The following is a letter to Gov. Deval Patrick…
As elected representatives of Somerville and Medford we are writing toâ¨express our concerns that the Green Line extension may not be extended farâ¨enough to serve all of our communities as effectively as possible. Weâ¨strongly believe that the Green Line should terminate at Route 16. The Greenâ¨Line extension is one of the most important public transportationâ¨investments that we as a state have made or are likely to make in the nearâ¨future. It is crucial that we get this investment as right as possible.â¨
A Route 16 terminus would serve residents of Somerville, Medford Hillsideâ¨and Arlington in a way that a terminus at College Ave. would not. Somervilleâ¨is being asked to accept a new maintenance facility that would service andâ¨store trains not only for the extension but for the rest of the line asâ¨well. Somerville is already heavily burdened by MBTA support facilitiesâ¨which do not serve the city. Any additional MBTA support facility inâ¨Somerville should be as small as possible, should conform to the needs ofâ¨Somerville’s future economic growth and should deliver mitigation to theâ¨residents of Somerville. One aspect of this mitigation should be Green Lineâ¨service that provides the greatest possible benefit to the city andâ¨residents of Somerville. That service should include a stop at Route 16.â¨â¨
We also believe that a Route 16 terminus would allow for tremendous economicâ¨development opportunities for Somerville and Medford. Additionally, theâ¨Medford Hillside has been promised Green Line service and we do not believeâ¨that terminating the line at College Ave. would meet the definition ofâ¨servicing the Hillside as outlined by the SIP. We also strongly believe thatâ¨a Route 16 terminus would generate additional ridership beyond currentâ¨projections and that that demand would continue to grow along with economicâ¨development in the area. As you are probably aware, over 2000 residents ofâ¨Medford and Arlington have signed a petition requesting that the Green Lineâ¨be extended to Rte. 16.â¨
For the above mentioned reasons as well as many others, we would insist thatâ¨the Green Line extension continue out to Route 16. We would appreciate theâ¨opportunity to meet with you and your staff to discuss this issue in greaterâ¨detail at you earliest convenience. Thank you for your consideration in thisâ¨matter. We look forward to hearing from you with your thoughts on thisâ¨matter and to schedule a meeting.â¨
Sincerely,â¨
PATRICIA D JEHLEN, STATE SENATOR, 2nd MIDDLESEXâ¨
DENISE PROVOST, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, 27th MIDDLESEXâ¨
CARL SCIORTINO, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, 34th MIDDLESEXâ¨
SEAN GARBALLEY, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, 23rd MIDDLESEX