State to Complete Green Line in 2 Phases

Economic Crisis Halts Federal Funding for Route 16 Stop by 2014

Story Updated 9:25AM, Monday, July 20, 2009

– Allison Goldsberry

Despite announcing just last week that the Green Line extension to Medford and Somerville was on time, the state now says it will have to complete the project in two phases due to a lack of federal funding.

Last week the state transportation department announced the project was on time for its 2014 completion date despite being seven months late in filing the required draft environmental impact report (DEIR).

In an email to community members, the Executive Office of Transporation (EOT) said “constraints placed on us by federal funding requirements and the economic crisis” have prevented the extension of the Green Line to Route 16/Mystic Valley Parkway by 2014. Instead, the EOT said the project will be completed in two phases. Phase one will be the completion of the legally mandated part of the project, which will extend the Green Line from a relocated Lechmere Station to College Avenue in Medford with a spur to Union Square. Phase two will be the construction of a stop at Route 16.

Although a date has not been specified for the Route 16 extension, the EOT said it is still committed to the stop and that it will be constructed “shortly” after phase one of the project is completed in 2014.

“However, we want to be clear that this does not diminish our support for the Mystic Valley Parkway/Route 16 segment,” said the EOT in its email to community members.

The EOT said the Patrick administration is “deeply committed to the entirety of the Green Line Extension Project,” and the EOT will move forward with an “aggressive project schedule” to bring “transformative public transit service” to Medford and Somerville by 2014.

News of this latest development has some supporters of the project concerned and doubtful about the state’s commitment.

“I am extraordinarily concerned about this turn of events. Even with approval of the two-phase approach, I have no faith that the second phase of the project will be completed. Let’s be honest, the likelihood of the ‘temporary terminus’ at College Avenue becoming permanent–without any considerations of the ramifications for the abutters–is extremely likely,” said Laurel Ruma, a Hillside resident.

“The two-phase construction plan raises a lot of questions. For example, while I understand that the state is trying to fulfill its 2014 legal obligation, it would be much more practical and cost-effective to build the entire main line extension to Medford in one phase, and the Union Square spur in another phase. It also would be less disruptive to the neighbors in the College Avenue area, who will be affected by two construction projects instead of one,” said Ken Krause, a Green Line Project Advisory Group member.

The Route 16 stop has always been contingent upon the receipt of federal funds. The EOT said it will file its environmental impact report in August and it will include an analysis of the entire project, including Route 16, so they will not need to seek additional environmental approval in the future.

After the environmental impact report is filed, the Federal Transit Administration will hold a public hearing and an extended public comment period will be held so people will have an opportunity to review the report and make comments.

The report will be available on the project’s webpage, www.mass.gov/greenlineextension, at public libraries in the project area, and will also be available on CD-ROM upon request.

Two potential Green Line stations are proposed for Medford in addition to the Route 16 stop. One station is planned for the intersection of College and Boston Avenues and the other planned for Ball Square on the Medford side of Broadway.

Public support for the Route 16 stop is high, according to a recent survey conducted by the Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance (MGNA), a volunteer group of citizens that supports the extension of the Green Line to Medford.  The group says a petition signed by more than 2,400 people and demographic data support a Route 16 stop, and the stop would put nearly 10,000 more people in Medford, Somerville, and Arlington within a ten minute walk of the Green Line.