Green Line Extension Start Date Eyed for 2018

SOMERVILLE, MA – Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone is eyeing early 2018 to restart work on the Green Line Extension project, according to the State House News Service. Curtatone's comments come a week after the project cleared a major hurdle, receiving federal approval on the new cost estimate for the revised plans.

The MBTA was required to submit a new cost estimate to the FTA after putting a hold on the original project amid skyrocketing budget estimates. FTA approval allows the new, scaled-down Green Line Extension project to proceed and begin spending federal dollars.

The redesign includes a reduction in station size, the vehicle maintenance facility and walls and bridges, as well as a name change for two of the stations – they will now be called Magoun Square and East Somerville.

Most significantly, the Somerville Community Path, a key commuter thoroughfare for bicyclists and pedestrians, has been scaled back. The smaller path – which Project Manager John Dalton promises "meets the spirit of the original community path" – drew the most ire from residents at a community meeting in December.

The $2.3 billion project will add seven new stops in Somerville and Medford and is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

According to a separate State House News Service report, officials said Monday the MBTA will absorb the expected $23 million in net operating costs per year of construction, as opposed to having the state pay for it.

Somerville entered an agreement last week with Union Square master developer Union Square Associates to allocate $5.5 million to the Green Line Extension project, a portion of the total benefits the developer is expected to contribute to the city. The deal is contingent on the Board of Alderman approving the draft Union Square zoning by May 31.

Patch File Photo