Station rehab is costing more and taking longer

 Work to revamp Kenmore station and its new busway began in 2005. When they open sometime this winter, they would be two years behind schedule and $16 million over budget (from $31.3 million to $47.3 million).

Meanwhile, at Copley and Arlington stations, where work began in 2006, outdated posters state the modernized stations will be ready by spring 2009. But current estimates slate completion for winter 2009, while costs have increased by $14.7 million (from $46.27 million to nearly $61 million).

The T attributes the delays and overruns to several factors. One is unforeseen deterioration of Arlington station’s mezzanine. Another, at Kenmore, is underground utilities discovered that weren’t on any maps, as well as streetscape changes made in light of community concerns.

T officials also say the start dates for Copley and Arlington were pushed back due to lawsuits filed by the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay over the stations’ headhouse locations. But the group says it wanted to limit impacts to area landmarks such as the Boston Public Library and the Arlington Street Church, and blaming them for the delays is “grossly unfair.”

In addition, the MBTA said it also remodeled the size and scope of new elevators after a 2006 settlement with Boston Center for Independent Living, which forced a wide range of accessibility improvements for disabled riders.
“There are many complexities to keeping an underground station open to customers while rebuilding it at the same time,” said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.