Letter from Green Line headquarters…
Dear Green Line Extension Friends –
We are writing to you with an update on the status of the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment for the Green Line Extension project.
As many of you are aware, the Executive Office of Transportation has been working with our federal and state partners to prepare for the submission of a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (DEIR/EA) for the Green Line Extension project. As we explained in our last message, we anticipated that the DEIR/EA would be submitted in August, and we outlined the process that would accompany the submission. We are now expecting to file the DEIR/EA on October 15th, to be noticed in the Environmental Monitor of October 26. The submission will be followed by a 45-day public review period and a public hearing. Detailed information on the specifics of the DEIR/EA, public hearing, and public comment period will be available shortly.
We are aware that some of you are concerned about the recent delays in filing the DEIR/EA. The delays resulted directly from our efforts – and the efforts of many project stakeholders – to find a positive resolution to the siting of a vehicle storage and maintenance facility for the Green Line Extension. The construction of such a facility is a necessary component of the project, and we are striving to find an appropriate site that meets the operational, financial, and schedule needs of the Green Line Extension project while also minimizing disruption within the host community. There are many factors to balance, and we feel that we have – with the support of our partners and stakeholders – found a good solution for moving this project forward.
EOT has analyzed the environmental impacts of locating the facility within the confines of the so-called Yard 8 site within the Inner Belt area of Somerville. This analysis will be presented in full in the DEIR/EA. In addition, we have decided to explore two new potential locations for the construction of the facility: (1) a location we have labeled “Option L,” which is also located in the Inner Belt area, immediately adjacent to the Boston Engine Terminal, and (2) the so-called Mirror H site, which straddles the Inner Belt area of Somerville and the NorthPoint area of Cambridge. The DEIR/EA includes a commitment from EOT to further consider both of these alternatives; the outcome of this analysis will determine whether EOT chooses to pursue a Notice of Project Change for the Green Line Extension project, to formally substitute one of the alternative options for Yard 8 as the preferred site for the storage and maintenance facility.
We will hold a public meeting to seek input and feedback on the Mirror H and Option L locations.
For more information on the project, please visit the project website at www.mass.gov/greenlineextension. To contact the project team, please email Kate Fichter at katherine.fichter@eot.state.ma.us. Please share this message with others who may be interested.
Thank you for your interest in and support of the Green Line Extension project.
The Green Line Extension Project Team