Challa Back: Administrators should exert their influence with the MBTA

As one of the city’s largest landowners, you’d think Boston University might be able to exert a little influence on local government organizations. With the 30,000 plus students who come to study at BU and pour millions of dollars into the Boston economy each year, and the thousands of faculty, staff and local businesses that are supported by the University, it seems reasonable that the city of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts might be willing to do us a few favors. But alas, this is not the case, at least as far as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is concerned.

The MBTA has failed to come through on its promise to complete the Commonwealth Avenue construction by Labor Day, announcing last week that the drilling, bulldozing, and jackhammering will continue until the end of the year. That’s four months late and is unacceptable, even in Boston, a city notorious for its massively flawed construction projects. What’s worse is that the BU administration doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it.

The MBTA began this project with a promise that the work would be completed by Labor Day, a suitable deadline which would have ensured that the majority of BU students and classes would not be interrupted by this work. Now, four weeks into the school year, it appears that a huge portion of the project has yet to be completed.

I can understand that delays happen in the construction business — parts don’t arrive on time, a rainstorm rolls in, the workers feel obligated to stop and whistle at every young woman who walks by — but four months late is ridiculous! Imagine the reaction if BU students tried this excuse.

“I’m sorry, Professor, I won’t be able to hand my paper in on time, but, barring any further delays, I’ll do my best to get it to you by the end of the year.”

This argument wouldn’t fly at BU, nor in the business world, and it should not be accepted by the MBTA, which has hired contractors clearly incapable of getting the job done on time.

I’m no construction expert, but how long does it really take to pour some asphalt and raise the T platforms? In the past year, we saw remarkable efforts by construction workers in New York and Washington D.C. to remove debris and repair damaged buildings after Sept. 11. Of course, repairing this T stop does not require the kind of effort exhibited by crews at the World Trade Center and Pentagon sites, but their hard work demonstrates that construction can be done fast and efficiently. With a little extra work, I’m sure the MBTA could manage to complete this project well before December.

In the meantime, the construction has created a dangerous situation for both drivers and pedestrians on Commonwealth Avenue. Most days when I go to cross the busy intersection in front of Marsh Plaza, the traffic signals are flashing yellow, so pedestrians never get a break in traffic and have no choice but to sprint across the street in between speeding cars. On other days, the tracks are being repaired and the T does not run, so passengers are forced to board busses and then transfer further down the line.

For drivers, with construction to the Commonwealth Hotel, the T platforms at BU East and Central and the demolition of the Armory, the stretch from Kenmore Square to West Campus is beginning to look more like an obstacle course than an avenue.

Are there more important issues in the world today than whether I have to take a bus to get to West Campus? Of course. But could this project be completed a little faster if Chancellor John Silber placed a stern phone call to one of his powerful friends at the MBTA? Probably.

So why aren’t Silber and the rest of the BU administration concerned about this dangerous situation? Because it doesn’t affect them. Silber hasn’t been on the T since they switched from horse-drawn carriages to trains.

Furthermore, Silber probably empathizes with our hardhat-wearing friends. After all, how can we expect them to focus on their work with so many beautiful women walking around campus? Clearly, if BU’s female population were not so high, these delays never would have happened.

Boston University has an obligation to provide a safe and comfortable environment for its students and staff. By accepting unnecessary delays in this construction project, the administration has put the entire BU community at risk. As these hot days linger on, the noise from the crews continues to spill through the open windows of the College of Arts and Sciences and Warren Towers, interrupting the academic study that Silber is usually so determined to protect.

If the administration would worry more about student safety and less about our moral character, maybe I’d be able to cross the street without breaking a sweat.