Somerville Journal: Orange Line design meeting

"Residents say initial Orange Line design needs to better maximize ridership"
Somerville’s first community meeting regarding the Orange Line T stop at Assembly Square has residents less than pleased about a design that seems too inflexible, does not include a second head house or station nor have enough visibility to attract riders.

MBTA's proposed design for Assembly Square T stop

At the recent public meeting on Assembly Square, the MBTA presented its preferred station design. Download the slides (PDF). Or keep reading to see some of the maps and detailed diagrams.

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Orange Line Assembly Square meeting: We need a second headhouse

Last night many residents gathered at a community meeting to discuss the design of the new Orange Line stop at Assembly Square. MBTA project staff and the design consultant provided an overview of the preliminary design for the station, which includes just one headhouse for entry and exit. This was followed by a comment period during which many people argued for a second headhouse.

STEP's Wig Zamore created a set of slides as background information and recommendations about the station design, pointing out the obvious need for a second headhouse. One headhouse would mean a less visible station, a long walk to many Assembly Square destinations (including IKEA), less effective bike connections, and poorer accessibility. Download the slides.

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State wants to reduce Urban Ring in Somerville

The EOT has just filed a Notice of Project Change for the Urban Ring which revises the Preferred Local Alternative to run directly to Sullivan Square from Everett, down Route 99, completely eliminating Medford and mostly eliminating Assembly Square in Somerville, which now would get a backwards spur off of one of the bus routes but lose the direct connection to Logan and is removed from the mainline of the Northern Tier which is proposed to be built. This is strange as the Urban Ring ridership projections for Wellington (5,800) and Assembly Square (5,200) had far exceeded those projected for Sullivan Square (2,700) in the recently filed Urban Ring Phase 2 Revised Draft EIR / Draft EIS. Stay tuned for more updates.

STEP analysis reveals design problems with Yard 8 maintenance facility

The following letter and analysis were sent from STEP to the Executive Office of Transportation.

Dear Secretary Aloisi,

STEP has carefully reviewed the EOT report on locations for the maintenance facility. We found that the state's decision in favor of Yard 8 failed to account for key operational issues. In other words, there are design problems in the track design for the Yard 8 design. The state's critique of other locations in the report did not take into account the operational design flaws of the Yard 8 plan.

Concerned that the criteria for evaluating the locations was not consistent, STEP requested that Mr. Stephen Kaiser review and evaluate the operational issues for both Yard 8 and Mirror Scheme H. Mr. Kaiser is a Cambridge engineer who formerly worked for 15 years with the state on matters of transportation and environmental review. Download his summary report of June 26 (PDF).

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America's streetcar renaissance

Street-running train networks are making a comeback, as this map from The Infrastructurist shows.

Somerville air quality testing begins soon

Somerville News: "Comprehensive air quality testing for one year begins soon"
The Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, a group of concerned Somervillians, has partnered with Tufts University to devise and implement a study of air quality in neighborhoods just off major highways in Somerville. It is thought that the added pollution from passing cars negatively affects the residents' cardiovascular health.

STEP meeting

Topics included the Orange Line Assembly Square planning meeting, Community Corridor planning meetings, and the CAFEH study.
Meeting notes (PDF)

Somerville News: East Cambridge meeting on Green Line

"East Cambridge residents voice concern about Green Line changes"
While most attendees were in agreement that the Green Line expansion is a positive endeavor, the modest crowd of approximately 60 people were unanimously concerned about pedestrian access across O'Brien Highway, the newly scaled-down design of the station in comparison to that of the previously grandiose North Point Development Designs, better signage and the historic preservation of the current Lechmere Station.