MBTA to Suspend Red Line Service for 10 Days Starting Monday
DATELINE — CAMBRIDGE The MBTA will suspend Red Line service between Alewife and Park Street for 10 straight days beginning Tuesday, July 21, replacing trains with free shuttle buses at every Cambridge station along the line. The shutdown lands the same week the state elevated Cambridge and the broader region to Level 3 Critical Drought status and the city's License Commission cleared expanded to-go alcohol sales for local bars and restaurants.
TOWN HALL Red Line riders should plan for a long detour: MBTA service between Alewife and Park Street will be suspended for 10 consecutive days, from July 21 through July 30, with free, accessible shuttle buses covering every stop on the closed stretch, according to the city's News Flash announcement.
Separately, the Commonwealth has moved Cambridge and the Northeast region from a Level 2 Significant Drought to a Level 3 Critical Drought designation, an escalation the city's announcement noted came after the region spent time at the lower level earlier this summer.
The License Commission, acting on a recommendation from the City Manager's Office, has authorized permitted businesses within the city's designated open-container and public-consumption districts to sell alcohol to-go, and granted approved bars and restaurants up to a one-hour extension of alcohol sales hours, a move city officials framed as support for local business. The city also closed out its Cambridge United watch-party series Sunday, July 19, partnering with the Office of Tourism and CambridgeSide for a free World Cup final watch party around Lechmere Square, following an earlier quarterfinal watch party at the same location on July 9.
COMMUNITY & ARTS Library Director Maria McCauley's July 19 update to patrons previewed an ice cream party, an adult summer camp program, and the library's "Seeds of Change" screening, among other offerings in the weeks ahead, according to the library's website.
On the service side, the Valente Branch is now open Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. through July and August, while the Main Library remains closed on Sundays until September, the library said.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS "Patch AM: Which Cambridge meetings this week could reshape housing and public safety?" Patch's morning briefing flagged a slate of upcoming city meetings that could influence decisions on housing and public safety, per Cambridge Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/cambridge).
"Patch AM: What Cambridge leaders will decide on tech and violence prevention Thursday" City leaders are set to take up policy questions on technology and violence prevention at a Thursday meeting, Cambridge Patch reports (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/cambridge).
"Patch AM: How a new Harvard course is reshaping global arts leadership from Cambridge" A newly launched Harvard course centered on arts leadership is drawing notice for its Cambridge roots, according to Cambridge Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/cambridge).
"Boston-based Burger Restaurant Opening New Location In Cambridge" A Boston-area burger chain is expanding into Cambridge with a new location featuring a larger menu and dining space, Cambridge Patch reports (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/cambridge).
COMING UP Monday, July 20, 6:30 p.m. — the Main Library hosts a screening and discussion of the documentary "Seeds of Change," followed by a talk with the New Garden Society on its Greater Boston prison garden work.
Tuesday, July 21, 11 a.m. — the O'Neill Branch Library hosts a Summer Reading live-animal program with Mass Audubon, open to children of all ages and caregivers.
Tuesday, July 21 — the city's free summer concert series continues at Danehy Park with local musicians, part of a run that began July 1.