Alewife T Garage Back Open, But No Overnight Parking: MBTA

CAMBRIDGE, MA — All levels of the Alewife garage are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 13. the MBTA announced four days after a chunk of cement fell atop of a car parked in the popular 2,500-space commuter garage.

"Out of an abundance of caution," the MBTA closed the garage on Friday, Aug. 10, to allow crews to work on repairs and get an engineering assessment underway, that's when they found more crumbling infrastructure there than they anticipated and closed the garage for the weekend.

During the weekend closure, crews were able to address additional areas of deteriorated concrete, inspect and cover expansion joints where appropriate, and secure the paths of travel for pedestrian and car access to the garage, according to the MBTA.

Following the work, an engineering and safety assessment of the garage’s condition determined that the garage is safe for use. Both MBTA crews and an independent engineering consultant conducted the assessment. This comes ahead of a planned multi-million updating to the garage that was slated to begin in September.

Still, starting Monday, Aug. 13, there will be no overnight parking at Alewife garage to allow for engineer to conduct nightly inspections to monitor how the repairs are holding up. The MBTA is urging customers to remove their cars before the end of regularly scheduled MBTA service each weeknight. The garage will reopen each morning at 5 a.m.

On top of that, the MBTA is planning to close the garage next weekend, starting the end of service on Friday, Aug. 17.

The MBTA is in the process of developing a long-term plan for the garage, and in early July, solicited bids for an Alewife Garage Structural Repairs contract.

Under a $5.7 million contract awarded last week, work will begin in September, and will include repairing beams, patching concrete decks, re-caulking deck joints, and cleaning and flushing the existing drainage system. The MBTA will spend $8 billion throughout the next five years upgrading the system’s infrastructure, an increase of $5 billion over the previous five years.

"The MBTA apologizes for the temporary displacement of parking spaces and appreciates customers’ patience while the work took place," reads an MBTA statement.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch