2,000 Sign Online Petition for Route 16 Green Line Stop
– Allison Goldsberry
The Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance (MGNA) announced Monday that 2,000 people have so far signed their online petition to extend the Green Line to Route 16.
Another 350 have also signed paper petitions, according to the group.
The MGNA, a volunteer group of citizens that supports the extension of the Green Line to Medford in the most beneficial way to the city, says a petition signed by more than 2,000 people and demographic data support a Route 16 stop.
According to the MGNA’s research, a Route 16 stop would put nearly 10,000 more people in Medford, Somerville, and Arlington within a ten minute walk of the Green Line.
State officials are currently considering three potential station locations including just over the Medford/Somerville line near Broadway by Ball Square, somewhere between College Avenue and Winthrop Street adjacent to Boston Avenue, and at Route 16 by the UHaul and Cummings Park properties.
The Green Line could extend all the way to Route 16, which would require significant land takings and business relocations, or could end somewhere between College Avenue and Winthrop Street, which would require less construction and land acquisition.
Recently, state transportation officials announced their preference to extend the Green Line to Route 16, but the stop is contingent upon the receipt of federal funding.
There is a public information meeting about the Green Line on Monday, March 8, at 5:30PM at the Brooks Elementary School, 388 High Street.Â
At both meetings, there will be an Open House from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, where members of the project team will be available to answer questions about the project. The meeting presentation will begin at 6:30 PM, followed by a public question and comment period.
At these meetings, EOT will be seeking public comment in advance of filing a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (DEIR/EA) for the Green Line Extension. There will be a Public Hearing and comment period for the DEIR/EA as well, according to officials.
The stop “somewhere between College Avenue and Winthrop Street adjacent to Boston Avenue” will be at the College Avenue intersection with Boston Avenue. The initial plans for a stop partway between College and Winthrop were dropped.
The EOT has carefully stated that they are recommending the Route 16 terminus if they receive federal funding, but that they have not decided on a terminus recommendation if they do not receive federal funding. The Route 16 terminus would be behind Whole Foods, which could make it really convenient for taking the Green Line out a stop or two to do grocery shopping if they provide an accessible connection between the station and the Whole Foods.