Final report of CCP Green Line station workshops

Download the report (PDF) that summarizes the output of the community workshops on the future Green Line stations. Residents and professional designers and planners produced some fantastic ideas that will be presented to the State. You can also watch a video of the presentations or see some sketches.

FEIR comments are due Friday the 23rd

Got an opinion about Green Line station locations, the maintenance facility, the Community Path, or noise and vibration? The State wants your feedback on the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR). Read about the FEIR and see STEP's talking points. Then send written comments by 5 pm July 23 to:

Ian Bowles, Secretary Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
MEPA Office, Attn: Holly Johnson, MEPA Analyst RE: EEA #13886
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114
Fax: 617-626-1181
Email: Holly.S.Johnson@state.ma.us

Mayor Curtatone on the Community Path and Green Line delay

Somerville News: "The importance of the community path extension in Somerville"
At the heart of reintroducing mass transit to our city is quality of life and the Community Path only enhances the quality of life bona fides of this project.

East Arlington letter supporting Route 16 stop and Path

Dear Secretary Bowles:

The East Arlington Livable Streets (EALS) Coalition is a neighborhood-based advocacy organization founded in 2008. EALS has over 170 supporters on our e-mail list, over 400 fans on our Facebook page and we aspire to become the neighborhood's voice on transportation and livability-related issues. Residents throughout East Arlington have been strong supporters of the Green Line Extension (GLX) project through Somerville.

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SIP status report published

The Annual Report on the SIP projects has been posted online. MassDOT will be filing an "Interim Emission Offset Project" to mitigate for missing the Green Line completion deadline (as well as one for missing the Dec. 31, 2011 deadline for the Fairmount Line improvements). Keep reading for what this report says about the Green Line extension.

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Community Path funding letter

As many STEP readers know, the main section of the Community Path extension from Lowell St. to Washington St/Brickbottom/Inner Belt must be designed and built with the Green Line Extension (GLX) because the Path has a shared infrastructure with the GLX. To date, MassDOT has committed to design the Path along the GLX to Inner Belt but not to include funding for the Path as part of the GLX Federal New Starts application or to apply for other federal funding that would require a State match (even if the match is 80% federal and 20% state).

The Friends of the Community Path, STEP and other advocates for active transportation in the region believe strongly that this approach is "penny-wise and pound-foolish" considering that the additional infrastructure needed for the Path represents only about 2% of the GLX cost - a figure well within the uncertainty of the costs. The Path is not just a nice amenity for Somerville, it will provide the most cost-effective way to increase Green Line ridership and will be a critical regional transportation link that will offer great transportation, safety, environmental, health, noise-reduction, and benefits to Somerville and to the region.

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Green Line extension delayed again!

The State is finally admitting what STEP has long feared: It will be unable to meet the 2014 deadline for the Green Line extension opening. The State is now aiming for October 2015, claiming a variety of reasons for the delay. STEP is very disappointed to hear that the State will not keep its commitment.

Boston Globe: "Long-awaited Green Line extension to Somerville, Medford delayed again"
Missing that deadline will make the project more expensive, because the state will need to come up with an air-quality-improving short-term alternative to the Green Line or face legal and community pressure.

"This is, if not our top priority, one of our top priorities in the transportation world," he said. "It is a good project, it is a worthy project, and it's one that we're committed to." - Jeffrey B. Mullan, the state's transportation secretary and CEO

Somerville News: "Green line extension through Somerville delayed until 2015"
"[The delay] is going to be a problem for everybody," Reisner said. "We're not happy about this. But I don't think it's surprising. Things have been going much more slowly than they should have....The community is being blamed for the delay, but I think it's the state that has been slow." - Ellin Reisner, president of STEP.

More coverage of Green Line FEIR hearing

Somerville Journal: "Green Line gripes: Train stops short of Medford"
Last Wednesday evening, as the project manager moderated a public hearing about the Final Environmental Impact Report at Somerville High School, the Option L site for the facility was one of three common complaints raised by local politicians and others. The other two complaints were the state's decision not to continue the extension out to Medford's Hillside neighborhood and not to pay for the construction of a bike path through Somerville.

Somerville News: Green Line FEIR hearing

"Somerville Pol on new Green Line plan: 'It's stupid'"
A sore spot was the extension of the bike path, which was slated to run alongside much of the proposed Green Line route. Initially conceived as a coordinated effort with MassDOT, a $16 million shortfall in funding has put the bike path on hold. Lynn Wiesman, of Somerville, spoke to Fitcher of the necessity of the path and pushed for MassDOT to help fund the it outside of its design, that MassDOT has taken responsibility for.