(See route maps below.)
Speedier bus travel within Methuen and first-time service to shopping and medical care in Salem, N.H., with connections further north is coming in the spring.
Called “X Marks the Spot, Crosstown/Cross Border Connection,” Merrimack Valley Transit, known as MeVa, will add two new routes offering more direct paths to destinations and more of them, such as Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center at Tuscan Village.
“We have so many cases where we have someone here that their doctor used to be in Methuen or Haverhill and they moved up to the new facility in Mass General Brigham Salem and have no way to get there. That’s a critical one,” MeVa Administrator Noah S. Berger told WHAV Friday.
His agency secured a $1.2 million state grant to guarantee the first year of the new service, tentatively set to begin in April.
“It’ll be on us to demonstrate, okay, this is actually a successful demonstration. Let’s find a way to continue it. Some of that we’ll look north of the border. Some of it, we’ll work with our partners in the state. That’s always the challenge when you have these discretionary programs that you want to put something new that, if it’s successful, find a way to stick around.”
Within Methuen, MeVa’s state application notes, riders will benefit with an additional direct route rather than the typical “hub and spoke system” and avoid a transfer at McGovern Station in Lawrence. The additional route will also “alleviate overcrowding.”
Berger said Methuen crosstown—the new number 25 bus route—largely follows Route 113 from The Loop to Methuen Square, senior center, public housing, social service organizations, Merrimac Plaza and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute—Merrimack Valley. The new route will alleviate crowding and shave as much as 45 minutes off certain trips because riders will no longer have to travel past out-of-the-way stops in Lawrence, for example.
The new aptly named number 28 bus follows Route 28 into Salem, N.H., is also welcomed by New Hampshire officials
“Great partnership with folks of the town. They’re actually served by Manchester Transit. We worked out a partnership with them. We’re going to make sure that our service and their service connect so you can go further if you want to,” Berger explained. Manchester Transit Authority provides commuter bus services from Manchester to Concord, Nashua and Salem.
The New Hampshire authority will contribute $5,000.
“This obviously benefits the business community up there. A lot of the employees that they have there live in Massachusetts. This makes it easier to attract and retain employees. It makes plenty of sense for them.”
He added New Hampshire also benefits from access to the commuter rail station in Lawrence for Boston trips.
In a statement, Gov. Maura Healey said, “Regional Transit Authorities play a crucial role in reducing congestion and helping residents get to work, school, doctor’s appointments or anywhere else they need to go. It’s great to see (regional transit authorities) across the state and across New England working together to expand service and make it easier for people to get around.”
New Salem, N.H., route.
New Methuen Route 25.
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