By Carol Britton Meyer

As part of the Route 714 Bus Stop Safety and Accessibility Project, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is working with the towns of Hull, Hingham, and Cohasset to convert Route 714 from a flag-stop operation to fixed-stop service, which will ultimately result in 44 fixed stops in Hull and associated signage to increase visibility.

Tom Quattromani, representing the MBTA, provided an update last week when seeking select board approval for the proposed locations for the phase one stops, which the board granted. Irwin Nesoff was not present at the August 19 meeting.

Phase one upgrades, scheduled for fall 2027, will include 33 bus stops in Hull and one each in Cohasset and Hingham.

Of those, eight will be located on Department of Conservation and Recreation-managed roads. Fixed stops in Hull as part of phase one will include A, F, L, R, and W streets, Newport Road, Lynn Avenue, Kenberma Street, Village Market, Malta Street, Mountford Road, Sagamore Terrace, Nantasket Avenue/Hull Shore Drive, Atlantic Avenue at Valley Beach Avenue, among others.

Click here for the full presentation from the August 19 meeting

The fixed-stop locations were identified by Hull and MBTA officials based in part on preserving as much access as possible within 0.2 mile of each bus stop (about a three- to four-minute walk) and prioritizing the proximity of stops to important community destinations such as pharmacies, grocery stores, and places of employment and in consideration of existing high ridership locations, Quattromani explained.

“We worked to find locations that would have the lowest impacts on neighbors,” he said.

Other goals relate to improved bus facilities for a better passenger experience and accessible bus stops and connections between paired stops. Stop locations must currently be, or able to become, accessible by Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The MBTA initiated this project with the town in fall 2024 and obtained the funding the following fall.

Fall 2025 project planning included a select board Route 714 field visit to help identify what makes a location accessible or inaccessible and which are the most viable and safest. Input from the community and municipal and state agencies also was considered.

Select board approval for the phase one stops paves the way for the MBTA to proceed to the 15% design phase in late summer or early fall of this year.

“That is when we will be getting down to the real nitty gritty – are there utility poles that need to be moved, the initial costs, an environmental checklist, [and other considerations],” Quattromani said.

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