Assembly Square Orange Line station meeting

Tuesday, Nov 15, 7-8:30 pm
Capuano Early Childhood Center
150 Glen St (map)

There will be a public meeting on the Assembly Square Orange Line project, primarily to introduce the MBTA project team and discussion of construction plans and schedule. This is the first new subway stop to be added to the MBTA system in several decades. There has not been a public meeting about this project since the 30% design meeting on January 12, 2010. The project presentation at that meeting showed great progress with regard to station accessibility compared to the earlier single headhouse (entry and exit) design.

The much improved Orange Line T-stop design was a result of both well-informed public input AND an appropriate response from the non-public project proponents - MBTA, Federal Realty and City of Somerville. At the January 12, 2010 meeting, announced "Next Steps" included a 70% design meeting in the Fall of 2010. Unfortunately the 70% design community meeting never happened. The project is now at 100% design with a construction contract recently awarded by the MBTA Board.

This is a very important project for Somerville and Assembly Square. The Orange Line T-stop is the necessary foundation to a sustainable mixed use project in this waterfront district which has been severely underutilized for over a generation. Assembly Square is expected to host over 50% of Somerville's new housing units over the next decade and over 60% of Somerville's new jobs. Thus it is very important that the public catch up with the T-stop project progress and decisions.