MBTA OFFICIALS and an engineering consultant brought in over the weekend say the Alewife parking garage is safe for use this coming week, but the transit agency plans to bar parking at the facility overnight each day this week and all of Saturday and Sunday to continue making repairs and assessments.
The announcement Sunday evening was the latest in a string of strange admissions by the T since a slab of concrete fell on a car on the second level of the facility last week. No one was injured in the incident. The garage was closed over the weekend to shore up concrete and make a number of safety assessments, but last night’s announcement indicated more repairs and assessments would be needed.
It turns out the T has been aware for some time of structural and cosmetic issues with the garage. Work on a $5.7 million structural repair contract is due to start in September and the T is now saying it needs to develop a long-range plan for the facility without explaining what that means.