Kenmore project to get cosmetic lift

BOSTON. Kenmore Square will receive a $5.3 million touch-up after the MBTA Board approved state funding Thursday, according to the State House News Service.

The funds will cover trees, brick sidewalks and curbstones around the square, currently undergoing a renovation now priced at $47 million.

According to the report, such improvements were nixed for cost purposes but added back in at the urging of Boston University and the new Commonwealth Hotel abutting the T station there.

But some expressed concern that brick sidewalks will derail the T’s attempts to create a fully accessible station for those with disabilities.

“Uneven bricks can stymie wheelchair users and people with other disabilities,” Chris Hart, director of urban and transportation projects at Adaptive Environments, a local accessible design firm, told State House News.

Also approved at Thursday’s board meeting was a $15 million improvement to the Fitchburg commuter rail line, and a step forward on plans to pave 26 miles of an unused rail line for a running and biking trail from Waltham to Berlin.