Photo courtesy of the MBTA

A new series of bus lanes in downtown Boston has shaved 12 minutes off a major MBTA bus route: the Silver Line’s SL4 and SL5 service to Nubian Square.

In total, the lanes comprise about a mile of new, all-day bus-only lanes. Combined with new loading zones on Washington Street, which officials hope will get delivery trucks out of the curbside bus lanes in the South End and Roxbury, the new infrastructure is intended to dramatically improve the main rapid transit connection for the heart of Boston’s historically Black neighborhood. Bicycle riders will also be able to use the lanes.

According to a Boston Transportation Department and MBTA analysis, the new Washington Street bus lane will save 24,000 weekday riders up to 12 minutes on trips from Nubian Square into downtown, offering commuters significantly more reliable transit service.

The SL4 and SL5 service has been routinely criticized by transit advocates as a disappointment since it was launched in 2002 as a replacement for the former elevated Orange Line tracks, demolished in the late 1980s. Without dedicated lanes in downtown Boston or successful enforcement of the lanes that did exist in the South End and Roxbury, the service has struggled to offer service as reliable as the trains it replaced. MBTA data shows the two Nubain Square-bound Silver Line routes, were on time during rush hour only 83 percent of the time, while the Orange Line was on-time during rush hour 93 percent of the time.

“These improvements mean that people riding buses and bikes from Roxbury can get to job opportunities and services faster, safer, and more reliably,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement.

Transportation improvements along the corridor include:

• Bus Improvements: Between Herald Street and the intersection of Stuart and Kneeland Streets at Tufts, the right general traffic lane was replaced with a bus- and bike-only lane. All parking, pickup and drop-off, and current curb uses will remain. North of Tufts Medical Center, the right curbside lane was turned into a bus-only lane.
• Bicycle Improvements: The shared bus and bike lane along Washington Street in Roxbury and the South End was extended to the intersection of Stuart and Kneeland Streets at Tufts. North of this intersection, a bike lane has been installed along the left curb with the installation of protective flex posts taking place soon. Bike-only facilities will extend to the entrance into the pedestrian area of Downtown Crossing.
• Safer, Concentrated Loading Zones: Much of the congestion on Washington Street is caused by disorganized loading. A new, block-long designated loading zone was installed along Washington between Boylston Street and Avery Street. It also clarifies pickup and drop-off, valet, and commercial vehicle activity.