A couple weeks ago, I was fortunate (I think) enough to attend my first public meeting for a major transportation project. The meeting in question was an information session about the Green Line Extension that was held at Somerville High School. The presentation was given by the Executive Office of Transportation, which is the state agency responsible for transit expansion projects. The Green Line Extension is the long overdue expansion of the light rail Green Line beyond Lechmere station into East Somerville and Medford. I thought the presentation was very well done and this is a project that will directly benefit a large number of currently underserved metro Boston residents while improving local and regional air quality. The tracks will follow the existing right of way of the Lowell and Fitchburg commuter rail lines and provide an additional seven stations to the Green Line in these communities.
It must be stated that I did not hear a single comment that was entirely negative about the project. Most every politician and resident that stood before the group commented on how happy they were this project would be getting done. (As a follow on to the Big Dig, the state is legally obligated to complete this project by 2014 in order to mitigate the environmental air quality effects of that highway expansion.) However, starting with the politicians, every person who spoke complained about the location of a maintenance facility in yard 8, adjacent to the Brickbottom station. It took a while to find out what about this they were against, but the basic argument was that this facility would hinder the economic development of this area for perpetuity. I don't want to discount legitimate concerns, but having driven through this neighborhood, it is currently an industrial area adjacent to a rail yard. Nowhere else in the project could a maintenance facility be housed and one is certainly required if this project is going to be successful. What amazed me most was the ridiculous analogies people (almost exclusively Brickbottom residents) would draw to show their opposition to this facility. One person said that "Developers don't like to build near three things: Nuclear power plants, chemical waste dumps, and maintenance facilities!" Another compared this project decision to the decision to send an elevated Interstate 93 through East Somerville.
I must say that I understand concern about a major project in your neighborhood. However, looking at the big picture, they can only be thankful for such a development. As I mentioned, this area is almost completely industrial and is one of the poorest parts of the city. Having access to reliable public transit will result in economic dividends on an order of magnitude greater than what will be lost by the location of a much needed maintenance facility.
Green Line Extension - www.mass.gov/greenlineextension
Other MBTA and Transit Documents
Capital Investment Program - 5 year plan outlining transportation needs and detailing planned investments. Interesting to skim through if you want to learn more about the financials of the MBTA
Program for Mass Transit - Long range plan for expanding and preserving transit infrastructure
Stimulus funded transit projects
Fitchburg Commuter Rail Improvement - Very near to my heart, this project would improve travel time and reliability on the Fitchburg Commuter Rail line primarily by improving the tracks to allow train speeds of up to 80 mph.
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