This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Suffolk chapter.
Unless you’ve been hiding out under a rock the last few weeks, you’ve probably heard about the latest news that will affect nearly every member of the Suffolk community: the closing of Government Center station. Not only is this station central for Suffolk students, but for many others working and commuting in this area as well, as more than 11,000 commuters use this T station daily.
Starting in late August to early September, Government Center subway station will be shut down for two years for an estimated $90 million project to renovate and rebuild part of this busy Scollay Square station. The renovation is Government Center’s first modernization in over 50 years, so you could say that it is overdue. The most dramatic change will be a tall, glass-lined station entrance, or “headhouse,” emerging from City Hall Plaza, as depicted below.
MBTA officials say that they will provide buses to alleviate the hassle while the station is closed. The route will stop at Government Center, Haymarket, and State stations (although they did not specify where this bus route will start). Bowdoin Station (blue line), which is normally closed on weekends and after 6:30pm on weekdays, will be kept open on a trial basis on weekends and stay open later on weekdays.
Talk about a mess! As if Park Street wasn’t already a nightmare, imagine the busy, cramped hell of a place it will be now as the sole station in this area.
The MBTA and Boston officials realize what an incredible inconvenience closing one of Boston’s main stations is. State transportation Secretary Richard Davey stated, “We certainly don’t take station closures lightly. We know it’s not ideal, but we thought it was in the best interest of our customers.” The T considered keeping Government Center station open, but projected that it would cost an additional $16 million and would take an extra 15 months to complete if they were to do so.
Most Bostonians are obviously not happy about the closing and if you’ve ever experienced any kind of construction, you know that they never complete the projects on time and it always costs way more than anticipated. Need us even bring up what happened with the Big Dig? – I didn’t think so. Happy traveling, Boston!