station mezzanine below. Mayor Maurice J. Tobin initially supported the plan, but soon refused to allow the city to pay for it. The proposal was raised again in 1943, and Tobin awarded a $24,063 contract on June 28. The busway, which had a concrete platform and a wooden shelter, opened along with a direct stairway to the mezzanine on November 4, 1943. MBTA era Service on the Highland branch (now the D branch) began on July 4, 1959. Until its shutdown in 1969, the A branch to Watertown Yard shared the B-branch tracks, running along Commonwealth Avenue to Packard's Corner, where it branched off onto Brighton Avenue. A $314,300 reconstruction of the busway and $342,000 in station modernization work began in 1967. The new busway shelter had red brick walls with a fluted concrete-and-plastic canopy; an escalator from mezzanine to busway was added. The busway work was finished in April 1968, with the modernization completed in 1970. The work included the addition of abstract murals depicting neighborhood scenes on the station signs. The station was closed for two months in 1996, after the Muddy River overflowed its banks, completely submerging the platform and some of the mezzanine. During the closure, substitute service was provided by commuter rail trains between Riverside and South Station. A similar flood previously occurred on October 6, 1962, requiring closure of the station for five days. In 2019, the MBTA installed steel doors at the Fenway portal to prevent future flooding. Renovation The MBTA began its Light Rail Accessibility Program in 1996. Design for renovations to make Kenmore accessible began in May 1996, with construction then expected to last from 2002 to 2004. Preliminary designs for a conical glass-covered busway shelter to replace the old rectangular shelter were released in 2001. Separately, the south entrance to the station was moved inside the Boston University-funded Hotel Commonwealth during its 2002-03 construction. A $22.7 million construction contract was ultimately issued on November 10, 2004, with construction starting in January 2005. Temporary bus stops on Beacon Street were used during construction. Work included construction of the busway shelter, raising the platforms, and addition of three elevators and three escalators. The project also involved streetscape improvements with trees and brick sidewalks, intended to make Kenmore Square resemble Beacon Hill and the Back Bay as a break from its rough reputation. The work was originally to be completed in early 2007,