The construction on the Dobson Street water line replacement started last week; the work is expected to take about three months.  Port Authority hasn’t yet ironed out their end of things; we’ve been seeing a lot of problems with bus service on weekdays, during the hours when Dobson Street is closed.

We’ve noticed that there are no signs at any Polish Hill bus stops to indicate that the southbound buses are rerouted and some stops are not being serviced during the weekday construction hours.  And many of the bus drivers still don’t seem to have gotten the word; from our vantage point at the PHCA we still see buses heading down Dobson, only to have to back up, or worse, to get stuck down at Hancock street.

The drivers have not been consistent about taking the official detour, which has buses turn up 30th Street, proceed up Paulowna, and turn left to go down Herron.  Some buses still come up Brereton, either trying to go down Dobson, or just staying on Brereton up to Herron Avenue.

And we’ve heard numerous complaints from residents about the re-routing. which eliminates all Polish Hill stops except those on the edges of the neighborhood.  The only choices residents needing to go to Bloomfield now have are to walk down to either 30th Street or the Herron Bridge.  This means that the most dense section of the neighborhood, the area with the most riders, is not being serviced between 7 am and about 5 pm on weekdays.  Many residents who rely on the 54D to go to the grocery store or other appointments in Bloomfield are older; walking that distance to a stop is a hardship.

The PHCA has contacted the Port Authority to ask that the re-routing be changed so the bus would go up Brereton Street.  And we requested that two or three temporary stops be established, including one at the Brereton/Dobson intersection, one in front of John Paul Plaza, and perhaps one near the Melwood intersection.  Adding some temporary stops would restore service to the parts of the neighborhood that need it most.

Thus far, we’ve gotten no response.  We’ll keep on this.  If you are affected by this situation, please let us know — and let Port Authority know, too.