Grafe , Jerom e (DEP ) From : Joh n Walke yOawalkey@hotmail.com ] Sent : Monday , Septembe r24 , 201 2 12:1 7 P M To : Grafe , Jerom e (DEP) ; Fichter , Katherin e (DOT ) Subject : Red-Blu e Connecto r Dea rCommissione rKimmell : I writ e t o yo u i n regard s t o th e proposa l t o remov e th e Red Line-Blu e Lin e Connecto rfro m th e Stat e Implementatio n Plan
. A s a n East Bosto n residen t I a m amon g thos e wh o wer e tol d man yyears ag o tha ti n retur n fo rth e disruptio n an d adde d loca l traffi co fth e Bi g Di g tunnel s ther e woul d b e project s tha twoul d mitigat e th e situation
. Bein g abl e t o connect directl yfro m th e Blu e Lin e t o th e Red Lin e a t Charles/MG H i s a hug e advantag e ove renterin g int o th e congeste d moras s o fDowntow n Crossin g vi a variou s transfers
. Thi s woul d als o ope n u p th e rea l estat e marke to fcommunitie s alon g th e Blu e Lin e t o employee s i n th e Kendal l Square area , whic h woul d benefi tou rloca l economies
. A s a transi t advocat e I a m amon g thos e wh o believ e tha ta robus tan d efficien tnetwor k o fpubli ctransi ti s critica l fo rth e economi cwel l bein g o fou rstat e an d region
. Kendal l Square i s a n exempla ro fthi s concept . A s the yhave buil tou t laboratoryan d offic e space alon g wit h retai l an d residential , th e amoun to fvehicl e traffi chas actuall ygon e down
. Thi s i s becaus e o fth e wealt h o ftransportatio n option s i n th e area . Bu ttha tgrowt h i s limite d byth e inefficiencie s o fan d lac k o f investmen t i n ou rtransi t infrastructure
. A s mentione d above , thi s connecto rwoul d reliev e som e o fth e existin g burden s i n th e centra l connectin g station s o fdowntow n byallowin g Red Lin e riders t o ge tou tt o th e airpor twithou thavin g t o g o throug h downtow n an d fo rNort h Shore resident s t o make thei rwa yacros s th e Charles , likewise , withou thavin g t o g o throug h downtow n Boston. ' Finall ya s a lifelon g Nort h Shore residen t an d a ca rowner , i ti s painfull yapparen ttha tth e Stat e has faile d t o com e u p wit h a solutio n fo raccess t o th e Nort h Shore fro m Boston
. Eve rsinc e th e failur e o fth e Northeas tExpresswayprojec tt o pu t a highwa ythroug h RumneyMars h an d Lyn n (whic h i s a goo d thin g tha ti twa s stopped ) w e have live d wit h ope n access surfac e road s whos e capacitie s wer e reache d somewher e i n th e middl e o fth e las tcentury . Route s 1 , 1 Aan d 10 7 canno t handl e th e passag e o fs o man ycars fro m Bosto n u p t o th e northeast
. Th e bes tsolutio n i s t o inves ti n ou rtransi t syste m an d provid e a n optio n fo rcommuter s beyon d th e inadequat e arra yo ftransportatio n solution s the ycurrentl y have
. A n integra l part o ftha t wil l b e th e Red-Blu e Connector
. A s proposal s suc h as hotels , casino s an d mor e mov e forwar d o n Rout e 1A , alon g wit h al l th e accompanyin g traffi can d overloade d roads , w e wil l reac h a critica l poin t an d solution s wil l b e needed
. Th e Red-Blu e Connecto rshoul d b e designe d an d read yt o rol l fo rwhe n tha t tim e comes . Removin g thi s projec ti s short-sighted
. No tonl ythat , i ti s als o i n violatio n o f th e promis e tha t th e stat e mad e t o resident s man yyears ago . I tmake s n o sens e t o thro wou tth e Red-Blu e Connecto r project
. Pleas e conside rth e impact o fa weakened , overburdene d transi tsyste m o n th e choic e tha tman ydriver s make everyday
. I fyo u ha d t o choos e betwee n drivin g an d usin g a n inadequate , unreliabl e syste m tha tdoe s no tallo wyo u t o efficientl yge t t o wher e yo u nee d t o go , whic h woul d yo u choose ? Th e mor e w e ca n improv e th e MBT Asyste m wit h thing s like th e Red-Blu e Connector , th e mor e attractiv e i tbecome s t o peopl e wh o leave thei rcars a thom e an d tak e th e T
. Tha t i s wha t w e wan t t o se e fo rou renvironment , fo rou rcommunitie s an d fo rou reconomy . An d ultimatel yi twa s wha t w e wer e promised
. Than k yo u fo ryou rconsideration , ~Joh n Walkey 63 Putna m Stree t # 1 Eas t Boston , M

A0212 8

l