Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Meeting will be held next week in Medford.
Planners for the Green Line Extension project have been working toward a Federal grant that would fund nearly half of the $1 billion-plus project, and they intend to give an update on its progress next week. The Green Line Extension Project Team will hold a working group meeting that's open to the publc on Oct. 30, where they will give an update on the progress on grant applications to the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts Program, according to a release from the Department of Transportation. In June, the state's Department of Transportation announced the Green Line Extension had been added to the master list for the FTA's New Starts program, the first step in potentially winning federal money for the project. New Starts funds a …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The newly expanded Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors is scheduled to meet in Somerville Wednesday.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors is slated to discuss a new $45 million contract for work on the Green Line Extension Wednesday. The meeting, which will be held in Somerville has an agenda that includes a $45 million Green Line Extension contract with AECOM Technical Services, Inc. and HNTB Corporation to conduct advanced preliminary/final design engineering services for the project, which will extend the Green Line from Cambridge through Somerville with a terminal station near Tufts University in Medford. In all, the project is expected to cost over $1 billion. The meeting will include new members on the DOT's board. Gov. Deval Patrick expanded the Board of Directors from five members to seven members, and…
Friday, July 13, 2012
Preliminary approval has been given for a federal grant, but it still has a ways to go.
If all goes according to plan, the federal government will pick up half of the estimated $1.3 billion Green Line Extension project, according the MassDOT. The project has received preliminary funding for funding from the "New Starts" program through the Federal Transit Administration, according to announcement from the state's transit department Thursday. But the funds aren't guaranteed -- the project still needs to compete with other public transit project around the country. And the program is competitive. It's expected to dole out nearly $2 billion to projects in fiscal 2013 alone. "The Green Line Extension project must reach and clear three additional obstacles - approval by FTA for entry into Final Design and then approval for …
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The "true cost" of the project of the highway project is estimated at $24 billion, according to the Boston Globe.
Boston's "Big Dig" project took decades to complete, and now estimates peg its cost at $24 billion, according to the Boston Globe. The project moved the city's central highway artery underground, helping to alleviate traffic and create the Rose Kennedy Greenway. But digging the tunnel cost over $14 billion, plus another $7 billion in interest on the project's bond, which expires in 2038, according to the Globe. Add in supplemental transportation projects, including the implementation of the Silver Line rapid transit service, upgrades to the MBTA's blue line and the in-progress Green Line Extension project, and the Big Dig's true cost equals $24 billion. (Read the full Globe Report: True cost of Big Dig exceeds $24 billion with interest). …
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Over four miles of retaining wall a two miles of noise barriers will be part of the Green Line Extension project.
Over four miles of retaining wall and two miles of noise barriers will be part of the Green Line Extension project, according to a recent MassDOT presentation. And, while the new trains will bring noise, planners believe the new walls will leave abutting neighborhoods quieter than they are now. "Future noise levels are expected to be lower than existing noise levels with the noise barriers at most locations along the existing commuter lines," one presentation slide said. In all, about 4.5 miles of retaining wall and 2.4 miles of noise barrier will be implemented along the Green Line Extension's route. The project will extend the line through Somerville mostly along an above-ground rail bed currently used for commuter trains to a terminal …
Monday, June 25, 2012
Free Charlie Cards? Bike Lanes on Route 28?
Facing a court order to mitigate vehicle emissions by 2014, the MBTA is offering interim solutions as it works toward its long-term goal of extending the Green Line through Somerville into Medford. The transit department released a lengthy list of possible interim solutions Monday. They ranged from more frequent bus services to creating bike lanes on Route 28 to free or cheap Charlie Cards for riders living within the mitigation area. "These ideas have not been endorsed or accepted by MassDOT," a MassDOT statement said. "These assessments will next need to be formally analyzed, using the air quality modeling methodologies of the Central Transportation Planning Staff." The MBTA will be taking public comment on the possible interim …
Friday, June 15, 2012
Plans for a $0.01 tax on vehicle miles traveled and other proposed funding measures are "hypotheticals," but "everything has to be on the table," said MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey.
The state does not yet have specific proposals to help the MBTA climb out of its fiscal mess, state transportation head Richard Davey said, despite recent media reports. Speaking on the phone with Somerville Patch last week, he said some proposals reported on by local media—including Patch—in the past two days were "hypotheticals," but he warned that the need to find more revenue for the MBTA is real, and as that discussion takes place, "everything has to be on the table." A letter sent Monday to Davey by the Federal Transit Administration regarding the Green Line Extension's New Starts application for federal funding said the MBTA needs to make "[c]onsiderable progress on gaining commitment of new sources of funding." The letter outlines …
Monday, June 11, 2012
The project has been added to the Federal Transit Administration's 'New Starts' pipeline.
The proposed Green Line Extension has been placed on a master list of transportation projects across the country the Federal Transit Administration is considering for federal funding. It is not a guarantee the project will get federal assistance, but it's a necessary step for all projects seeking New Starts funding, according to state transit officials. It moves the project one step closer toward the goal of federal funding, though there is no guarantee the federal government will eventually cough up money to help pay for the project. According to a letter sent Monday by the Federal Transit Administration to Richard Davey, secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Green Line Extension has been added to the pipeline …
Monday, June 4, 2012
Denise Provost, a state representative from Somerville, says the Massachusetts House has approved a construction model that could speed up the project and lead to more accountability.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives has approved a non-traditional planning and construction method for the Green Line extension, according to Denise Provost, a state representative from Somerville who sits on the Joint Committee on Transportation. The Construction Manager/General Contractor model has been used for buildings in Massachusetts, "but not for transportation projects," Provost said, speaking to Somerville Patch Friday. CM/GC, as it's known, is "meant to speed up the project," the state representative said. She also said "it gives the contractor better incentive to come in as close to budget and timetable as possible." The CM/GC planning and construction model is designed to encourage more collaboration between project …
Friday, June 1, 2012
Asked if the project needs to begin while he's still in office, the governor said, "That maybe makes my role more important than it is."
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick was in Somerville Wednesday to endorse Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, who has campaign headquarters in the city. After officially throwing his support behind Warren in her bid to unseat Republican Sen. Scott Brown Wednesday, Patrick answered brief questions from Somerville Patch about his position on the Green Line extension. The governor affirmed his support of the transportation project. "I want the project to happen … and it's obligated [to happen]," he said. He said federal rules require the state to have a clear plan for completing the project in the Transportation Improvement Program, an important report that outlines future federal transportation spending. Some public officials have argued …
Matt
8:50 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2012
I assume even with this potential grant, there's still no plan to extend out to the Boston Ave./Mystic Valley Parkway - Rt. 16 intersection? Even though that violates the Big Dig agreement that the Green Line be extended there? Typical Massachusetts and MBTA. Where are you to stand up for and demand this, Reps. Sciortino and Garballey and Sen. Jehlen?? more ›