of the B branch, as well as from Kenmore to Back Bay stations. For service between there and North Station, the T suggests taking the Orange Line. The 39 bus (which runs parallel to the Green Line's E branch), 57 bus and Worcester commuter rail between South Station and Lansdowne will be fare-free during the diversion.
- FYI: Fare gates will be left open at Kenmore, and it will also be free to board Green Line trolleys at all surface-level stops west of Kenmore.
- Why is it happening? Routine maintenance and inspections.
On the Blue Line: Saturday marks the beginning of a nine-day closure of about two thirds of the Blue Line. From June 7 through June 15, service will be suspended from the line's southern terminus at Bowdoin up to Orient Heights in East Boston.
- How to get around it: Free shuttles will stop at all closed stations, besides Bowdoin, which is a quarter-mile walk from Government Center. They'll also stop at Haymarket and State Street for riders who want to connect to the Orange Line. Just note the shuttles will only run in the inbound direction downtown, so riders will need to board at Government Center to go toward East Boston.
- If you're headed to the airport, you can still take Blue Line shuttles to connect to Logan Airport buses at Airport station, but the station itself will be closed. Check out this map for reference.
- Psst: The East Boston ferry, as well as all Blue Line service north of Orient Heights, will be free to ride during the partial closure.
- Why is it happening? No, not that sinkhole. Similar to the Green Line disruption, the T said the reason is planned maintenance and inspections.
On Beacon Hill: House lawmakers are expected to vote on (i.e. pass) a bill today that would reshape Massachusetts' embattled Cannabis Control Commission — and, some argue, the state's legal marijuana industry as a whole. Here's what to know:
- Commission reforms: The bill would shrink the CCC's five-person commission to three, and give the governor power to appoint all three members. It would also give more power to the commission's chair. The proposal comes as the commission is already down to three members (after its last chair was fired and another commissioner unexpectedly resigned), bogging down work on promised regulations to allow cannabis cafes and other social consumption sites.
- Industry reforms: The bill also eases some rules for marijuana businesses and consumers. It doubles the maximum limit on individual retail purchases from 1 to 2 ounces. And it gets rid of the rule that medical marijuana dispensaries have to grow all the cannabis they sell. But perhaps the most controversial change is increasing the cap on licenses a company can own from three to six.
- Go deeper: WBUR's Walter Wuthmann has more on the reasoning behind the license cap increase and why small marijuana businesses are speaking out.
P.S.— Massachusetts education leaders have some homework for you. After voters decided to drop the MCAS as the state's high school graduation requirement last fall, Gov. Maura Healey tasked a Statewide Graduation Council with developing recommendations for a new standard. This week, the council released a seven-to-10 minute survey asking residents for their thoughts. It's open through June 30.
