MBTA Fiscal Control Board Seeks to Lower Green Line Extension Costs
Story Updated 5:38 PM Wednesday, December 16, 2015
– Allison Goldsberry
On Monday night members of the MassDOT Board of Directors and the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board unanimously voted to move forward with the Green Line extension project only under certain conditions, according to The Boston Globe.
The fate of the Green Line extension has been in question since the fiscal management board discovered in August that project costs could exceed more than $1 billion than expected.
Conditions for keeping the Green Line extension viable include cutting costs through redesigning stations and securing new management and contractors as well as seeking funding from the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization, local communities, and developers.
State Senator Pat Jehlen said the Green Line extension is critical for Medford and Somerville.
“The value of this project can’t be overestimated, in economic development, in decreased traffic, and in air quality and health,” said Sen. Jehlen. “The sunk costs and the $1 billion in federal money will be lost if we don’t proceed. We need to take the time to find every possible savings and capture value from the development the line makes possible. And then we need to finish building the Green Line Extension all the way.”
State Representative Paul Donato said he knows many citizens and officials are “anxiously awaiting” the extension of the Green Line to Somerville and Medford. Rep. Donato said he’s been a “long-time supporter” of bringing the Green Line to College Avenue and he’s not sure how the MBTA will keep its commitment to the project while controlling costs. He said an anticipated report from the fiscal control board within a month should have some more information.
In August, state transportation officials said they underestimated costs because estimates were done during the recession and separate contracts for several parts of the project have made things more expensive.
Construction has already begun on the Green Line extension, which the federal government has pledged to commit nearly $1 billion toward. In Medford, the Harvard Street rail bridge has been renovated to accommodate Green Line tracks, and Tufts University and local philanthropist Bill Cummings have plans to create academic space at the College Avenue Green Line Station.
Two Green Line stations are planned for Medford, one at College Avenue and one in Ball Square on the Medford/Somerville line. The once $600 million project is now estimated to cost upwards of $3 billion. And that’s just for six planned stops. The seventh, a stop at Route 16, could cost another $130 million.