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Jerom e Graf e MassDE P On e Winte r Stree t Boston , M A 0210 8 Vi aemai l t o Jerome.grafe@,state.ma.u s Sept
. 24 , 201 2 Re : Amendment

s to 31 0 CM

R7.36 : Transi

t Syste mImprovement

s ("Red/Blu

e Connector

) Mr
. Grafe : A Bette r Cit y (ABC ) i s please

d t o submi t t o yo u comment

s o n th e propose d amendmen

t t o 31 0 CM R7.36 , i n particula

r th e deletion o f

th e requiremen

t tha t MassDO T complet e desig n o f th e Re d Lin e / Blue Line Connecto

r Project
. A Bette r City i s anonprofi t

membershi

p organizatio

n tha t provide s th

e busines s an

d institutiona

l leadershi p essentia l fo r ensurin g progres s an

d tangible result

s on transportation , land development , an d publi c real

minfrastructur

e investment

s tha t ar e vital t o sustainin

g an d improvin g th

e Bosto n area' s econom

y an d qualit y o f life
. Th e AB C Boar

d o f Director s comprises leader s fro move

r 10 0 majo r businesse s an d institution s i n greate

r Bosto n an d represent

s abroa d rang e o f industries , includin g financia l services , rea

l estate , lega

l services , construction , highe r education , cultura

l institutions , lif

e sciences , hospitality , utilities , an d more . Th

e Boar d ha s a n establishe

d histor y o f civi c engagemen

t an d i s activel

y engage d i n th e wor k an d issue s tha t comprise ABC' s mission
. AB C ha s serve d on th e Workin g Grou

p fo r th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r sinc e i t wa s establishe d an d ha s offere d comment

s o n th e evolvin g desig

n an d constructio

n strateg y i n tha t forum
. W e hav e reviewe d Mas s DEP' s material s an d MassDO

T lette r requestin g th e deletio n o f Red/Blu e desig n fro mth e Stat e Implementatio

n Pla n commitments
. W

e understan

d th e scop e o f DEP' s review o f

thi s matte

r i s limite dt

o th e ai r qualit y impact s o f th e propose d change , an d that , a s adesig n requiremen

t only , ther e ar e n o advers e ai r qualit y impact s associate d wit h removing th

e project
. W

e ar e als o sympatheti

c t o MassDOT' s fiscal constraint s an d th e escalatin

g cost s associate d wit h th e project
. Nonetheless^/weW^^p^li^g2^tP^tJ?W^ m S r ^ i eRed/Blu e Connecto

r desig n requiremen

t fro mth e SI P i s short-sighte

d an d woul deffectivel y kil l aprojec t that, i f constructed, woul dachiev

e significant

environmenta

l an d economi

c benefits
. W

e urg eMas s DE P t o reject th e propose d amendmen

t an d maintai n th e requiremen

t t o brin g th e project t o final design
. Th e propose d extensio n o f th e Blu e Line t o connec t t o th e Re d Lin e a t Charles Statio

n offer s som

e obviou s benefit s fo r

user s o f th e transit syste mb y relievin g congestio

n i n th e centra l subwa y an d b y providin g bette

r connectivit

y betwee n th e Re d Lin e and.Blu

e Lin e corridors , particularly betwee n Cambridg

e an d th e northwest

an d th e Nort h Shor e alon g th e Blue Line
. Thi s connectio n wouldtak

e advantag

e o f th e availabl e capacit y o f th e Blu e Line whil e reducing congestio n a t th e Par k Stree t an d Governmen

t Cente r stations
. A Bette r Cit y recentl y co-sponsored

, wit h th e Urba n Lan d Institute , arepor

t o n transi t capacit y an d projec t rea l estat e developmen

t i n th e MBT A servic

e area . Tha t repor t foun d tha t man y o f th e downtown transfe

r station s i n th

e syste mar e approachin

g o r ove r capacity
. A t

th e sam e time , propose

d development

, bot h i n th e downtow

n "hub " o f th e transi t syste man d farthe r ou t alon g th e "spokes" , wil l generat

e additiona

l transi t ridershi p an d exacerbat

e capacit y constraints
. On

e o f those potentia

l futur e development

s i s th e propose d casin o comple x a t Suffol k Downs , whic h i s serve

d b y th e Blue Line
. Th

e Red/Blu e Connecto

r woul dalleviat

e thes e capacit y concern s i n th e downtow

n transfe r stations an d enhanc e transi t access t o th e casin o site
. A Bette r Cit y i s sympatheti

c t o th e fiscal constraint

s facin g MassDOT
. Ou

r organizatio

n i s activel y involve di n effort s t

o advanc e acomprehensiv

e solutio n fo r

transportatio

n finance i n th

e Commonwealth , an

d w e ar e hopefu l tha

t suc h a n effort ma y b e take n u p by electe d leader s earl y nex t year. I n fact , th

e legislatur

e ha s instructed MassDO

T t o delive r atransportatio

n finance pla

n fo r thei r consideratio

n b y Januar

y 2013
. Further, th

e state' s casin o legislatio n set

s asid e fundin g fo r

transportation improvement s relate d t o accessin g th e casin o site
. Th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r woul db e a n excellen t candidat e fo r fund s relate d t o acasin o a t Suffol k Downs
. I f suc h apla n i s adopted, i t

i s reasonabl

e t o assum e tha t th e fisca l constraint

s o n MassDO T wil l be ease

d somewhat

. As th e state' s Draf

t Environmenta

l Impac t Repor t fo r th e project notes : Shoul d additiona

l resource s fo r MBT A expansio

n projects becom

e available , th

e Re d Line / Blu e Lin e Connecto

r wil l b e on e O f th e projects considere

d fo r implementation
. Whe

n suc h apriority setting effort

take s place , i t woul db e informe db y th

e level o f environmenta

l review , an

d desig n an d engineerin

g wor k conducte d betwee n now . an dth e en d o f 201 1 i n orde

r t o satisf y th e SI P commitment
. (DEIR , E

S 1-2 ) I n othe r words , th e degre e t o which aproject

i s designe

d help s determin

e it s eligibility fo r constructio

n fundin g —no

t th e othe r wa y around
. A s th

e stat e itsel f acknowledges , th

e project' s inclusio n i n th

e SI P commitmen

t i s afacto r

tha t determines "th

e leve l o f environmenta

l review , an

d desig n an d engineerin

g work " tha

t MassDO T wil l commi

t t o th e project
. Fo

r MassDO T t o conten d tha t i t nee d no t continu e wit h th e desig n o f th eprojec t becaus e i t doe s not currentl y hav e construction fundin g i s therefor e somethin

g o f acircula r argument . W e believ e tha t i t i s pruden t t o advanc e th e desig n o f th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r a s fa r a s possible , s o tha t ^ W e als o believ e tha t thi s project

woul db e a n excellen t candidat e fo r a n alternative procuremen

t method, which couldhel

p address som

e o f th e technica l challenge

s whic h hav

e cause d th e increas e i n th e project' s projected cost. A t th e sam e time , i t i s also importan

t t o not e tha t muc h o f tha t project cost s i s relate d t o th e 40 % contingenc

y currentl y associate

d wit h th e project
. A s MassDO

T note s i n it s lette

r t o MassDEP, thi s conservativ e contingenc

y i s relate d t o "th e conceptua

l stag e o f design " o f

th e project
. I t

i s reasonabl

e t o assume , then , tha t th e contingenc

y couldb e reduce d a s th e desig n i s advance

d an d ope n questions relate d t o desig n choice s ar e resolved
. Tha

t wouldi n tur

n reduc e bot h th e tota l constructio

n cos t fo r th e project an d it s desig n costs , which ar

e estimate d a s apercentag

e o f constructio

n costs . Whil e th e desig n o f th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r doe s no t hav e specifi c ai

r qualit y benefit s attache d t o it , i t i s importan

t t o recogniz e tha t i t i s abindin g lega

l commitmen

t an d th e resul t o f asettlemen

t o f lega l actio n brough t t o enforce th

e SI P commitments
. W

e believe , then , tha

t i f th e desig n requiremen

t i s remove d fro mth e SIP , ther

e ough t t o b e som e substahtive-mitigafioYin ^ int o th e SIP-commitment

s i n it s place
. An y alternat e mitigatio n considere

d shoul d attemp t t o serv e th e sam e transportatio

n corrido r an d population s tha

t woul dhav

e benefited fro mth

e Red/Blu e Connecto

r a s full y built
. Thes e ar e challengin

g time s fo r

transportatio

n —indeed , fo r

al l o f stat e government . Ther e i s atemptation i n toug

h time s suc

h a s thes e t o hunke r down , t o look t o th e task s a t han d instea d o f th e horizon
. W

e urg e MassDE P t o avoidthi s temptation
. Th e Commonwealt

h canno t affor dt o limi t it s visio n fo r

th e futur e i f i t hope s t o continu e t o compet e economicall

y an d improve environmentally
. Plannin g ahea d fo r projects lik

e th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r i s essentia

l i f th e MBT A syste

mi s t o continu e t o accommodat

e futur e economi

c growt h an d rea l estat e development
.

Richar d A
. Dimin o Presiden t an d CE O A Bette r Cit y CC : Scot t Hamwey , MassDO

T