Many T riders who rely on the Green Line will have to use other transit options to get around the city for a few weeks this December.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is suspending service from North Station to Babcock Street (B branch), Kenmore (C and D branch), and Heath Street (E branch) for 15 days, starting Dec. 8 until Dec. 22.

The planned suspension will allow the MBTA to replace a wooden overhead trough that houses wiring and is original to the tunnel, constructed in the 1880s, the agency said.

The agency also plans to use the closure to perform other improvements, including modernizing signals, inspecting tunnels, and brightening stations, as well as continuing to work on the Green Line Train Protection System, which is meant to prevent head-on collisions between cars on the tracks.

Since the installation of Phillip Eng as CEO and general manager for the agency, the MBTA has implemented relatively longer closure times to get more done during service interruptions and  accomplish several projects at once.

“One of the reasons that we are doing as much as we can with every diversion, we want to maximize the work, we want to maximize the efficiency,” Eng said at the most recent MBTA board meeting, “but we also want to minimize the impact to the public, and all this work is critical.”

Riders waiting for trains at Government Center Sunday afternoon told The Herald that although the suspension will impact their commutes, they view the interruption as necessary.

Emily Tan, 19, takes the T from the Boston College East stop to North Station to get to her job as a tennis instructor. She will have to use a mix of different transit options once the suspension starts, but she isn’t mad about it.

“My safety is more important than being annoyed,” she said.

Emery Flavin, realizing that his commute from Allston to downtown Boston would be impacted, told a Herald reporter, “this is gonna suck.”

But even though the 25-year-old’s entire ride to work is affected, he believes the improvements to the line are worth the inconvenience, especially replacing the trough. “Why are we still using wooden things?” he asked.

“I love the T with all my heart,” Flavin added. “I’m down for them to do anything to fix it.”

While segments of Green Line service are suspended, free and accessible shuttle service will be available to Back Bay, where commuters can continue their ride downtown on the Orange Line. MBTA Commuter Rail service on the Worcester Line will also be fare-free between South Station and Lansdowne during the closure.

— Colleen Cronin / Boston Herald