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Boylston Street reopening to residents, business owners – Metro US

Boylston Street reopening to residents, business owners

boylston street boston marathon bombing Early Tuesday morning Boylston Street had remained closed, but later in the day it began reopening to residents and businesses to begin the cleanup process.
Credit: Nicolaus Czarnecki/Metro

Residents and business owners began returning to Boylston Street on Tuesday, eight days after a pair of bombs exploded on the busy roadway and shut it down for a massive federal investigation.

Federal authorities symbolically handed over the six blocks along Boylston Street and near Copley Square to the city Monday evening with a ceremony that included Mayor Thomas Menino receiving an American flag that flew at half staff near the Boston Marathon finish line.

Boylston Street was reopening block by block Tuesday. It started with the block between Hereford and Gloucester streets at 10 a.m. followed by Gloucester and Fairfield streets at 11 a.m., Dartmouth and Clarendon streets at noon, Clarendon and Berkeley streets at 1 p.m., Exeter and Dalton streets at 2 p.m. and Fairfield and Exeter streets at 3 p.m.

Residents and business owners are being allowed in with escorts. The city has deployed a response team to the area to help those impacted.

While some life is returning to the street, it is still unclear when the thoroughfare will be open to the public. A Menino spokeswoman said there’s no timeframe on completely reopening the street.

The Copley Square MBTA station remains closed until further notice.

On Sunday, Menino and city officials discussed a five-phase plan for reopening the Copley Square area that included damage assessments and decontamination.

Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.