COVID-19

RMV Extends Deadlines for Vehicle Registrations

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The following information was provided by the Registry of Motor Vehicles:

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is continuing to take several important steps following Governor Charlie Baker’s declaration of a State of Emergency the week of March 9 and to complement the work that has been underway for weeks across state government to keep residents safe and healthy. 

Effective today, April 1, 2020, all of the passenger plate registrations that have expired in March or will be expiring in April have been extended for 60 days. Registrations that expired in March have been extended until May 31 and registrations that expire in April have been extended until June 30. Registration renewals can continue to be performed online at Mass.Gov/RMV during this time. Customers seeking to do so in-person will not be able to make an appointment and should delay their visit to a Service Center at this time. In addition, the RMV recently has implemented key changes to service delivery and organizational protocols as follows:

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the RMV has implemented a strict no walk-in policy at a limited number of Service Centers that remain open to the general public.

Transportation

Mass Pike Allston/Brighton Exit Closed Overnight for Bridge Repairs

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The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that there will be overnight bridge deck repairs on I-90 eastbound at exit 18 in Allston/Brighton. The exit 18 off ramp will be closed to facilitate this work from Tuesday, March 31, at 10:00 p.m., until Wednesday, April 1, at 5:00 a.m.  All traffic will be detoured to exit 22, Copley, and re-directed to exit 20 westbound.   

Lane closures will also be put in place in this area to allow crews to safely and effectively conduct bridge deck repair operations. 

Appropriate signage, law enforcement details, and advanced message boards will be in place to guide drivers through the work area. Drivers who are traveling through the area should reduce speed, and use caution. 

All scheduled work is weather dependent and may be impacted due to an emergency. 

For more information on traffic conditions travelers are encouraged to:

Dial 511 and select a route to hear real-time conditions.Visit www.mass511.com, a website which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions.Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions.Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.

Transportation

Three MTBA Bus Drivers Test Positive for Coronavirus

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The following announcement was provided by the MBTA (Note the Cabot bus facility is located in South Boston):

Following three confirmed employee cases of COVID-19, the MBTA took immediate steps to protect its workforce and riders by enacting its facility maintenance protocols to clean and disinfect all exposed work areas, vehicles, and equipment at the T’s Cabot bus facility. The three confirmed cases are MBTA Bus Operators and were reported yesterday. “We ask the public to keep our employees in their thoughts, and I continue to express my deep gratitude to the women and men of the MBTA workforce who are serving a vital purpose in combatting COVID-19,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “To ensure we can protect the health and safety of our workforce, we strongly urge essential travel only, and we will continue our enhanced protocols for cleaning and disinfecting all vehicles, equipment, and surfaces.”

Consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), the MBTA has enacted its COVID-19 outbreak plan. We are disinfecting the employees’ workspace, vehicles, and equipment that they may have come into contact with. 

Through the public health tracing process, public health officials alert close contacts of the individuals who tested positive and will provide them with instructions for self-quarantine. Under health information privacy laws, the MBTA is prohibited from providing identifying information about a particular employee’s medical status.

Government

RMV Extends Deadlines for Vehicle Inspections, Commercial Licenses & Permits

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The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is announcing today that it will be implementing a 60-day extension to Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) and Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLPs) expired or expiring in March and April, and that the Service Centers in Milford and Wilmington are reopened to exclusively perform commercial license/permit transactions. These initiatives recognize the importance of commercial vehicle drivers to the supply chain during the State of Emergency declaration, and will continue to prioritize reducing customer volumes in physical locations. All commercial licenses or permits with an expiration date between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020, will have the 60-day extension applied to that customer’s credential. The RMV implemented a similar extension for residents with Class D, Class M and Class DM driver’s licenses, ID cards, and Learner’s Permits on March 16 with the exception of customers whose end of stay in the United States is the same as the expiration date on their driver’s license, ID card, or Learner’s Permit. Customers eligible for these extensions should wait to visit an RMV Service Center to renew until after the State of Emergency has concluded.

Transportation

Lane Closing on Mass. Pike for Overnight Bridge Repair

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The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that it will be conducting overnight bridge deck repairs on I-90 westbound at exit 15 in Newton. This work is scheduled to take place from 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, through 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 22.  

The bridge repair operations will require the temporary closures of right travel lanes on I-90 westbound. At 8:00 p.m., one right travel lane westbound will be temporarily closed.  At 11:00 p.m., two right travel lanes westbound will be temporarily closed.

Transportation

MBTA Reducing Service in Effort to Curb Spread of Coronavirus

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An MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA announced Monday that beginning March 17, service will be cut back in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, also called the Coronavirus. Most buses and trains will be running on a Saturday schedule, and the 504 express bus from Watertown Yard will also be impacted (click here to see the schedule). The T will also be cleaning vehicles and stations, according to the announcement. The MBTA released the following announcement:

Reduced Service for March 17, 2020

Updated Monday, March 16, 2020, 2:49 PM

At the start of service on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, trains and buses will run with reduced service to support efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Government

Council Approves Road Work Funds, Two Years of Repairs Will be Done

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Watertown will get a double dose of road repair projects this year after the Town Council approved funding for the 2020 road and sidewalk repair projects. Tuesday night, the Town Council approved the borrowing of $2.5 million to pay for the reconstruction of seven roadways. This is on top of the 2019 road projects, which were delayed after the bids came in about 33 percent higher than was budgeted. Town Engineer Matt Shuman said the roads will undergo full-depth reclamation, where the top four inches of the roadway are removed, ground and pulverized and put down in a new layer of asphalt. They will also install new sidewalks with handicap ramps and granite curbing. The seven roads to be repaired as part of the 2020 road program are: Kimball Road, Downey Street, Wheeler Lane, Louise Street, Frank Street, Tappan Avenue and Piermont Street.

Around Town

MBTA Installs Electronic Sign in Watertown to Give Real Time Updates

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The MBTA’s new electronic signs will provide riders with live updates on buses. Watertown bus riders have a new electronic sign that tells them when they can expect buses to arrive. The solar-powered sign in Watertown Square is one of 18 E Ink (electronic ink) signs installed by the MBTA in several communities, including Watertown, Belmont, Cambridge, Boston, Chelsea and Everett. “The signs display stop-specific real-time information — bus arrival predictions and service alerts,” the MBTA announcement said. “This is the same information that’s available today on our website, in the Transit App, in Google Maps, and more.”