The Boston City Council is sending an official summons to Massachusetts Department of Transportation Interim Secretary and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, calling on him to provide information about the proposed center-running bus lane on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan and Dorchester.

Councilor Miniard Culpepper, who filed the summons, said during the council’s Wednesday meeting that he wanted Eng to address questions about the project’s civil rights implications, given that it runs through a predominantly non-white community.

Culpepper and Councilor Brian Worrell have called for an extension of the Orange Line instead of the new bus lane, replacing the elevated train that used to service the area until it was removed in the 1970s over opposition from residents.

“That was really the heart of the community. That was the way we got downtown. We lost that,” Culpepper said Wednesday. “When I look at the civil rights implications of rail around the city ... I consider it not just a civil rights issue, but a serious civil rights issue.”

The Blue Hill Avenue redesign has faced years of public criticism, including worries that new bus and bike lanes could slow traffic and parking changes could hurt local businesses.

Mayor Michelle Wu and MBTA officials, however, argue that the change is necessary to speed up public transit access in the neighborhood. The three-mile stretch carries the highest bus ridership in the MBTA system, around 40,000 passengers each day, MassLive previously reported. But busy traffic and double- and triple-parked cars often slows bus routes.

The boulevard lacks a dedicated bus lane that would allow a freer flow of public transit, potentially saving 15 minutes of travel time for bus riders at rush hour, according to MBTA estimates.

The most recent proposed design includes a bus lane running down the center of Blue Hill Avenue, with adjacent bus stop islands. It maintains at least two travel lanes for cars along about 75% of the street and installs a two-way bike path separated from traffic.

The project has secured $124 million in local, state and federal funding. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 and proceed in phases over three years.

Last week, the City Council Committee on Civil Rights, chaired by Culpepper, held a hearing at Prince Hall in Dorchester to discuss the civil rights implications of the plan, as well as explore the possibility of an Orange Line extension. Eng was invited to attend but did not respond, according to Culpepper.

The T’s general manager has attended two community meetings hosted by the city to discuss the project with the public. However, some councilors argued Wednesday that there was a difference between a community meeting and an official hearing of the City Council.

“Public hearings allow us to have conversations that get items on the record,” said Councilor Julia Mejia. “I don’t care how many times you talk to someone. If it’s not officially on the record, it doesn’t mean anything.”

The summons was ultimately approved with eight councilors in favor. Two councilors, Sharon Durkan and Gabriela Coletta Zapata, voted against it, while three more — John Fitzgerald, Enrique Pepén and Ben Weber — abstained.

Durkan said that she had mostly avoided speaking publicly about the Blue Hill Avenue project as it is not in her district, but argued that the city should be acting on any initiative that has been promised federal funding.

“The summons power that we have is incredibly important, so we should be choosy in the way that we use that power,” she added. “I don’t want to make a mockery of the summons process.”

An MBTA spokesperson reiterated in a statement Wednesday that Eng had participated in previous community meetings about the project, and said the agency had informed the City Council that he was unavailable on the day of last week’s hearing.

“The MBTA is reviewing the City Council’s request and is committed to continuing to engage with the City and the community on this important project,” they said.

©2026 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit masslive.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.