Mayor Wu makes some temporary street changes permanent after Orange Line shutdown

Mayor Michelle Wu (center) spoke with Johnny Hennessey while riding the Orange Line on Monday.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said Tuesday that a number of temporary street changes implemented in Boston during the Orange Line shutdown will be made permanent.

The changes remaining in place, Wu’s office said in a statement, include a new Chinatown bus stop; bus lanes in the Copley Square area; loading and drop off zones in the South End; pavement marking and signage in Jamaica Plain; and a bus and bike priority lane on Huntington Avenue.

A pop-up bike lane on Columbus Avenue, the statement said, will “remain until early December and then be removed for the season,” while Blue Bike docks added during the shutdown will stick around with minor modifications as needed.

In addition, Wu’s office said, closing a stretch of Boylston Street during the shutdown between Armory and Lamartine streets improved safety along the Southwest Corridor. Now, the statement said, Boylston’s reopening along that stretch as a one-way street.

“Reopening this stretch as a one-way street from Amory to Lamartine for vehicles will support long-term bike connectivity plans, improve safety for all modes, and reduce conflict at the high crash intersection of Boylston and Lamartine Streets,” the statement said.

Wu said the changes have eased traffic congestion and increased transit access.

“Over the last 30 days, our City teams have been focused on measuring what’s working so we could ensure continual improvement during a stressful time of the Orange Line shutdown,” Wu said in the statement. “We’re keeping in place some of the changes that have helped with traffic flow and transit access, so that commuters will see lasting benefit above ground even as the subway comes back online. I’m so proud of the Boston Transportation Department for their hard work during this unprecedented event, and grateful to commuters across the region for their patience and input.”

Wu’s words were echoed in the statement by Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the city’s chief of streets.

“The past 30 days provided an opportunity to create new ways to use our public spaces to ease how residents move within the City,” Franklin-Hodge said. “We look forward to working with the community to take the lessons learned and apply them to future infrastructure projects that will enhance public space and improve mobility for pedestrians, people on bikes, and transit riders.”