'Structural Issue' At Gov't Center Closes Parts Of Green, Orange Lines

BOSTON — Things at the MBTA keep going from bad to worse. Shuttle buses now have to replace parts of the Green and Orange Lines Friday morning after a 'structural weakness' was found in the support columns.

The company in charge of tearing down the Government Center Garage to make way for a new residential tower first detected the weakness in Haymarket Square early Friday morning and pulled the trigger to stop the MBTA from continuing service around it

Green Line service between Government Center and the Lechmere station has been suspended indefinitely, and service between North Station and Back Bay on the Orange Line is also suspended indefinitely, the MBTA said.

The MBTA has not mentioned any changes for the Blue Line, which operates further underground than the Orange and Green Lines but still is serviced through Government Center.

Out of an abundance of caution surrounding structural concerns in the area, streets around the Government Center station will also be closed, Boston Police said.

This is not the first time stations have been closed due to the construction work in the area. In January, the Haymarket Station closed temporarily for construction, and back in March, a demolition worker was killed when part of the Government Center parking garage collapsed, suspending all service between North Station and Back Bay.

The service disruption was first made known Thursday night by the MBTA and HYM Investment Group, which is redesigning the garage and its surroundings.

Officials through the HYM Group said the support columns for the garage were "severely deteriorated" by engineers in the tunnels. The structural issue was not related to the demolition of the garage, the company said.

This issue falls after an investigation was launched by the Federal Transit Authority when a man was dragged 100 feet to his death while exiting a Red Line train in April. The MBTA was ordered to take 'immediate action' including a mass overhaul of the entire system, which included service shutdowns to make sure the system was appropriately staffed.

Related: MBTA Slashes Subway Services For The Summer

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak told Patch that he is unsure when service will resume, and added that the MBTA will demand HYM pay costs related to service disruptions.

Read More:

• MBTA Ordered To Take 'Immediate Action' On Safety Issues: FTA
• MBTA Safety Under Review Following Red Line Dragging Death
• Dorchester Man Dies After Being Dragged By Red Line Train
• 9 Sent To Hospital After Escalator Incident At Back Bay Station
• Milton Man Dies After Falling From Stairs Near MBTA Station
• Red Line Service Resumes After Derailment At Broadway Station
• All New MBTA Orange Line Trains Pulled Out Of Service Thursday