MBTA's Green Line Extension Moving Forward Again

A revised plan to extend the MBTA's Green Line light rail line into Somerville and Medford required approval from the state (approved last May) and the Federal Transit Authority (approved this week).

1 minute read

April 6, 2017, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Green Line

jyllish / Flickr

Nicole Duncga reports: "The Federal Transit Administration has approved the MBTA’s new cost estimate for a scaled-down version of the Green Line extension into Somerville and Medford, a critical milestone that effectively ensures the $2.3 billion project will move forward."

The review was necessary after delays and a scaling back of the project, but the new version of the project can now proceed.

"The extension of one of the country’s busiest light rail lines into Somerville and Medford had been considered for years before finally moving forward in 2015, when Congress approved the $1 billion grant," explains Duncga. Now that the project is proceeding, its seven new stops are expected to end construction in 2021. Next in the process: choosing a contractor for the design-build process.

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