WORCESTER, MA. Between October 24 and November 5th, the WRTA conducted Public Hearings in the following communities regarding proposed service cuts to the WRTA fixed-route service. These hearings allowed the public to provide testimony on the proposed changes.
The following are recommendations to the WRTA Advisory Board for consideration to reduce the operating deficit of $1.2 million for this fiscal year. Approved changes would go into effect in January, 2008.
Reduce Weekday Bus Service to 5:30am – 8:00pm
Current (4:35am – 9:50pm)
Reduce Saturday Bus Service to 9:00am – 5:00 pm
Current (5:20am – 10:00pm)
Eliminate all Fixed Route Sunday Service
Current (9:20am – 8:35pm)
Eliminate all Fixed Route Holiday Service
Current (Either a Saturday or Sunday Schedule)
Paratransit Service Hours: Reduced to new Fixed Bus Route Service hours.
| Routes to be eliminated: |
Routes to be modified: |
3 – June/Mill St.
9 – Pullman St.
16 – Lincoln Plaza
21 – Assumption College
32 – Holden
110 – Clinton
Elder Shopper Service |
Rt. 4– modified into new Route 11
Rt. 10 -modified into new Route 25
Rt. 18–modified into new Route 15 |
Areas Losing Service
| Highland Street between Main St & Newton Sq |
June Street (entirety) |
| Mill St. between June St. & Mill Pond Apts. |
College Hill |
| Coburn Ave. & Wigwam Ave. (entirety) |
Shrewsbury St. (entirety) |
| Plantation St. (entirety) |
Flagg St. (entirety) |
| Webster St. & Hadwen Park |
Service to Holden/Jefferson |
| Mill St. between June St. & Mill Pond Apartments |
|
| Salisbury St. between Harvard St. & Forest St. |
|
| Indian Lake Area: Grove St., Holden St., Ararat St. (entirety) |
| Service between Clinton & West Boylston |
|
Route Modifications
The present Route 4 (Crompton Park) will be merged with Route 11. Certain trips on Route 11 will travel from Kelly Square on Harding St. to Millbury St. to Blackstone River Rd. and continue on the existing Route 11 schedule.
Route 10 (College Hill) will be merged with Route 25. Service on the existing Route 10 to College Hill is eliminated as well as the section of Route 25 along Fremont St., Cambridge St. (north of Canterbury St.) to Webster Sq., to Webster St., Boyce St. and Sword St. in Auburn is also eliminated. The proposed Route 25 will turn south on Cambridge St. from Canterbury St. and then south on Southbridge St. to the Auburn Mall.
Route 15 (Shrewsbury) will be merged with Route 18 – Route 15 service on Plantation St. between Hamilton St. and Belmont St. is eliminated as well as that section of Route 18 on Coburn Avenue to Wigwam Ave. The proposed NEW Route 15 will travel on Grafton St., Hamilton St., Lake Ave. to the UMass Medical Center and then to Shrewsbury, MA.
Details of all proposed changes are posted at the WRTA office at 287 Grove Street
and at the Customer Service Center at 317 Main Street.
Written responses to the proposed changes must be submitted before
November 8, 2007 to Stephen F. O’Neil, Administrator,
WRTA, 287 Grove Street, Worcester, 01605 or e-mail to:
csfeedback@therta.com or fax to 508-752-1676. |
