A busy Chelsea bus stop under the Tobin Bridge could get room for three buses at a time.

Chelsea's Traffic and Parking Commission approved the MBTA's plan at its Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting, according to Chelsea Massachusetts | 02150 News. The stop, at Third Street and Chestnut Street, serves Routes 104, 111, 112 and 114. The motion passed, though the report didn't give a vote count.

The problem: not enough curb

An MBTA project manager told the commission that the 111 runs about every five minutes and the 104 about every 15. But the stop's curb fits only one full bus and half of another. So buses end up waiting across Chestnut Street.

Why this stop matters

The 111 is one of the MBTA's busiest bus lines. In 2021, CommonWealth Beacon reported that the route runs about 6.5 miles from Everett through Revere into Chelsea, where most of its riders board. It then crosses the Tobin Bridge into Charlestown on its way to Haymarket station.

At the time, the 111 carried about 7,100 passengers on a typical weekday, roughly 68% of its pre-pandemic level. That ranked it among the top four routes in the system. Those numbers are several years old, but they show how many riders depend on the route.

What would change

The MBTA wants to lengthen the existing stop so it can hold two full buses. It would also add a third berth under the bridge, set back from the travel lane. The new berth would get lighting, a bench and a landing pad for the bus's wheelchair ramp.

A curb extension at Chestnut Street would protect the back of the second bus and shorten riders' walk across Chestnut. The crosswalk there would be repainted and get a new ramp.

The tradeoffs

One parking space on the south side of Chestnut Street will probably go, so fire trucks can turn from Chestnut onto Everett Avenue. A mountable curb is proposed at that spot.

The MBTA project manager was reluctant to propose a new crossing of Third Street, calling that intersection problematic. The MBTA has done a safety audit there. Assistant City Engineer Jorman Mota of the Department of Public Works said the city worked on the plan with the MBTA.

Where it stands

The plan is at 15% design. The MBTA asked for the commission's vote so it could finish the design and apply for permits. The goal is to build it "hopefully by next fall," which would mean fall 2027. That's a hope, not a promise.

Bigger changes could follow. A commission member said Housing and Community Development and Public Works have asked the City Council for money to design changes to the whole intersection. They hope to get that work onto the state's Transportation Improvement Program as part of rebuilding Everett Avenue. No dollar amounts were given.

Also on the agenda

The commission approved four stop signs on Highland Street, at Maverick Street and at Essex Street, covering traffic in both directions. Councillor Giovanni Recupero requested them, saying school buses and regular buses now use the street.

The commission also voted to have Public Works and Housing and Community Development study traffic calming on Summit Avenue. Councillor Deron Hines asked for traffic calming there in January. Chelsea Police measured speeds for about 100 vehicles in each direction between Lafayette Avenue and Webster Avenue. Mota said the results are "concerning enough for us to actually undertake some interventions for traffic calming." He estimated the study would take two to three months.

What to watch

Next, the MBTA needs to finish the design, apply for permits and set a construction schedule. Nothing has been built yet. The commission's vote lets the design move forward; it doesn't start construction. Money for the bigger intersection redesign has been requested, but no amounts were reported.