The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) this summer announced that its project to extend the T's Green Line, a project chronically plagued with delays and funding complications, will again be pushed back.
Now slated for completion in 2018 at the earliest, the extension is part of Massachusetts' legal obligation under the federal Clean Air Act to counteract the environmental impact of the 15−year Boston underground mega−highway project known as the Big Dig. Plans for the project now include seven stops, one of which would be built adjacent to the Tufts campus near Curtis Hall. A second phase of the project would extend the line further to Mystic Valley Parkway/Route 16.
The most recent delays stem from complications in the state process of applying for federal funding. In addition to recently guaranteeing over 476 million state dollars to the project itself, Massachusetts has plans to apply in December for help from the federal government in paying the expected $1.2 billion cost of the project. If approved, the federal help would cover about half of that amount.
Difficulties in meeting certain requirements of the federal funding application process, though, have necessitated the completion date's pushback, according to Tufts' Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel.
"The most recent information we have about the cause of the delay is that... the state is going to apply for federal funding, and once they get into that pipeline, there are very rigid rules about what they can do [and] when," Rubel explained.
"Once they get into that order they can't really… keep moving as quickly as they would like to move," Rubel said.
According to Somerville's Director of Communications Michael Meehan, the state has been unable to secure funding from the federal level due to outstanding debts from the Big Dig.
"It's tricky in that the state supplies money, but one of the things the state has to do to get the federal money is show [the project's] long−term viability, which is hampered by its outstanding liabilities created largely by the Big Dig," Meehan said. "They have to figure a large portion of it out to get the funding they want to create the Green Line Extension."
Because one of the provisions of the Clean Air Act is that the extension of the Green Line be completed by 2014, the state at that time will be obligated to enact temporary mitigations to offset, at least by some extent, the Big Dig's environmental impact.
"[MassDOT] signed an agreement to have done this project by 2014, so there's not a lot of gray area in that they may owe damages," Meehan said. "This was originally supposed to be part and parcel of the Big Dig itself, but when money got tight, the administration pushed this part off to the side and hoped that no one was going to notice."
According to Meehan, the extension, once completed, will create 30,000 permanent jobs for the state and will result in $70.6 million per year in tax yield for Massachusetts by enabling new businesses in burgeoning industries to open offices in the Boston metro area.
Thus far, however, the project has been hampered by delays as well as a lack of any concrete start and end date, which led to residents of Somerville petitioning the state for fixed dates in order to invite back investment, Meehan said.
"The problem created is that… for businesses that want to invest in these corridors, for homeowners who perhaps want to buy into these corridors… they have no idea when the project is going to arrive. They can't see what step one is going to be, so they can't invest in step five." Meehan said.
From the university's point of view, according to Vice President for Operations Dick Reynolds, the project would be a boon and the slew of delays is frustrating.
"The university's position is that we're very positive about it; it's something we're very supportive of," Reynolds said. "I'm disappointed, and the university is disappointed at this new delay news."
Somerville residents as well as the Mayor's Office have been pressing the Governor's Office for a set timeline, Meehan said.
"Nearly 3,000 people in Somerville this summer signed a petition asking for a predictable, concrete timeline for the Green Line Extension," he said. "You can say 2018, but when does the work start?" Meehan said.
Rubel noted that while Tufts would benefit from a more well−defined start date, there are many forces at work.
"There are a lot of people who think that getting something going is better… whether that strategy fits with the federal strategy, I don't know," Rubel said. "Clearly, the university is very excited about the Green Line, but we understand that it's complicated and very expensive."
Reynolds added that while Tufts does not expect to accrue financial benefits from the T station, the new stop will facilitate travel to downtown Boston.
"Basically, the stop will provide access for students and faculty to Boston — there's no revenue in an meaningful way," Reynolds said. "Instead of having to hop the Joey [shuttle] to Davis Square, students can walk to the station. Frankly, it will help to connect this campus with the downtown campus."
