The MBTA resumed full service on the Green and Orange lines Sunday evening, three days after service through downtown was abruptly halted following the discovery of a deteriorating support column beneath the Government Center Garage.
The T said the column had been repaired, the work had been inspected, and the tunnels beneath the garage had been tested with trains to ensure they are safe.
“Following a comprehensive inspection of the infrastructure by internal and third party engineers and safety experts, an intensive assessment of the repair work performed, and subsequent testing of trains in the tunnels, the MBTA’s team of structural engineers have determined it is safe for both Orange and Green Line train services to resume, effective immediately,” the T said in a statement.
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The MBTA said on Saturday that it was aiming for a Monday morning return to full service on the two affected subway lines.
The column, the agency previously said, has been deteriorating from years of water damage and is one of seven that hold up the Government Center Garage, affecting the T’s infrastructure near Haymarket station.
Boston police said Sunday evening that all streets in the area had reopened.
All streets around One Congress are now open
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) June 26, 2022
The garage is being demolished to make way for a multibillion-dollar mixed-use real estate development called Bulfinch Crossing.
Upon announcing the closures, the T said that it was working with HYM Investment Group, the developer behind the demolition project, to correct the problem. On Sunday evening, the agency said the “developer has installed the necessary supports to uphold the structure.”
Based on “comprehensive inspections of the repair work,” as well as “the successful testing of trains in the tunnel” the MBTA said, “structural engineers and safety experts have deemed the structures and the surrounding infrastructure to be structurally sound.”
The trains will continue to be closely monitored during the lines’ daily operations by structural engineers, the T said.
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The developer installed the necessary supports to uphold the structure, which is key to protecting our infrastructure & service. We can't thank our riders enough for their patience during this work, & we're grateful to our workers who went above & beyond to support this effort.
— MBTA (@MBTA) June 26, 2022