Green Line

The Friends of the Community Path and the Friends of the Mystic to Charles Connector released this Joint Report on two feasibility studies of regional trail linkage to the Community Path extension: Study A: Connection to the Grand Junction PathStudy B: Connection to the Mystic River Greenways at Assembly Square Low Resolution Filehttp://pathfriends.org/scp/FinalStudy/CPX_Connection_Study_200601_Report-small.pdf High Resolution filehttp://pathfriends.org/scp/FinalStudy/CPX_Connection_Study_200601_Report%20-full.pdf Detailed Survey Results:http://pathfriends.org/scp/FinalStudy/CPX_Connection_Study_200601_SurveyData.pdf Thanks to:- MassTrails for co-funding these Feasibility Studies with the Friends of the Community Path and the Friends of the Mystic River Connector- Alta Planning + Design the contractor we selected to perform the Feasibility Studies- Our non-profit fiscal sponsors for this MassTrails grant: Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) and Mystic River Watershed Association- Friends of the Grand Junction Path for their assistance with this project- The 650+ community members who participated in the Feasibility Study Survey These feasibility studies allow us to pursue the next…

The Washington Street bridge/underpass near McGrath Highway reopens today after a long closure for Green Line construction. There will be one travel lane and one shared bus/bike lane in each direction. A temporary pedestrian sidewalk will be open on one side of the roadway until final surface restoration is complete. Work will continue overhead on the elevated track level during this phase. Permanent pavement, finished sidewalks on both sides, lighting, and street markings will be completed this summer. Later this week, the Broadway Bridge in Ball Square reopens as well. It will initially reopen with one travel lane in each direction. During this early stage, temporary accessible sidewalks and bike lanes will be installed on one side of the bridge allowing ped/bike travel in both directions at all times. Final surface restorations are…

Coronavirus canceled the official Green Line Extension meeting recently, but you can view the slides from the comfort of your couch. You'll find updates on: Lechmere area construction detailsLechmere closure and replacement bus serviceStreet closures and detours We were hoping for more details on station designs, but those weren't shared. By the way, this is the 1,000th post on STEP's website! The fight for better transportation in Somerville has been a long one.

As Green Line construction continues, three bridges will continue to be closed longer than originally planned. Here's the latest schedule: Washington St.: Expected to reopen in May 2020.  Broadway: Expected to reopen in July 2020. School St.: Expected to close after Washington St. bridge is reopened in May 2020 and reopen in June 2021 (the School St. bridge will not close until the Washington St. bridge is reopened.)Medford St.: Expected to reopen in October. The reason for moving the date is based on the contractor encountering an environmental contaminated water condition and the fact that the Broadway Bridge has been reconstructed a few times in the past and they have hit granite bridge abutment foundations that were unforeseen. Officials still expect the Green Line Extension to be completed on time, by the end of 2021. "Green Line Extension…

"Lechmere Station closure looming as Green Line extension moves forward" (Boston Globe) The MBTA is closing the decrepit Lechmere station at the Green Line’s current northern terminus next spring while it builds a new station across Monsignor O’Brien Highway, meaning for the better part of a year the trolleys will end their run at North Station. The Science Park station will also be closed while the T conducts major repairs to the viaduct that carries the Green Line.

MassDOT shared an updated schedule for bridge closure at the public meeting last month. View all the slides for a Green Line construction update.

"Somerville wants open bridges, less noise, and more trees from GLX team" (Somerville Journal) Though many residents attended the Nov. 19 meeting to learn about the progressing work, many shared concerns about construction noise, loss of trees, and community path design. Concerned resident Wig Zamore noted thousands of trees were cut down due to the GLX and high school projects, and felling just 10 mature trees can trigger an action with the Massachusetts Environment Policy Act, should citizens choose to file it and start the process. Cherry Street resident Allen Moore is invested in the community path: he is a member of the Somerville Bike Committee and is co-president of the Friends of the Community Path. “We have given a lot of suggestions to the state on widening this path,” he said. “We…

"Construction on Green Line extension 20 percent complete" (WCVB) Project manager John Dalton gave WCVB a tour of the efforts underway to connect Cambridge, Somerville and Medford with 4.7 miles of new rail. Construction on the more than $2 billion project is now almost 20 percent complete. “We're working around the clock in a lot of locations,” Dalton said. Watch the video.

"‘Count us as very worried’ about Green Line extension project, MBTA official says" (Boston Globe) MBTA officials said Monday they are concerned about keeping the $2.3 billion Green Line extension project on schedule after being told a key piece of it has fallen months behind. John Dalton, who is overseeing the 4.7 mile extension, told the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s board that the overall project remains on time and that work crews can catch up before service on the route is scheduled to begin in late 2021. “The fact that we are two years away from being done with this project means there is time to recover,” Dalton told reporters after the meeting. But pressure is beginning to build. Work to relocate a set of existing commuter rail tracks that the new line…

The MBTA Board learned that work on the Green Line is running a bit behind. There are concerns about the contractor's ability to organize resources as well as get the necessary subcontractors in place quickly enough. These kinds of delays could be addressed and the time could be made up. But there's a concern that these delays could lead to additional delays. Here are the recently updated dates: Union Square branch opens June 2021 (contract date is supposed to be April)Medford branch opens Sept 2021 (contract date is supposed to be July)