GREEN LINE OPENS! Celebratory ride from new Union Square station

The STEP crew is beyond overjoyed at the opening of Phase 1 of the Green Line Extension today. A few of us joined present and former mayors and a crowd of many others who helped make the Green Line a reality over so many years. THE TRAINS ARE RUNNING, SOMERVILLE! https://youtu.be/bTvLxH51XxI The station from Prospect St bridge. Station entrance with the glorious sign we've been waiting for. So many Somerville mayors! All aboard! Mayor Ballantyne talking with STEP's Ellin Reisner and Karen Molloy.

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Green Line extension phase 1 opens March 21!

"Green Line extension to Union Square will open March 21, MBTA says" (Boston Globe) New stations at Lechmere and Union Square will welcome passengers that day, marking a major milestone for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which has been discussing extending the Green Line for decades. “It’s a really proud moment for the T, a really important moment for the region, and really a symbol that we can do big things and we can get things done,” said MBTA General Manger Steve Poftak at a MBTA board meeting. The timing of the opening of the separate and much longer Green Line extension branch to Medford, which includes five new stations, was tentatively scheduled for May, but may not start carrying passengers until summer.

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The Green Line Extension starts to open next month, Somerville!

"And now . . . the Green Line Extension. For real, this time, the T promises." (Boston Globe) "...more than three decades after the state first promised to extend the Green Line as environmental mitigation for the Big Dig, test trains are gliding along the tracks between North Station and Union Square ahead of a planned opening of the project’s first branch next month.... The extension will have to pass federal safety certifications, Poftak said, and the T is still working on finishing the two new stations and training drivers. The timing of the opening of the much longer second branch to Medford, which includes five new stations, was tentatively scheduled for May, but may not start carrying passengers until summer.... As part of the foundation’s settlement with the state in 2007, the…

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Remember the McGrath Boulevard project? It’s still in the works!

MassDOT is slated to resurface McGrath Highway soon and remove one lane of traffic in each direction as a road diet to repurpose the lanes as buffered bike lanes. In parallel, MassDOT is also advancing the McGrath Boulevard project to 25% design. Recap: The McGrath Boulevard project will remove the McCarthy Overpass section of McGrath Highway and replace it with a street-level multimodal boulevard. The conceptual design was the result of MassDOT's consensus-driven process with the Somerville community and other regional stakeholders between 2015-2018. When the project reaches 25% design, MassDOT will initiate public outreach and opportunities for community feedback. View the official project page. The McGrath Boulevard project (#607981) is identified in the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Destination 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan in the FFY 2025-2030 timeframe. 

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Gov. Baker and our Mayor(s) test out the Green Line Extension

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pti746ZAtbs "Baker goes on GLX joyride" (CommonWealth Magazine) Somerville mayor-elect Katjana Ballantyne, who joined current Mayor Joseph Curtatone at the press availability at the new Lechmere stop in Cambridge, also provided a preview of what is likely to become a common refrain as the Green Line extension opens: How come it took so long? Ballantyne took out a copy of the Somerville Journal from 2005. On the front page was a picture of her 7-year-old daughter, who spoke out in favor of the project at a meeting attended by former mayor Michael Capuano and then-MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas. Ballantyne said her daughter came over to her after she spoke and asked: “Momma, when can I ride the train? I said maybe when you’re a senior in high school.” Ballantyne added: “She’s 25…

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Union Square Green Line opening delayed until March

Frustrating news: The Union Square station, previously delayed to open in December, will now open in March. From a press release: “Senior MBTA and GLX leadership are working closely with GLXC to bring this project to fruition on this updated timetable,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “We’re strongly committed to GLX and very close to safely bringing extended Green Line service into Somerville and Medford.” “We are disappointed that the schedule has had to be adjusted, but GLXC is dedicated to working with our MBTA partners to complete this project by March,” said Thomas Nilsson, president of Fluor’s Infrastructure business line and a GLXC board member. “We are committed to providing MBTA Green Line passengers with a quality, safe, and affordable mode of transportation for decades to come.” "The opening of the…

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How political history shapes public health action in Somerville

"How Political History Shapes Environmental Health Action" (Public Health Post) "Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH) is a community research partnership that coalesced in 2006 in response to resident concerns about the health risks of living near the Interstate 93 (I-93). The Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership engaged university researchers to provide technical support for a lawsuit. What emerged was a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences funded research partnership to study the health effects of living near the highway. The partnership has since systematically documented associations between cardiovascular disease and ultrafine particle (UFP) exposure."

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Webinar: Introduction to Air Quality

Thursday, September 9, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.REGISTER NOW What are the sources of outdoor air pollution? How does outdoor air pollution impact indoor environments? What should we consider when planning for healthy, indoor air environments? What are the health impacts of these air pollutants? What do we know about improving indoor air quality? A panel of experts will answer these questions and more at the first webinar in our series about indoor air quality. Panelist presentations will be followed up a Q&A. Panelists include: > Dr. Neelakshi Hudda: Research Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University > Dr. Jon Levy: Professor and interim chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health > Dr. Doug Brugge: Professor and Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut…

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