Our friends at Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance (MGNA) wrote this excellent overview of what’s happening in the coming months….
1) The Executive Office of Transportation will hold two public meetings in mid- to late March. One will be in Medford and the other in Somerville. No new information will be presented here; instead, EOT will use the time to bring the two communities up to date on the project and to explain what to expect in an upcoming environmental impact report (see next paragraph). As always, it will be important to have at both meetings a public show of support for Route 16.
2) Shortly after the EOT’s two public meetings, a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will be filed with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office. The DEIR is a critically important document. It will formally introduce the MEPA office to the concept of a Route 16 terminus and the office will have to approve it before an application for federal funding can be filed.
3) After the MEPA office receives the DEIR – probably by early April – the office will conduct a public hearing and a period of public comment. This will be a crucial time for Green Line supporters to weigh in once again. The audience here will not be EOT but the MEPA office, which will have to be convinced to approve EOT’s recommendation for a Route 16 terminus.
