Although the planned road widening never occurred, the MBTA ultimately reconstructed the line for use by the new LRVs as part of other road and sewer work on Huntington Avenue. The MBTA work largely followed the plans proposed in the 1960s; the Northeastern footbridge was not included. The three previously-proposed stops were cut along with Parker Street; the remaining stops at Brigham Circle, , Museum-Ruggles, and Northeastern were rebuilt with wider and longer platforms. On March 21, 1980, service was cut back to a Symphony–Park Street shuttle (run by LRVs) to allow for construction, with route 39 buses again operating. The shuttle was extended to Northeastern on June 21 and Brigham Circle on September 20. Symphony was closed on January 3, 1981 during a budget crisis. Service restoration on the outer section of the line, originally scheduled for 1981, was delayed by the budget issues. Arborway service ultimately resumed on June 26, 1982, including peak-hour Heath Street short turns and the reopening of Symphony.