MILTON – Town officials are threatening to take the MBTA to court after  years of requests to repair and reopen a long-closed stairway at the Mattapan trolley line's Milton station. 

For nearly three years, Milton has tried to get the transit agency to repair the stairs, which lead from the Adams Street sidewalk to the station's platform, without any success. Town officials say the potential lawsuit is a "last resort."

In a letter dated Aug. 30 to MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, the select board enclosed a copy of the court complaint it intends to file unless the MBTA takes immediate steps to repair and reopen the staircase, which has been closed for many years.

The board says the staircase, which has been blocked off for as long as a decade, is a "worsening safety hazard" and lists the efforts by town officials and legislators to get the MBTA to repair and reopen the stairway.

"Milton's efforts have been ignored by the MBTA, leaving Milton with its hands tied and a perpetually decrepit staircase in a station used frequently by its residents," the draft complaint states.  "After years of attempted resolution and serious frustration, Milton files this suit as a last resort."

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Select board Vice Chairman Michael Zullas, who has been pushing for the repair of the stairway, said in an interview that lawyers for the MBTA have reached out to Town Counsel Kevin Freytag seeking a meeting to discuss the matter. Zullas said whether to file the complaint will be a decision for the full board to make.

The MBTA did not return a call for comment.

Zullas said in past meetings, MBTA officials were "of the view that they would have to do a full (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance" to repair the stairway. That would mean installing an elevator to bring people with disabilities from the street to the platform.

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Zullas said there is access to the station from Wharf Street, but some of those paths use private property to reach the station.

The MBTA's planned Mattapan Line Transformation Project includes overhauling the line and replacing the trolleys with light rail vehicles similar to those on the Green Line. The project includes making all the stations on the line fully accessible for people with disabilities. 

The $114.5 million project is in the design phase, with preliminary designs due in the second half of 2023.

Reach  Fred Hanson at fhanson@patriotledger.com.

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