MGNA: Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance

Planning for the Green Line Extension to Somerville and Medford – a legal obligation of the Commonwealth since 1991 – began in earnest on June 3, 2004, with the first meeting of the Beyond Lechmere Northwest Corridor Study Advisory Committee.

As ground is broken today on the project, here are some numbers to put the milestone in perspective:

3,113: Number of days of planning the extension since the first meeting of the Beyond Lechmere study committee (8 years, 6 months, 8 days)

6: Number of Secretaries of Transportation since planning began (Dan Grabauskas, John Cogliano, Bernard Cohen, James Aloisi, Jeffrey Mullan, Richard Davey)

8: Number of major project studies (Beyond Lechmere, Expanded Environmental Notification Form, Draft Environmental Impact Report, Final Environmental Impact Report, Historical and Architectural Resource Study, Support Facility Alternatives Analysis, Environmental Assessment, Mystic Valley Parkway Community Visioning Study)

9: Number of bidders for Phase I construction contract (widening the rail bridges over Harvard Street in Medford and over Medford Street in Somerville, and demolishing the MBTA building at 21 Water Street in Cambridge)

$12.9 million: Low bid for Phase I construction (by Barletta Heavy Division)

$15.3 million: MBTA engineer’s pre-bid estimate on Phase I construction cost

$700 million: Total cost of Green Line Extension construction

$1.115 billion: Total cost of Green Line Extension project

7,500: Projected number of new MBTA riders due to the Green Line Extension

12,700: Total linear feet of noise barriers to be installed (2.4 miles)

25,018: Projected daily reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled due to auto trips converted to transit

49,000: Projected daily ridership at new Green Line Stations by 2030

24: Number of new Green Line cars being procured

100: Percent of stations that will offer universal access and exceed ADA standards

0: Number of homes needed to be acquired for extension

2016: Scheduled opening year for Lechmere, Union Square and Washington Street stations

2019: Scheduled opening year for Gilman Square, Lowell Street, Ball Square and College Avenue stations

###???: Opening year for Mystic Valley Parkway Station

- Ken Krause, Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance

Two of the principals involved with the Maxwell’s Green development near the proposed Lowell Street Station on the Green Line Extension expound the virtues of the transit project in a column on Boston.com.

Ted Tobin of KSS Realty and Kyle B. Warwick of Gate Residential Properties write:

“In an economy that is still struggling to recover, the Green Line extension would produce much needed jobs for the Commonwealth, and encourage the kind of development that enhances quality of life while adhering to the state’s own vision and agenda for smart growth.

“The Green Line extension is a major endeavor requiring over $1 billion in investment and a creative approach to financing. But it represents a fundamental responsibility – and a promise the state has made – for which MassDOT and the MBTA must be held accountable. It also represents the very best kind of economic stimulus. The private sector will invest when it has confidence the state is ready to deliver on this project.

“The quarter-century old lesson of the Red Line extension is an illustration of leadership, courage and a commitment to do what’s right for the public interest. The payoff is visible every day in Somerville, Cambridge and the surrounding area, and so that lesson bodes well for what lays ahead as a result of the Green Line extension.

“It’s time for MassDOT and the MBTA to examine its own history, show true leadership and fulfill this commitment.”

AMEN!

- Ken Krause, MGNA

The Boloco restaurant at 340 Boston Ave. will close on Nov. 30, Boloco CEO John Pepper told the Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance  in an email Sunday night.

Responding to an email reminder about a public meeting this week about the latest Green Line delay, Pepper said the fact that the project is languishing was a factor in his decision to close the Medford location.

Pepper wrote:

“We opened our Medford restaurant 5 years ago in great part due to the knowledge that the Green Line was ‘coming’ and would add vitality to Boston Ave.  We heard it could be 4-5 years which sounded crazy at the time.   Sadly, we’ve recently decided not to renew our lease and we’ll be out November 30.  Regardless, this extension is critical.  I’ll continue to support from the sidelines.”

In addition to offering quality food at reasonable prices, the Medford Boloco also has been generous in its support of a host of Medford nonprofit organizations, regularly donating food to their events.

Its closing is a loss for the city.

- Ken Krause, MGNA