MGNA: Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance

MassDOT has posted the May status report on the Green Line Extension project. Below are highlights of new information since the April report:

Phase I Construction
At the Harvard Street Bridge in Medford, enabling work is complete, including creating access to the track elevation, and installation of excavation support along the track alignment. Retaining wall work excavation is ongoing and AT&T and NGrid Gas have completed moving their lines away from the work zones.

A Phase 1 partnering workshop was held in April with representatives from the MBTA, the Program Management/Construction Management team (HDR/Gilbane), the Owner’s Representative, the Contractor, and representatives from each of the Cities of Cambridge, Somerville and Medford.

Design Progress
The AECOM/HNTB design team has continued to advance design on all portions of the program and has made an interim submittal of some 4,000 drawings for review and coordination by MBTA and the Program Management/Construction Management  team (HDR/Gilbane) for the use in an intermediate risk analysis and for the start of the update to the program estimate.

Project Phasing and Delivery
Proposals were submitted on April 22 from three joint ventures wishing to be considered for the Construction Manager/General Contractor contract for Phases 2, 3 and 4 construction. The proposals are currently being reviewed by the selection committee with interviews scheduled for May 16. The contract is currently scheduled for award at the July 2013 MassDOT/MBTA Board meeting.

Procurement of an Independent Cost Estimator (ICE) is under way. Qualification Statements were received on March 29, 2013, reviewed in April, and a Request for Proposal will be sent to the most qualified firms. The ICE Contract is scheduled for approval by the MBTA General Manager in the June/July timeframe.

Real Estate
Certain pre-acquisition activities continue, including the work associated with the title surveys and appraisals for the anticipated full-property acquisitions including those needed for the Vehicle Maintenance facility and at the Ball Square Station location. The Project team continues to issue Right of Entry notices to support both the survey and boring activities and to coordinate with the property owners at those locations. The property acquisition and relocation activities are critical to the start of construction and completion of the maintenance facility [Phase 3].

The team also has been working with the City of Somerville in regard to an agreement to use the Homan’s building site to support construction at the Medford Street Bridge and for the construction of the Gilman Station. Design coordination and resolution of conflicts associated with the concepts generated by the City’s “Somervision” planning process is ongoing and revised property plans are being prepared for parcels at Gilman Station and Ball Square Station.

An appraisal is underway in regard to the NStar property needed by the project on the High School side of the Gilman station area. The project team is also continuing to coordinate with NStar on designs for the provision of power to the traction power substations at Red Bridge, the Maintenance facility and at Gilman Square as well as interface on utility and streetscape issues with HYM and 22 Water Street in Cambridge.

Public Outreach
A Design Working Group/open house meeting was scheduled for early May at the new Project Office to update the Group and the public on the status of the project’s design since its last meeting. An additional round of station workshops is being scheduled for late May and early June [actually, June 3 through June 20; full schedule here  ].

Read more about the Green Line Extension on the project website.

- Ken Krause
Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance

The Green Line Extension (GLX) Project Team will hold a public “Open House” on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at the new GLX Project Office in Boston.

The Open House will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the GLX Project Office at 100 Summer Street (2nd Floor), near South Station.

The Open House is an opportunity to tour the new office, get updates on the project’s progress, meet the GLX project team and ask questions and provide feedback on the current state of the project.

There will also be a brief Project Update Presentation at 6 p.m.

The new GLX Project Office houses the MBTA GLX staff, the GLX Program Management Team HDR/Gilbane, the GLX Design Team AECOM/HNTB, and shortly the Construction Management/General Contractor Team (CMGC).

For access or language accommodations, contact Joe Sgroi at 617-996-0771 or jsgroi@gilbaneco.com at least one week before the event.

For other questions on the Open House or the Green Line Extension Project, email info@glxinfo.com.

The Green Line Extension currently is Phase I of construction. In Medford, the work consists of widening the rail bridge over Harvard Street; replacing and/or relocating water and utility lines; constructing retaining walls and noise barriers; and relocating the commuter rail tracks near the bridge. Other Phase I work includes widening the Medford Street rail bridge in Somerville and demolition of an MBTA building in Cambridge on the site of the new Lechmere Station.

MassDOT has posted the April status report on the Green Line Extension project. Below are highlights of new information since the March report:

Phase I Construction Progress
At the Harvard Street Bridge, early enabling work is under way, including creating access to the track elevation and preparing for excavation support along the track alignment, while utilities are moving their lines to the west side of the track, away from the upcoming work zone. Meetings are also ongoing with the abutters to minimize impacts where possible.

Phases 2-4 Project Phasing and Delivery
Proposals are currently due on April 22 from firms interested in the Construction Manager/General Contractor work for Phases 2 through 4 of the project, and the contract is currently scheduled for award at the July 2013 MBTA Board meeting. In addition, procurement of an Independent Cost Estimator (ICE) is underway, with Qualification Statements received on March 29, 2013. The Qualification Statements will be reviewed in April and a Request for Proposal sent to the most qualified firms. The ICE is also scheduled for approval in the June/July timeframe.

New Green Line Vehicles
Procurement of 24 new Green Line vehicles needed to support the operation of the Green Line Extension is ongoing. Proposals were submitted to the MBTA by two potential builders of the new Green Line vehicles on June 13, 2011. In March, the MBTA requested the two proposing teams update and re-submit their proposals as a Best and Final Offer to the MBTA.

Real Estate
Work is under way on certain property survey boundaries which are needed for any MBTA sliver takings, following completion of a confirmatory survey of the right-of-way limits that was used in the Advanced Conceptual Design efforts and as confirmation for typical sections, track layouts, and an update to the listing of the potential property impacts.

The parcels that the City of Somerville has acquired for the proposed Union Square Station site will be conveyed to the MBTA in early summer 2013 (previously: late spring 2013).

As a follow-up to the January 2013 coordination meeting with the Massachusetts Historic Commission (MHC) on the details of the viaduct demolition, a draft Historical American Engineering Report (HAER) was submitted in March 2013. Edits to the HAER are being completed and the final report will be submitted to MHC in mid-April.

Public Outreach
An overall Phase 1 public meeting was held on March 14, 2013 to discuss scope, schedule, contacts, the hotline, coordination with the Fire departments and proposed road detours (PowerPoint presentation here). The project team also continues to respond to inquiries to the project website with regard to scope, schedule and coordination. Pre-construction surveys of abutter properties and utilities are underway.

A Design Working Group/open house meeting will be held in early May at the new Project Office [100 Summer St., Boston] to update the group and the public on the status of the project’s design since its last meeting in November.

- Ken Krause
Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance