The recent announcement that the Green Line Extension Project has been postponed yet again is a major setback in the effort to begin construction and a disappointment for Tufts and the surrounding communities of Medford and Somerville. The project, which was originally slated to be completed by the end of 2014, suffered yet another delay last month, and it is now projected to be finished sometime between 2018 and 2020.
An extended Green Line represents attractive benefits for the Tufts community. The extended line would feature a T-stop on College Avenue, which would be more accessible than the Davis Square Red Line stop for much of the campus community.
The project is vital for the prosperity of Medford and Somerville. Residents have had limited public transportation options for far too long, having to make do with the commuter rail which has only infrequent stops and slow buses.
The extension project was also motivated, in part, by environmental concerns caused by the Big Dig several years ago. Additional subway service would take cars off the roads and combat greenhouse gas emissions. The federal Clean Air Act stipulates that the project be designed to help offset the Big Dig's impact. While the project is delayed, the state will have to sink further funds into providing an temporary solution.
The Green Line extension represents a tremendous opportunity to continue economic growth in Somerville. Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone predicts that businesses that will have newfound access to public transit, like those in Union Square, will experience a resurgence. He's right; a growing economy surely accompanies growing transit. The sooner the project is completed, the greater the economic benefits will be.
Curtatone and Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn are both staunchly behind the Green Line Extension Project.
In an Aug. 26 op-ed in the Somerville News, Curtatone wrote, " It's clear that this will not be resolved without a united approach...We can't wait indefinitely to reduce the negative health effects this traffic has on our residents. In this time of fiscal uncertainty, we also need this promised transit to contribute to our local and regional economy."
We at the Daily couldn't agree more.
