Arlington, Somerville Officials Push For Alewife Solution

ARLINGTON, MA – Arlington state senator Cindy Friedman and state representative Sean Garballey joined Somerville state senator Patricia Jehlen in testifying before the MBTA's Fiscal Management and Control Board Monday about the conditions at the Alewife parking garage.

The three officials implored the board to provide both short- and long-term plans for repairs to the garage's infrastructure after concrete fell from the ceiling and damaged parked cars last week.

"The decrepit conditions of the Alewife garage are well-known to the thousands of commuters who use the garage daily to get to work," Friedman said. "It’s time for the MBTA to stop with the patchwork repairs and invest in long-term fixes to improve the safety and usability of the garage. There is no reason why people should be paying so much to park in a garage that is in such poor condition."

The decaying conditions of the 30-year-old garage have been "well-documented" for nearly a decade, according to Friedman's office. In February of 2017, falling concrete damaged a car in the garage, and a December report that year concluded that the structure needed "immediate corrective action" due to "moderate to advanced levels of deterioration in the primary concrete components of the parking garage."

Garballey described the conditions as "absolutely unacceptable."

As the northernmost station on the Red Line, thousands of commuters use it every day from nearby communities. The garage is quick to fill up every morning, and prolonged construction could hinder commuter access to Boston and other economic centers, Friedman's office said in a statement.

"We should be fixing these dangerous structures, not just putting on bandaids. Governor Baker is reported as saying we don’t need more funding for transportation infrastructure, and ‘let’s do a better job with the dollars we have," Jehlen said. "It’s the job of the FMCB to do that, but also to ensure that our constituents and passengers are safe and well-served. The FMCB needs to advocate for adequate funding to make a long-term capital plan that doesn’t continually waste money on emergency fixes."

Officials also addressed the MBTA’s recent decision to raise the daily parking rate at the Alewife garage from $7 to $10. For the thousands of nearby residents who use the garage as part of their work commute, this increased parking fare could add an extra $750 annually in additional commuter costs.

On July 9, Friedman and several colleagues sent a letter to MBTA CEO Louis Ramirez to express their concern with the parking rate increase. The MBTA has not responded to that letter, Friedman's office said.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch