Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

State Implementation Plan – Transit Commitments

Monthly Status Report

December 20, 2012

For questions on this document, please contact:     

Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Office of Transportation Planning

10 Park Plaza, Room 4150

Boston, Massachusetts  02116

planning@state.ma.us

(617) 973-7313

II. Construction of 1,000 New Parking Spaces

Project Description

To encourage commuters and other travelers to make use of the public transit network for trips into downtown Boston – and other locations as appropriate – the MBTA will construct 1,000 new parking spaces at MBTA stations within the 101 communities of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

SIP Deadline

Before December 31, 2011, construction of the following facilities shall be completed and opened to full public use: 1,000 new park and ride parking spaces serving commuter transit facilities within the 101 cities and towns constituting the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Project Status

MassDOT, along with the MBTA, identified a set of parking projects intended to fulfill the necessary SIP commitments and requirements.  All projects slated to fulfill the SIP commitment are now complete. In addition, MassDOT and the MBTA provided interim offset measures for the six-month delay in the fulfillment of the 1,000-space commitment, as is also described below.

Wonderland/Blue Line (Revere)

MassDOT, the City of Revere, and the MBTA are working together to advance a transit-oriented development (TOD) project at Wonderland Station, including 612 net new transit spaces. In November 2009, the City of Revere and MassDOT secured funding under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act for construction of the garage. A groundbreaking occurred on September 13th, 2010.  Construction is completed and the garage opened for public use on June 30, 2012, six months past the required deadline.

Beverly Depot/Commuter Rail

As part of the proposed parking garage project in downtown Beverly, the MBTA purchased a parcel of land for use for a portion of the project.  In the fall of 2009, the MBTA added 102 surface level spaces on the purchased parcel, which are currently open for use by commuters. Future development on this site will include a parking garage, replacing and supplementing the current surface parking.

Savin Hill/Red Line (Dorchester)

The MBTA purchased a parcel of land adjacent to the Savin Hill Red Line Station for the purpose of staging and related uses during construction.  Upon completion of the project, the parcel was converted to a surface lot, which is currently open for use by commuters. The Savin Hill lot has 26 total spaces, with 20 available for use by daily commuters (the remaining spaces are reserved for MBTA employees and Zipcar users).

Woodland/Green Line (Newton)

100 spaces were built as part of a joint development project in this area.  These spaces were opened and made available to the public in 2007.

Quincy Shipyard/Ferry

The MBTA purchased a site previously occupied by a series of abandoned buildings associated with the Quincy Shipyard, which were deemed a safety hazard and razed.  Construction of a 168-space commuter parking lot is complete and open to the public.

Project Funding

The following table provides detail on the funding sources for the parking locations:

Potential Challenges

MassDOT has completed the SIP commitment of 1,000 parking spaces.  However, it was not met in time for the December 31, 2011 deadline, due to the delays in the completion of the garage at Wonderland Station. MassDOT believed that the delay in the Wonderland parking garage caused no measurable loss of air quality improvement at the opening date,  but nonetheless provided interim offset mitigation during the delay, in the form of increased Saturday bus service on MBTA Route 111—the highest ridership route serving the communities to the northeast of Boston.

III. Red Line-Blue Line Connector - Design

Project Description

The proposed Red Line/Blue Line Connector consists of an extension of the MBTA Blue Line under Cambridge Street to the Red Line station at Charles/MGH.  As currently envisioned, the project consists of two major components: (1) a new tunnel extending the Blue Line under Cambridge Street from Government Center to Charles Circle and (2) a new underground Blue Line station connected to the existing Charles/MGH Station.  The project will also consider whether and how to relocate Bowdoin Station.

The SIP regulations require only that MassDOT complete final design for the project.  Construction of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector is not required.

Project Funding & Cost

The ‘immediate needs’ Transportation Bond Bill of 2007 provides state bond funding for the design of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector project.  The estimated funding needed to complete design has increased from the previous $29 million estimate to $52 million, according to the new cost estimates completed during the development of the DEIR.

SIP Deadline

Before December 31, 2011, complete final design of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector, from the Blue Line at Government Center to the Red Line at Charles/MGH Station.

Project Status

On September 14, 2007, MassDOT filed an Expanded Environmental Notification Form with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office.  A public scoping session was held on October 17, 2007, and the Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs issued a certificate on the project on November 15, 2007.  Based on the project scope as defined in the MEPA Certificate, MassDOT issued a Request for Proposals on March 27, 2008 for a consultant to complete the necessary environmental reviews and engineering for the project.  MassDOT awarded a consultant contract during the summer of 2008.

MassDOT has completed the following environmental reviews and conceptual engineering for the project:

Draft Environmental Impact Report

• The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was filed on March 31, 2010

• A MEPA Certificate for the DEIR was issued on May 28, 2010

Public Outreach

• Six Working Group meetings were held  

• A public hearing on the DEIR was held on May 3, 2010

• A project website has been launched and is maintained at:

• www.mass.gov/massdot/redblue

Refinement of Alternatives/Conceptual Engineering

• Refinement of potential alternatives was performed for three options: (1) a no-build option, (2) a tunnel option with a relocated Bowdoin Station, and (3) a tunnel option with Bowdoin Station closed. The refinement of alternatives also included an evaluation of potential construction options (a mined tunnel vs. a cut-and-cover tunnel) and construction phasing schemes. 

• A Definition of Alternatives/Conceptual Engineering Report was completed in November 2009.

Design Criteria

• A draft Design Criteria Report was prepared and was included with the Definition of Alternatives Report.

Alternatives Analysis

• An Alternatives Analysis Technical Report was completed on March 31, 2010.

Design

• The conceptual design of the project is complete.

Cost Estimates

• Conceptual cost estimates were included in the Definition of Alternatives Report. 

Construction Staging and Sequencing Plans

• Construction staging and sequencing plans were included in the DEIR. 

Real Estate Requirements

• Potential real estate impacts were identified as part of the DEIR.

Potential Challenges

MassDOT has made a good faith effort to meet the commitment to complete final design of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector, including the accomplishments listed above.  However, as part of the environmental review and conceptual design process, MassDOT determined that the ultimate construction costs for the project will far outstrip the cost projections in place at the time that the SIP regulation was promulgated: $290 million at the time of the SIP regulation versus the current best estimate of $748 million (escalated to year of expenditure).  MassDOT has already spent $3 million to advance the project through environmental review and conceptual design, but the current $52 million estimate to complete final design substantially exceeds the $29 million last identified for the effort in the 2009 Regional Transportation Plan for the Boston Region.  Furthermore, MassDOT has been unable to identify funding with which to construct the Red Line/Blue Line Connector at any point in the next 20 years.  As a matter of policy, MassDOT believes that it is irresponsible to spend precious public funds to design and permit transportation projects for which there are no identified construction funds, particularly given the need to continually refresh planning and permitting materials for major projects.  To pursue final design of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector project at this point would be to squander resources that could otherwise be spent on projects for which construction funds are already committed.    

Therefore, MassDOT has initiated a process to amend the SIP to permanently and completely remove the obligation to perform final design of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector.  To that end, MassDOT has officially sought approval from DEP to support a SIP amendment process, which will include public input and discussion.  MassDOT is not proposing to substitute any new projects in place of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector commitment, given the absence of any air quality benefits associated with the current Red Line/Blue Line commitment (final design only).  Correspondence from MassDOT to DEP formally initiating the amendment process was submitted on July 27, 2011, and is posted to the MassDOT website.

On September 13, DEP held two public  hearings (at 1pm and 5pm) to take public comment on MassDOT’s proposed amendments to 310 CMR 7.36, Transit System Improvements, including the elimination of the requirement to complete final design of the Red Line/Blue Line Connector.  Between the two hearings there were 16 attendees, 10 of whom gave oral testimony.  All those who spoke at the hearings spoke in favor of DEP not removing the commitment.  DEP accepted written testimony until September 24, 2012.

IV. Green Line Extension to Somerville and Medford

Project Description

This project – the purpose of which is to improve corridor mobility, boost transit ridership, improve regional air quality, ensure equitable distribution of transit services, and support opportunities for sustainable development – will extend the MBTA Green Line from a relocated Lechmere Station in East Cambridge to College Avenue in Medford, with a branch to Union Square in Somerville.

Proposed Stations

New Green Line stations are currently proposed for:

• College Avenue, Medford – Located at the intersection of College Avenue and Boston Avenue in Medford, adjacent to Tufts University. The station platform will be located on the north side of the College Avenue Bridge, which crosses over the MBTA Lowell Line. Access to the station will be provided from both Boston Avenue and College Avenue, as well as from the Burget Avenue neighborhood, which lies northeast of the station site.  

• Broadway/Ball Square, Medford/Somerville – Located at the intersection of Broadway and Boston Avenue on the north side of Ball Square.  The station platform will be located on the north side of the Broadway Bridge, which crosses over the MBTA Lowell Line.  Access to the station will be provided from both Boston Avenue and Broadway.  An electrical substation, needed to support the Green Line Extension, will likely be installed at this location.  

• Lowell Street, Somerville – Located at the Lowell Street Bridge, which crosses over the MBTA Lowell Line adjacent to the proposed extension of the Somerville Community Path.  The station platform will be located on the north side of the Lowell Street Bridge.  Access to the station will be provided from Lowell Street.

• Located in the vicinity of the Medford Street crossing of the MBTA Lowell Line, behind Somerville City Hall, Public Library, and High School.   The station platform will be located on the north side of the Medford Street Bridge, which crosses over the MBTA Lowell Line.  Access to the station will be provided from Medford Street. The proposed extension of the Somerville Community Path will be located in close proximity and with a connection to the station, and an electrical substation needed to support the Extension will also be installed adjacent to the Community Path on the south side of the corridor.

• Washington Street, Somerville – Located within the footprint of the Washington Street Bridge, proximate to Somerville’s Brickbottom, Inner Belt, and Cobble Hill neighborhoods.  The station platform will be located south of the Washington Street undergrade crossing of the MBTA Lowell Line.  Access to the station will be provided via entrances located under or adjacent to the south abutment of the bridge, in conjunction with improved sidewalk and street-crossings in the area. The proposed extension of the Somerville Community Path will be located in close proximity to the station. 

Union Square, Somerville – Located east of Prospect Street in the vicinity of Union Square in Somerville.  The station platform will be located within the MBTA Fitchburg Line right-of-way east of Prospect Street.   Access to this station will be provided from both the street and bridge levels of Prospect Street. 

Details of the design of the stations, including the relationship of the stations to the pedestrian, bicycle, and bus networks around them, are now more fully developed.  The MBTA completed two rounds of public design workshops in order to engage the public in developing the ‘look and feel’ of the stations and the areas around the stations. These workshops occurred in late spring/summer of 2011 and then again in the winter/spring of 2011-2012. The MBTA has used the information and input collected at the workshops and from the Green Line Extension Design Working Group to inform the ongoing station design and to complete the Advanced Conceptual Design work done to date.

Vehicle Storage and Maintenance Facility

The Green Line Extension will also require the construction of a new light rail vehicle storage and maintenance facility in the vicinity of the Green Line Extension.  MassDOT has identified a location known as ‘Option L’ in the Inner Belt area of Somerville as its preferred alternative for the location of the vehicle support facility.  The MBTA has completed the programming of the facility – the general plan for the layout of and maintenance activities to be housed within the facility – and has advanced the design of its civil/site components and those of its associated vehicle storage areas to an Advanced Conceptual Design stage.  The MBTA must acquire certain parcels of private property and relocate select businesses in order to clear the site and construct the vehicle facility at the Option L location.   The schedule and budget commitments associated with the next steps to acquire these parcels are under review now that the prerequisite FONSI was received from the Federal Transit Administration

Somerville Community Path Extension

In addition, the Green Line Extension project includes the design of the proposed extension of the Somerville Community Path from south of Lowell street to the Inner Belt area of Somerville (not part of the SIP commitment).

Project Funding & Cost

As mentioned above, MassDOT is pursuing federal funding – through the competitive New Starts program managed by FTA – to support the design and construction of the Green Line Extension project.  MassDOT and the MBTA are honored that the Green Line Extension project has been selected by the FTA for approval into Preliminary Engineering. 

The Green Line Extension project is, in many ways, an excellent candidate project for the New Starts program.  The project rates well in terms of: anticipated ridership; environmental benefits; the extant policies and programs in the corridor and region that encourage public transit usage; and the strong and sustained support for the project from elected officials and the public.  However, the fundamental financial realities facing the MBTA – a substantial annual operating deficit as well as a multi-billion-dollar backlog in maintenance and upgrade needs – pose a real challenge to completion of the application for and ultimate completion of the negotiations associated with a Full Funding Grant Agreement for the Green Line Extension project that will require a collective effort to address and resolve. 

Indeed, as part of the application for Preliminary Engineering to FTA, MassDOT was required to resolve the MBTA’s structural deficit and provide the capital funds for the Project.  In turn, this would allow FTA to participate in funding the Green Line Extension project.  However, in order to submit the aforementioned FTA application in September 2013 and to garner FTA’s financial participation in the project, the state must move from hypothetical proposals to concrete steps toward a long-term solution for the MBTA’s funding deficiency.  Without progress on this issue, the New Starts application negotiation cannot be completed thus, delaying the corresponding construction start dates. It is also highly probable that without substantial progress on the identification of new revenue sources and the completion of the financial plan, the FTA will decline providing financial assistance to the project.

In addition to federal funding, MassDOT and the MBTA will use Commonwealth funds to support the design and construction of the Green Line Extension project.  These funds will be raised with the backing of authorizations made to support the SIP projects in Transportation Bond Bills of the past several years.  At present, MassDOT has $624 million available in active Transportation Bond Bill authorizations for the SIP projects. This does not include the monies encumbered to support current projects.

MassDOT will seek additional Transportation Bond Bill authorization to cover the costs of the Green Line Extension project, as well as other SIP projects.  Presently, the cost of the Green Line Extension project is estimated to be approximately $1.115 billion.²  This estimate was based on the Advanced Conceptual design and generated using an initial project cost/schedule risk analysis.  This risk analysis indicated that there is a 50% probability that the project will be completed at the initial cost estimate amount or less.  With the completion of the Advanced Conceptual design phase, the MBTA is in the process of developing a new estimate based on the scope of work for project completion.  Thus, the project is moving forward with the Value Engineering process and is working to identify new cost and schedule risks, and to mitigate or accept those previously identified.

SIP Deadline

Before December 31, 2014, construction of the following facilities shall be completed and opened to full public use: 1. The Green Line Extension from Lechmere Station to Medford Hillside; 2. The Green Line Union Square spur of the Green Line Extension to Medford Hillside.

Project Status

Environmental and Funding Approvals: State-level environmental review (MEPA) was completed in July 2010.  Federal-level environmental review (NEPA) documents were submitted to the Federal Transit Administration in September 2011, and a public hearing was held on October 20, 2011 (to accompany a 45-day public comment period).  A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued by the Federal Transit Administration on July 9, 2012.  The July 2012 release of a FONSI completed the federal-level environmental review process, approximately seven months beyond what was anticipated in the 2011 Status Report.

As stated above, MassDOT and the MBTA continue to work with the Federal Transit Administration to seek funding for the Green Line Extension project under the FTA New Starts capital funding program. A draft New Starts submittal was first presented to FTA in September 2011 for its review.  A second, near final, New Starts submittal, including updated Operations & Maintenance (O&M) modeling information, was submitted to FTA for formal evaluation and rating on December 27, 2011.  The last remaining O&M information, completing the application package, was submitted in late January 2012.  On June 11, 2012, the MBTA received approval from the FTA for the Green Line Extension project to enter Preliminary Engineering.  This approval represents the culmination of this portion of the New Starts application process.  Approval into the New Starts pipeline means that the MBTA may be able, in the future, to seek reimbursement from FTA for expenditures incurred after this date associated with the Green Line Extension project.  However, final authority to seek such reimbursements depends upon the Green Line Extension project being able to successfully continue to compete against other public transit projects within the New Starts program.  In order for this to occur, the Green Line Extension project must reach completed design and submit the application associated with the full funding grant agreement. 

Therefore, entry into Preliminary Engineering is a critical step for the Green Line Extension project and a necessary precondition for receiving federal support; however, it does not guarantee that federal funding will ultimately be available for the project.  It does, however, make any design costs going forward eligible for federal reimbursement, should the MBTA ultimately succeed in obtaining a Full Funding Grant Agreement.

Project Delivery: The MBTA and its Program Management/Construction Management (PM/CM) team completed Advanced Conceptual Engineering for the Green Line Extension project. The team is advancing the project in accordance with a revised project delivery approach which will divide the project into multiple phases (described in more detail below). 

The MBTA has also completed the process to procure an Advanced Preliminary Engineering/Final Design team that began with the issuance of a Request for Qualification Statement in March 2012. This new team, led by a joint venture of AECOM and HNTB, will extend the design through Advanced Preliminary Engineering (APE) and, through Final Design.  Final selection was made in late June 2012, with MBTA Board approval received on September 12, 2012, and the Notice to Proceed issued on September 20, 2012.  The PM/CM team held a kick-off with the design team on September 27, 2012 and conducted a series of Knowledge Transfer sessions through October and November to bring the APE/FD team up to speed on the many elements of the project.  The APE/FD team held an internal kick-off meeting in early November prior to commencing its advanced preliminary design process. The PM/CM team continues to act as Program Managers and provide services as extension of staff to the MBTA. 

In accordance with state requirements, the MBTA has also procured an Owner’s Representative (OR) to support and guide the MBTA throughout the implementation of the project. The OR provides oversight services to the Commonwealth, as well as structural peer review and value engineering services on the project, and has been participating in weekly project meetings and performing review functions.  A formal value Engineering Workshop, led by the OR was held during the first week of November.  The recommendations from the value engineering workshop are being evaluated and decisions made in December regarding their incorporation in the design going forward.

New Green Line Vehicles: Procurement of 24 new Green Line vehicles needed to support the operation of the Green Line Extension continues. The MBTA advertised for the new vehicles in January 2011 and held a pre-bid meeting for prospective bidders in February 2011. Proposals were submitted to the MBTA by two potential builders of the new Green Line vehicles on June 13, 2011, and are now under review by the MBTA Technical Selection Committee. Approval by the MBTA Board has been pushed out until late fall 2012. Pricing in the proposals has been held and extended month to month by both proposers. 

Real Estate: Completion of an agreement with Pan Am Railways in March 2011 allowed the Commonwealth to acquire land and track vital to the construction of the project. MassDOT and the MBTA are presently collaborating on background and support tasks associated with the balance of the real estate work for the Green Line Extension project. A confirmatory survey of the right-of-way limits and adjacent property lines is now complete and the data was used in the Advanced Conceptual design efforts and as confirmation for typical sections, track layouts, and an update to the listing of the potential property impacts. These revised impacts will be confirmed as part of the follow-on Advanced Preliminary design work. MassDOT and the MBTA were granted approval from FTA to begin certain pre-acquisition activities ahead of the completion of the NEPA process (which is now complete).  Those activities will continue, including the work associated with the title surveys for the anticipated full-property acquisitions.  A relocation consultant, retained by the MBTA Real Estate Department, is assisting with the real estate elements of the Green Line Extension project. With receipt of the FONSI, the next steps of the real estate acquisition processes are now underway. Schedules to implement the real estate acquisition process are being developed in conjunction with the MBTA’s Real Estate department and then will beincorporated into the overall program schedule.

Specifically, in order to support the Phase 1 construction work described below, title reports have been generated for the required temporary easements, and appraisals for those easements are complete.  No permanent takings are required.  Discussions to determine compensation are complete with all of the property owners affected by the Phase 1 construction and the necessary temporary construction access licenses have been executed. 

In addition, the MBTA executed a July 26, 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Somerville.  Under this MOU, the City will convey the necessary land parcels at the proposed Union Square Station site to the MBTA.  These parcels will be acquired by the City of Somerville and will be conveyed to the MBTA in spring 2013.

Design Progress: Many project milestones have already been reached on the Green Line Extension project, including completion of the Advanced Conceptual Engineering for: the seven stations, the bridges, viaducts, the corridor and the maintenance facility; update of the design criteria; the preparation of the design definition report; preparation of an accessible access report for each of the station sites; roadway plans and the functional design report for the roads and intersections.  In addition, the programming for the maintenance facility and development of the traction power, communications and security systems concepts and designs, initial cost and schedule reviews, and the development of revised program delivery plans along with project phasing plans have also been completed.

The final volume of the Advanced Conceptual design plans was submitted by the consultant team to the MBTA on August 15, 2012.  These submittals were delivered in phases, with the in-progress Advanced Conceptual design plans for the seven stations submitted in late May, the design submittals for the bridges and roadways in late June, and the viaduct, track and guideway components submitted in mid-August.  Comments on the design submittals are being addressed and will be incorporated into the Advanced Preliminary design as necessary.

As the station and bridge design has continued, new questions and design challenges have developed.  Some of these new issues relate to emergency egress and accessibility requirements, while others are linked to the receipt of new, more detailed survey information and recently identified utility conflicts.  For instance, the MBTA is preparing the documents to appeal a decision by the State Building Inspector in regard to the acceptance of the design of the emergency egress from the end of four station platforms (College, Ball, Lowell, and Union).

Additional studies are also now being wrapped up in order to provide direction to the design consultant as soon as possible. Of particular note: (1) Concurrence with the City of Somerville is needed on which of a series of design options should be selected that will allow the MBTA paratransit service to safely and conveniently access the new Green Line station at Gilman Square, (2) Coordination continues with NStar and MWRA with regard to revised station layouts at Ball Square, (3) Evaluation of drainage issues and solutions at Washington Street Station and the Redbridge-Northpoint area; these alternatives were presented to by the project team to the MBTA and a plan forward has been endorsed. (4) Study of alternative methods to provide Traction Power, (5) Finalization of the design for a relocated 2^nd entrance at Lechmere, and (6) Development of options of how a future 2^nd head house could be added at the Union Square station; these options have been reviewed with the City of Somerville.

The phasing of the roadway improvements at Lechmere (O’Brien Highway, North First Street, and Water Street) which are the responsibility of the NorthPoint development project, continue to be an item of discussion between the GLX team and the NorthPoint developer, along with the design of O’Brien highway improvements.  Discussion also continues between NorthPoint, the City of Cambridge, and the members of the East Cambridge neighborhood.  The GLX project is also coordinating the Viaduct design with the Archstone II development and the 22 Water Street developer.

Detailed design work on the Phase 1 Early Bridge/Demolition3 package is complete. This package includes (1) the widening of two railroad bridges to accommodate the additional Green Line tracks and (2) the demolition of the MBTA tire storage building at 21 Water Street in the Lechmere area to provide parking and staging areas for the Phase 2/2A work. 

This construction package was advertised for bids on July 16, 2012, following receipt of the July 9^th FONSI from FTA. Bids were taken on September 6, 2012 and a pre-award meeting was held with the apparent low bidder. A request for a Letter of No Prejudice which would maintain eligibility for reimbursement from FTA for the Phase 1 work scope was submitted to FTA on July 19, 2012 but indications are that this request will not be approved.  Consequently, this Phase of the GLX Project will be funded completely by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  The MBTA General Manager is expected to award the contract for the Phase 1 work in December, with NTP and construction anticipated in winter 2012/2013.  To recognize the start of the long awaited Green Line Extension construction, a public event  was held on December 11^th. 

Public Outreach: Public outreach on the project has included hundreds of meetings and other events over multiple years. MassDOT and MBTA staff have met with numerous public groups, elected officials, and other interested parties. There have been two different project advisory committees, including the former Project Advisory Group and the current Design Working Group.  Meeting types have included meetings of those groups and their subcommittees, station workshops, design review sessions with right of way abutters, interagency meetings, neighborhood briefings, briefings with elected officials, institutional and business group meetings, public meetings and hearings, land use workshops, and ‘meet and greet’ sessions, as well as many others. A meeting to introduce the new design team to the Design Working Group was held on November 15th.  Project staff has also met with the all of the abutters to the Phase 1 construction work, including the area around Harvard Street, as well as representatives of Tufts University, the City of Medford and the City of Somerville.  In the coming months, separate public meetings will be held to introduce the Phase 1 contractor to the communities, and to present the current design of the Community Path.

Project Phasing and Delivery: To tailor the project delivery method to best mitigate the larger project risks, MassDOT and MBTA are implementing a phased project delivery plan. This delivery plan recommends dividing the project into (at least) four phases.

Phase 1 will rely on the traditional Design-Bid-Build approach to deliver the contract for the widening of the Harvard Street and Medford Street railroad bridges and the demolition of 21 Water Street.  As noted above, the contract award is anticipated in December, with the NTP and construction start of Phase 1 slated for winter 2012/2013.

Subsequent construction phases will use the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) approach, a project delivery method incorporating an integrated team approach to design and construction. The use of CM/GC on the Project was approved as a pilot project by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor on June 19, 2012.  The MBTA Board of Directors also approved this project delivery approach at its July 11, 2012 meeting.  After a series of meetings were held in September and October, the OIG approved MBTA’s plan to move forward with the CM/GC approach on November 29, 2012.  With this last approval now in hand, the MBTA issued a December 7^th request for Letters of Interest to firms interested in providing the CM/GC services.  Responses from interested firms are due by January 4, 2013.

Phase 2/2A will extend service from the (new) Lechmere Station to the Washington Street and Union Square stations and relocate the bus facility at Lechmere and the ongoing vehicle storage.  Completion dates for this phase are based on assumptions related to two key FTA approvals: (1) that the project receives FTA approval to enter Final Design in February 2014, and (2) that FTA agrees to issue a “Letter of No Prejudice” (permitting certain Phase 2/2A activities to proceed into construction prior to the granting of a Full Funding Grant Agreement) for the project. With these assumptions, this phase is anticipated to complete construction in late 2016 with testing and startup in early 2017.

Phase 3 will construct the vehicle maintenance facility and storage yard.  As the full yard and maintenance facility are not needed to support initial passenger service to Washington Street and Union Square, this phase has been scheduled to be complete some six months ahead of the date for revenue service to College Avenue.

Phase 4 will provide service from Washington Street Station (completed as part of Phase 2 above) to College Avenue Station by the end of July 2019.  The risk evaluation process referenced below indicates that this phase, representing the completion of the Green Line Extension project, has a 50% probability of completing on or before the July 2019 date.  It also assumes that the FTA grants the MBTA approval to enter Final Design in February 2014, permits the project to advance certain utility work at the bridges ahead of the full funding agreement, under pre-award authority, and the bulk of construction starts in 2015 after receipt of the Full Funding Grant Agreement.

Potential Challenges

By filing an Expanded Environmental Notification Form, procuring multiple design consultants, and publishing both Draft and Final Environmental Impact Reports, MassDOT has met the first four interim milestones associated with the Green Line Extension project.  MassDOT – which has committed substantial resources to the Green Line Extension project, a top transportation priority of the Commonwealth and the largest expansion of the MBTA rapid transit system in decades – has transitioned the project from the planning and environmental review phases to design, engineering, and eventual construction, coupled with the tasks associated with applying for New Starts funding. 

In the 2011 SIP Status Report, MassDOT reported that the Green Line Extension project would not meet the legal deadline of December 31, 2014.  At that time, MassDOT projected a timeframe for the introduction of passenger service on the Green Line Extension.  The points within the timeframe are associated with different probabilities, as shown below:

• 10% Probability of Not Exceeding – Autumn 2018

• 90% Probability of Not Exceeding – Summer 2020

This schedule for overall project completion remains in effect.

MassDOT and the MBTA continue to seek measures to accelerate the project timeline wherever possible.  The phasing approach discussed above should provide for an accelerated delivery of some portions of the project.  In addition, MassDOT and the MBTA have succeeded in receiving legislative and MBTA Board of Directors authorization to use the CM/GC delivery method described above.  However, approval is still needed from the State Inspector General.  Should this method not receive its final anticipated approvals, a back-up recommendation recognizing the extensive interface coordination and interface risks would be to use a series of Design- Bid -Build packages for Phase 2/2A, Phase 3, and Phase 4 to deliver the program as quickly as possible.

An additional major critical path item is the completion of the next steps in the New Starts process, including being able to complete the design and the finance plan to the extent necessary for completion of the application for FTA approval to enter Final design and obtaining FTA approval to enter Final Design. As the project delivery strategy evolves, the project schedule will be updated and made available to the public.

Finally, although the goal of the phased project delivery approach is to complete components in an incremental manner, the timeline for overall project completion listed above represents a substantial delay beyond the current SIP deadline of December 31, 2014, triggering the need to provide interim emission reduction offset projects and measures for the period of the delay (beginning January 1, 2015).  Working with the Central Transportation Planning Staff, MassDOT and the MBTA are currently initiating the process of calculating the reductions of NMHC, CO, and NOx – reductions equal to or greater than the reductions projected for the Green Line Extension itself, as specified in the SIP regulation – that will be required for the period of the delay.  MassDOT and the MBTA have also worked with the public to develop a portfolio of interim projects and/or measures that may meet the requirements, and are currently seeking input from the public on the portfolio. 

In June 2012, MassDOT released a list of potential mitigation ideas received from the public that could be used as offset measures. MassDOT received public comments on the potential measures and is now moving forward with further refining – based on technical analyses and on the public comments received - potential portfolios of measures to present to DEP and the public for implementation in 2015.

2 This cost does not include finance charges on bonds that would need to be sold and serviced for the project. Should these costs be included, the finance charges would increase the total project cost to approximately $1.3 billion.

3 Background on the Project Phasing is found below in this section of the report.