Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

More Green Line extension DEIR goodies

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The new STEP comments address station design, sitting, and access; community path integration; the maintenance facility; and regional environmental justice.  STEP agrees with MGNA (Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance) on objectives:  

Designing and constructing the Mystic Valley Parkway / Route 16 terminus at the same time as the rest of the project.

but suggests alternative means:

There has been considerable discussion about whether to accept the DEIR as a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) or to require that it be treated as a DEIR and demand that changes be made in a subsequent FEIR.

To avoid the significant delay that a separate FEIR would entail, the most critical issues with the DEIR could either be addressed in a Supplemental EIR, or in Addenda to the FEIR.

In addition to these words from STEP today, there are a few other documents now available at Inside Medford.

Mayor McGlynn released his response to the DEIR document today, and actually it’s far better than I expected from him.  

If the Proponent would fulfill both its commitment to work with us, and its obligation to provide adequate and transparent information, the construction of this project from Lechmere Station to Mystic Valley Parkway could be achieved in a way that not only improves public transit but improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

However, repeated language about the need “to work in partnership with the City” seems a tad disingenuous given the total lack of initiative demonstrated by the City so far on issues that really should be driven by the City; enforcement around parking, for one example.

The city did hire an engineering consultant to provide a technical review the DEIR, and they put together a 65-page analysis that informed Mayor McGlynn’s response to the DEIR.  (And it will give me a bit more homework to do before I send off my own comment letter.)

Don’t forget to ensure that your comments arrive by Friday, January 8!:

All written comments must include EEA #13886

And be submitted by email, fax or mail to:

Secretary Ian Bowles

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

MEPA Office

Attn: Holly Johnson, MEPA Analyst

EEA #13886

100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900

Boston, MA 02114

Email: Holly.S.Johnson@state.ma.us

Fax: 617-626-1181

 

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  2. On the Lowell line, the last stop before North Station is West Medford Station, just 0.6 miles further up the track?  Doing this would open up much of Somerville to be an easy commute for those along the Lowell line — they ride the train to West Medford and switch to the Green Line.  Under the current scheme, they’d have to ride to North Station then get on the Green Line northbound to backtrack to their destination.

    <

    p>A key part of any expansion is to mitigate the number of passengers who use the congested hubs — Park and Gov’t Ctr to be sure, but also places like North and South Stations.*

    <

    p>So, was it even considered?  Is there some technical reason why doing it would be extremely expensive (right of way, space for the turnaround, etc)?

    <

    p>

    <

    p> * This is why extending the Blue Line from Bowdoin to Charles/MGH is so important — it would allow people to use Blue-Red north of Boston without having to enter Park or Gov’t Ctr.

    • is very congested.  I have no idea where they would put a turnaround, parking, or any of the other things they’d need to have a functioning Green Line station there.  I recall hearing that the W Medford commuter rail crossing already has one of the highest combinations of frequency of trains and volume of auto and pedestrian traffic in the state, though I can’t find any backup for that.

      • suggests that it would also be useful.  Rural Iowa isn’t very congested, and there’s no reason to put a Green Line station there.

        <

        p>As for space for a turnaround, they could always do it a few blocks north.  Dig up Playsted Park, put the turnaround underground, and then reinstall the ball field.  Cut and cover is relatively cheap, especially when you’re not near buildings and don’t need to do any remediation during the construction process.

        <

        p>As for parking — it’s not clear that they would need public parking there.  Drivers could go to the Rte 16 station (or wherever).  Lots of stations don’t have parking (or have under 20 spaces).

        <

        p>Whatelseyougot? đŸ™‚

        • There are no plans and there should be no plans to provide additional parking at Route 16.  The point is to take people out of their cars.  I apologize for misleading language in my post; I’ve now changed “parking” to “enforcement around parking.”

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          p>Please poke around at http://www.medfordgreenline.org for more info and discussion.

          <

          p>You make great points about the potential benefits of having the Commuter Rail meet up with the Green Line, and I wish it could happen.  I think we’ve discussed these plans and why it isn’t so feasible before on BMG.  I’m on the company dime right now so don’t have time to look, but perhaps some of that discussion is in threads here or here?

          • I’m generally skeptical of “environmental impact” studies in urban areas — I find that they tend to skew too heavily toward the frog or turtle or bird and not enough toward sustainable living of people.  It’s one thing if the habitat in question is vital for species survival — but otherwise, my hunch is that providing a better mass transit network will reduce total environmental impact much more than the bridge to cross the river.

            <

            p>Of course, I haven’t read any reports or attended any meetings or hearings on the issue, so there may very well be much more to the story.

            <

            p>I’m merely skeptical that we can’t build a bridge for the Green Line in a place where there are three bridges within a few hundred yards (Boston Ave, the Commuter Rail bridge, and the Mystic Valley Parkway.  I can’t help but wonder if it has more to do with politics and NIMBYism in Medford.

          • …but if I can’t park my car at a mass transit station to get the rest of the way into town, then I can’t take mass transit.  Of course there should be parking, especially at the end of a line.  Are you only expecting to serve people who live within walking distance or are you hoping people use the bus?  In my experience relying on the bus schedule doesn’t always jive with my own schedule.

            • MassDOT has made it very clear that the only parking along the Green Line extension will be at Lechmere and there will be no parking at the Mystic Valley Parkway stop (let’s leave out the acre they need for parking for their employees at the maintenance facility).  What should cause people some concern is that MassDOT has to have this done with trains up and running by 12/31/2014 or face federal fines, penalties or withholding of federal highway money.  Well, we are 4 years away and we have not moved a shovel of dirt yet.  Any over under on whether we make it on time?

            • and  two miles from the nearest subway stop (Davis Square), so yes, I take a bus to get to the T most of the time.  If I walk, it takes me 40 minutes to get to the subway.  But, no, I don’t expect that most people are as devoted to commuting by public transportation as I am.

              <

              p>From the MGNA site:

              1. The addition of Green Line service will result in fewer cars on the road, not more. The Environmental Impact Study estimates that of the 8,900 new daily riders on the line, 70 percent of them will be switching from auto mode.

              2. All the stations are designed with NO parking structures; rather, they are catered to people who will get there by foot, by bicycle, and by existing bus routes.

              3. There are almost 10,000 people living with a half-mile (10-minute) walk of the Route 16 station. In addition, two multi-use paths (walk/bike) are being planned to lead directly to the station. The first, from the Alewife/Arlington side, just was approved for stimulus funds. The other, which will follow the Mystic River toward Wellington, will be the next to be built. These safe walking/biking options will encourage people to not drive to Davis Square, Alewife or Wellington Station to take the T, but rather walk to the Green Line.

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              p>Given that you are stuck with driving from home, I’m sorry that this Green Line terminus isn’t designed for your personal use.  Perhaps you will benefit by noticing fewer cars driving into the city with you?

              <

              p>More important to my mind is the larger time scale, and that isn’t so much about you or me.  Transportation infrastructure determines how and where people concentrate or scatter as decades pass.  A big dig and the swifter journey by car it brings encourages people to move to New Hampshire — that is, until at equilibrium enough people have moved far enough away so that I-93 becomes just as clogged as it was before the highway “improvement.”  Conversely, mass transit with parking made intentionally inconvenient concentrates people and businesses in the immediate vicinity, and discourages automobile use. “If you build it, they will come.”

    • … was considered at some point in the past.  I’ll be that current budgetary concerns and the high cost of arranging the alignment in such a congested area are at issue.  Also, I haven’t read the draft EIR but I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere in the past the additional environmental concerns (and associated mitigation costs) building track across the river were an issue.  Not a insurmountable one to be sure, but one I’ll bet contributed a decent amount to cost.

    • The modern Green Line cars can be operated from either end and do not require a loop at the end of the line. The driver just gets out and walks to the other end of the train.

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