GLX Files Project Change Notice With Environmental Affairs

SOMERVILLE, MA – The Green Line Extension project continues to move forward, months after an updated timeline and design were first unveiled to the public.

The MBTA re-submitted that design to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Tuesday, filing a Notice of Project Change. This was required after a new, scaled-back version was created, which must be found to comply with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).

A former design was approved by the EEA in an Environmental Impact Report in 2010, but the project may not move forward until the new version gets the green light from the agency.

The new design came after the Green Line Extension was projected to be significantly over budget and suspended by the MBTA. The scaled-back version will not alter any of the core functions of the project, but it will reduce station size, walls and bridges and change the name of two stops.

In December, transportation officials said they did not expect the design to have trouble complying with the original Environmental Impact Report, and hypothesized that the reduction in size may actually decrease the project's environmental effect.

Patch File Photo