Gov. Patrick visits Somerville, reiterates commitment to Green Line extensions

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Deval Patrick

It was a good day for the Green Line extensions! Gov. Deval Patrick visited Gilman Square today to talk about the state’s commitment to this important project. In his statement, he said, “The Green Line extension is an important project and I am here to affirm my 100% commitment to seeing that it gets built and gets built while I am in office.” When pressed on the timeline, he said he hopes to have the work done by 2014.
Regarding the still uncertain project funding, Sec. Cohen said that full funding for the project will be in the next transportation bond bill; in parallel the state will seek New Starts federal funding.
Gov. Patrick also listed steps already taken to get the project underway:
– VHB has been hired and its initial task is to find ways to expedite the regulatory and permitting process.
– The state will give the MBTA funds to begin designing new Green Line cars now, because it takes a long time to create custom cars.
– Mass Highway has already completed the necessary aerial survey for the project.
– A Community Advisory Group has been selected to provide feedback and oversight throughout the project; it starts meeting monthly on Oct 25.
Keep reading for more quotes and a video.



“We’ve been talking about it for a long, long time. You folks have been talking about it and working on it for a long long time. We’re going to get it done.”
“I know you have been waiting a long time. I want to be absolutely clear that my commitment to this is a personal one. And we need to get it done.”
Somerville News: “Patrick announces Green Line movement”