Reimagining Public Transit in Worcester - Route 04

Today we take a look at reimagining the WRTA's existing bus route Route 4 - City Hall to The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley via Millbury St.

Current Bus Route 4 Reimagined and Overlaid (Blue) on the proposed AIRLINE BRT System (Red), Visitor Trolley (Green) and other Proposed Bus Routes (Purple)

Route 4 Reimagined and Overlaid (Blue) on the proposed AIRLINE BRT System (Red) and Visitor Trolley (Green). Other Proposed Bus Routes deleted for clarity

The proposed route is identical to the existing route on the suburban side, providing service from downtown Worcester to both the new WalMart and The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley. There is an interesting Telegram article today discussing how Worcester's public transportation "ranks 80th out of 100 [US metro areas] in its combined transit coverage area and ability to get workers to their jobs." Route 4 was specifically discussed in the article as a route designed to provide public transit options for retail workers at WalMart and The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley.

The downtown side of the route does have a few modifications.

Downtown Detail of Proposed Bus Route 04 (Blue)

Presently, Route 4 accesses downtown Worcester via Route 146 and the Canal District - Millbury and Water Sts. inbound and Harding St. outbound. After 8 hours on my feet at Marshall's at The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley I would just want to get home, and the last thing I'm looking to do is take a leisurely tour of the Canal District (see the proposed Visitor Trolley for this). After a relatively quick ride on Route 146, the slow crawl through the Canal District would be a major turnoff for me. The reimagined Route 4 enters Worcester via Route 146 and continues straight onto Quinsigamond Ave. and connects with the AIRLINE at the Junction District Station, thus avoiding the congested Canal District (riders with destinations in the Canal District can transfer to Route 0716 at Brosnihan Square). The route then continues to Union Station along McGrath Blvd. and Foster St. providing local service to the Worcester Public Library and the YWCA of Central MA and terminating at Union Station where passengers can connect to the numerous local and regional lines passing through this hub.