Smart Growth

& Regional

Collaboration

METROPOLITA N ARE A PLANNIN G COUNCI L Septembe r 24 , 201 2 Jerom e Graf e MassDE P Burea u o f Wast e Preventio

n On e Winte r Street , 6 t hFloo r Boston , M A 0210

8 Re : Re d Line/Blue Lin e Connecto r Projec t Dea r Mr
. Grafe : Th e Metropolita

n Are aPlannin

g Council (MAPC ) regularl y review s proposals deeme d t o hav e regiona l impacts
. Th

e Counci l review s projects fo r

consistenc

y wit h MetroFuture , th

e regiona l pla n fo r growt h an d preservatio

n i n th e Bosto n metropolita

n area , MAPC' s Smar

t Growt h Principles , an

d th e Commonwealth' s Sustainabl e Developmen

t Principles , a

s wel l a s fo r thei r impact s upo n th e environment
. Th e Re d Line/Blue Lin e Connecto r Projec t would permi

t direc t transfers betwee

n th e MBTA' s Blu

e Lin e an d th e Re d Line fo r th e firs t time
. Presently , rider

s connectin

g betwee n point s o n th e Blu e Lin e (th e Bosto n waterfront , Eas

t Boston , Loga

n Airport , Revere

) an d points o n the Re d Line (Boston , Cambridge , Somerville , Qumcy ) mus t transfe r to th e Gree n o r Orang e Line s i n orde

r t o complet e thei r trips
. Thi s transfe

r discourage

s MBT A ridershi

p fo r som e commuter

s an d increase s congestio

n a t othe r downtow n Bosto n stations
. Th

e Red/Blu e Connecto

r woul d exten

d th e Blue Lin e unde

r Cambridg e Stree t t o Charles/MG

H Station
. Specifically , th

e project would begi

n a t th e Governmen

t Cente r Blu e Lin e Statio

n an d exten d t o connec t wit h th e Charles/MG

H Re d Lin e Station , adistanc

e o f approximatel

y 1,50 0 feet
. Th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r i s projecte

d to mor e tha n doubl e dail y boarding s a

t Charles/MG

H Statio n alone
. According t

o th e March 201 0 Draf

t Environmenta

l Impac t Repor t (DEIR) , th

e project i s expecte d t o doubl e the numbe r o f boarding s a

t Charles/MG

H Statio n form10,05 0 (No-Buil d 2030 ) t o 22,39 0 (Preferre

d Alternativ e 2030)'
. O f

th e ne w boardings , 5,61 0 woul d b e transfer s betwee n th e Re d an d Blue Lines
. Weekda

y vehicle

mile s travele

d ar e forecast t o b e reduce d b y approximatel

y 5,25 0 (projecte

d t o th e yea r 2030)
. Th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r i s forecas

t to reduc e publi c transi

t congestio n i n Boston' s downtown , specifically o n th e Re d Line fro mPar

k Stree t Statio n t o Sout h Statio n an d o n the Gree n Line fromGovernmen

t Cente r to Par k Street
. Accordin

g to th e project' s DEIR , 4,35 0 an d 4,62 0 fewe r riders woul

d boar d th e Re d Lin e a t Par k Stree t Statio n an d th e Blue Lin e a

t Governmen

t Cente r eac h day , reducin

g congestio

n b y approximatel

y 1 1 an d 2 7 percen t respectively
. Thes

e reductions woul d b

e realize d becaus e transfer s a t thes e station s t

o th e Gree n o r Orang e Line s woul d no

t b e necessar y whe n th e Re d an d Blu e Line s ar e connected
.

1 Preferre d Alternativ

e i s Alternativ

e 1 , Blu e Lin e Extensio n wit h Eliminate

d Bowdoi n Station
.

60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111 • 617-451-2770

• Fax 617-482-7185

• www.mapc.org Michelle Ciccolo, President

• Lynn Duncan, Vice

President

• Marilyn Contreas, Secretary

• TaberKeally, Treasurer • Marc Draisen, Executive

DirectorI n addition , th e project i s expecte

d t o improve ai

r qualit y an d reduc e greenhous

e ga s (GHG ) emission s b y reducin g automobil

e travel throug

h downtow

n Boston
. Th

e Re d /Blue Connecto

r would also hel

p to promot e jo b growt

h alon g th e Re d an d Blu e Line s an d mak e acces s t o jobs , services an

d educationa

l opportunitie s mor

e readil y available to th

e high concentratio

n o f low-incom

e an d minorit y communitie s wh o resid e alon g th e Blu e Line
. I n short, th

e Red/Blu e Connector

, althoug h i t i s a n expensiv

e project , woul d mee

t a n incredibl

e numbe r o f goals i n MAPC' s MetroFutur e pla n an d th e Commonwealth' s Sustainabl e Developmen

t Principle s b

y boostin g transi t ridership , reducin

g statio n congestion , improvin g ai r quality , reducin

g GHG , encouragin

g housin g an d jo b creation , an

d improvin g acces

s fo r Environmenta

l Justic e populations
. Backgroun d I n obtainin

g environmenta

l permits fo r

th e Centra l Artery/Tunnel Projec

t i n th e earl y 1990s , th

e Commonwealt

h committe

d t o implemen

t anumbe r o f transit improvemen

t projects h i th

e Bosto n region a s mitigatio n measures . Th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r wa s on e o f th e transi t project commitments
. Fina

l desig n o f th e Projec t i s required by th

e Massachusett

s DE P Ai r Pollutio n Control Regulations (31 0 CM R 7.36(2)(i)) , which ar

e appende d t o th e SIP
. Amendment

s t o th e SI P i n 200 6 fo r

ambien t ozon e concentrations an

d implementin

g MassDE P transi t regulation s calle

d fo r th e Red/Blu e Connector' s fina l desig

n t o b e complete

d b y Decembe

r 31 , 201 1 a

s par t o f a n overal l strateg y t o improve ai

r quality
. Th

e modifie d commitmen

t include d onl y project design , no t construction
. Ther

e i s n o specifi c requiremen

t o r obligatio n t

o construc t th e Red/Blu e Connector

, althoug h i t woul d undoubtedl

y brin g grea

t benefits t o th

e peopl e o f th e region
. I n respons e t o th e requiremen

t o f completin

g th e final desig

n o f th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r b y Decembe

r 31 , 2011 , MassDO

T too k anumbe r o f step s to advanc

e th e project desig n which include

d allocating resource

s t o advanc e th e conceptua

l design , completin

g aDEIRh

aMarch 2010 , a

s wel l a s formin g an

d meetin g with aworking group . I n spit e o f thes e efforts , MassDO

T determine

d tha t allocating additiona

l transportatio

n fundin g t o th

e final desig n o f th e projec t wa s no t justified , primaril y becaus e fund s t o buil d th e project ar e s o scarce . MassDO T ha s projecte d th e cos t to complet

e th e project' s final desig

n woul d excee

d $50 millio n an

d MassDO T ha s estimate d tha t th e projec t constructio

n cos t ha s rise n fromabou

t $29 0 millio n te

n year s ag o t o $74 8 million
. O

n Jul y 1 , 2011 , MassDO

T formall y requeste

d tha t MassDE P remov e th e Red/Blu e Connecto r desig n fro mth e regulation an

d th e SIP
. Subsequently , MassDO T requeste

d t o delet e fro mits Transi t Syste mImprovemen

t Regulation s (31 0 CMR7.36) th e requiremen

t t o complet e th e final desig

n o f th e Red/Blu e Connector

, a s wel l a s t o amen d accordingl

y it s SI P fo r ozone .

60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111 • 617-451-2770

• Fax 61 7-482-7185

• www.mapc.org Michelle Ciccolo, President

• Lynn Duncan, Vice

President

• Marilyn Contreas, Secretary

• Taber Keally, Treasurer

• Marc Draisen, Executive

DirectorRecommendation

MAP C recognizes th

e sever e financial constrain

t tha t th e Commonwealt

h faces t o fun d ou r transportatio

n system. A t

th e sam e time , MAPC feel s strongl y tha t ou r region mus

t continu e to pla n fo r th e increase d growt h anticipate

d t o occu r alon g th e Re d an d Blue Lines
. I n fact , MAPC' s ow n researc h couple d wit h a Jun e 201 2 repor

t by Northeaster

n University' s Dukaki s Center , Hu b and Spoke

, foun d tha t subwa y line s an d ke y downtow

n station s ar e approachin

g capacity
. Th

e Red/Blu e Connecto

r i s th e kin d o f project tha t woul d ensur

e th e MBT A ca

n continu e t o serv e agrowing ridership , suppor t sustainabl

e growt h patterns , an d promot e equitabl e distributio n o f

transi t services
. MAP C doe s no t oppos e MassDOT' s effort s t

o remov e th e desig n o f th e Red/Blu e Connecto

r fro mth e SIP , bu t MAP C believe s tha

t aSI P requiremen

t shoul d no t b e remove d unles s i t

i s replace d wit h a n additiona l mitigatio n measure . W

e d o no t find compellin

g th e argumen t tha t th e desig n o f th e Red/Blu e Connecto r woul d no t improv e ai r qualit y o n its own . Th

e desig n i s obviousl

y th e first critica l ste p i n a project tha t mos t certainl y woul d improv

e ai r quality , alon

g with th e man y othe r benefits cited above
. I t shoul d no t b e droppe d fro mth e lis t withou t a n appropriat

e elemen t o f mitigation
. MAP C encourage

s MassDO T an d th e MBT A t o pursu e potential

y les s costl

y way s o f relievin g congestio n i n th e centra l subwa y syste man d increasin

g ridership , suc

h a s connectin

g Stat e Stree t Station an d Downtown Crossin

g underneat

h Washingto

n Stree t vi aapedestria

n tunne l an d perhaps wit

h a movin g walkwa

y t o facilitate connections
. I t i s currentl

y possibl e to transfe

r betwee n th e Re d an d Blue Line s b

y traveling on

e sto p o n th e Orang e Line betwee

n Stat e an d Downtow

n Crossin g stations , navigating apat h throug h stair s an d passage s o f thos e stations
. A potentiall

y les s costl

y solution to connec

t th e Re d an d Blu e Line s could b

e t o establis h a direc t undergroun

d pedestria

n connectio

n alon g Washingto

n Stree t betwee n Downtow

n Crossin g an d Stat e Stree t Stations
. Anothe r opportunit

y fo r advancin g improvement

s t o th e centra l subwa y syste mi s t o incorporat

e th e study , design , o

r implementatio

n o f Re d Lin e an d Blue Lin e connectio

n improvement

s a s par t o f an y mitigatio n package

s fo r future developmen

t projects alon

g eithe r subwa y line , sinc

e thes e projects woul d certainl y benefits fro mthes

e improvements
. Thes

e project s includ e th e Millenniu mTowe

r an d Burnha m Buildin g locate

d i n Downtow

n Crossing , th

e propose d casin o developmen

t a t Suffol k Downs , an

d man y others
. Than k yo u fo r th e opportunit

y t o commen

t o n thi s importan

t project
. Sincerely ,

Mar c D
. Draise

n Executiv e Directo r

cc : Richar

d Davey , MassDO

T Davi d Mohler , MassDO

T

60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111 • 617-451-2770

• Fax 617-482-7185

• www.mapc.org Michelle Ciccolo, President

• Lynn Duncan, Vice

President

• Marilyn Contreas, Secretary

• Taber Keally, Treasurer

• Marc Draisen, Executive

Director