The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is holding a meeting at which the Green Line Extension (GLX) Program Management Team will present a general update on the project and on ongoing construction in Somerville. More…
Category Archives: Transportation
12/12/16 Union Square Community Advisory Committee Meeting Reply
Mon. Dec. 12 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Argenziano School
Cafetorium
290 Washington Street
Somerville MA
This is a public meeting of the Union Square Civic Advisory Committee (CAC) to discuss the planning process in Union Square. The meetings are sponsored by the Somerville Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development.
The CAC will discuss the current status of the Green Line Extension, the LOCUS process, and the zoning update. Come and participate in the discussion! More…
12/8/16 Somerville Redevelopment Authority Meeting Reply
This is a meeting of the Somerville Redevelopment Authority. Agenda not available. Current issues are the Union Square and Assembly Square developments and the status of the Green Line Extension. More…
12/7/16, 12/14/16 Green Line Extension Public Meetings Reply
The MBTA is sponsoring two public meetings about the status of the Green Line Extension. The meetings will include a general update on status, contractor selection process, and schedule. There are ongoing issues about the revised GLX plans, which eliminate several neighborhood connections and provide an awkward connection along McGrath Highway to the Community Path. More…
11/17/16 Public Hearing on Green Line Extension Funding Proposal Reply
The City of Somerville is holding a public hearing at which Mayor Curtatone will present a funding proposal on Somerville’s $50M contribution to the Green Line Extension project. More…
5/9/16 MassDOT and Control Board Vote to Continue GLX with Conditions Reply
After a 4-1/2 hour joint meeting, the Board of the Mass Department of Transportation and the Fiscal and Management Control Board of the MBTA voted unanimously to continue the Green Line Extension with conditions:
- Staff are to submit redesign and revised materials to the Federal Transit Authority.
- Staff are to prepare a revised finance plan suggesting how to make up the remaining $73M shortfall.
- Staff are to report to board:
- Strategy and progress for hiring a management team for the GLX project and for addressing ongoing T management issues.
- Recommendations for advancing project while FTA process continues.
- Recommendations for gating items for which staff will return to these boards for direction.
The finance plan was required because after cutting the project deeply, removing even full roofs from the stations, the estimate came out over budget:
Estimate: $2.29B
Includes sunk costs, new vehicles, contingency reserve
Revenue: $1.992B
Initial funding gap: $300M
Boston MPO funds transfer: -$150M
City of Somerville commitment: – $50M
City of Cambridge commitment: -$25M
Remaining funding gap: $75M
Conference rooms 1, 2, and 3 at the Transportation Building were crowded with political leaders and members of the public.
Mayor Joe Curtatone of Somerville, the mayor of Medford and the Cambridge City Manager spoke in solidarity in support. Senator Patricia Jehlen spoke for the state delegations of the three cities in support. Bill White, Mark Niedergang, and Katjana Ballentyne spoke individually in support.
Over fifty citizens spoke, only one in opposition. Points raised include community health, environmental justice, access transportation as an equity issue, GLX as a legal commitment, GLX as key to future development plans, connect the community path all the way. Representative of Tufts University said that Tufts was making land available for construction and making commitment for maintenance around the station. People came from the South End of Boston and from the Back Bay to speak in support.
Somerville Development Forum 