# Kennet hJ

. Kraus e 5 0 Mysti c Street

Medford , M A02155 781-396-092

0 kenneth.krause@comcast.ne t

Septembe r24 , 201 2

Jerom e Graf e MassDEP , Burea u o f Wast e Preventio n On e Winte rStreet , 6t h Floo r Boston , M A0210 8 Dea rMr

. Grafe , Than k yo u fo rth e opportunit yt o commen t o n th e propose d amendment s t o 31 0 CM R 7.36 , Transi t Syste m Improvements , a s requeste d b yth e Massachusett s Departmen t o f Transportatio n (MassDOT)

. I a m writin g specificall yt o recommen d tha t MassDE P oppos e th e reques t fro m MassDO Tt o delet e th e requiremen t tha t MassDO Tcomplet e th e fina l desig n o f th e Re d Line/Blu e Lin e Connecto ra s par t o f th e Stat e Implementatio n Pla n - Transi t Commitments

. Th e nee d t o connec t th e onl yMBT Aheav yrai l line s tha t d o no t intersec t ha s neve r bee n greater

. Th e corrido rserve d b ythes e tw o line s continue s t o experienc e explosiv e growth , particularl yi n ne wjob s an d housin g tha t ha s bee n create d o ri s unde r developmen t i n Cambridge , Sout h Boston , an d Eas t Boston

. Mor e significantly , Suffol k Down s - o n th e Blu e Lin e i n Eas t Bosto n - i s a leadin g candidat e fo ra casin o gamblin g licens e that , i f granted , woul d trigge ra hug e redevelopmen t o f th e rac e trac k int o a resor t casin o tha t woul d attrac t thousand s o f visitor s an d employee s daily

. (And , accordin g t o th e Sept

. 21 , 201 2 Bosto n Herald , a develope rals o i s examinin g th e possibilit yo f Sout h Statio n - o n th e Re d Lin e i n Bosto n

- a s a casin o location. )
Th e introductio n o f a casin o i n on e o f thes e location s i s jus t on e mor e reaso n wh yth e Red/Blu e Connecto rdesig n shoul d no t b e remove d fro m th e SI P transi t commitments

. I f anything , thi s shoul d elevat e th e importanc e o f th e projec t an d jump-star t wor k o n th e nex t phas e - wit h th e ^n^ciaL^sjjppor t ofJ^fj^kiErolftn s shoul d i t b e grante d a casin o license , a s i s widel yexpected

. Suffol k Down s official s alread yhav e pledge d financia l suppor t fo rroadwa y improvement s o n Rout e 1 nea rth e rac e track , bu t hav e overlooke d th e nee d t o improv e publi ctransi t servic e t o th e area
. Meanwhile , othe rprivat e entitie s hav e recentl y steppe d u p an d offere d financia l contribution s t o th e creatio n o f commute rrai l stations , mos t notabl yNe wBalanc e Compan yfo rit s ne wcampu s i n Brighton , an d Raynha m Par k i n Taunto n shoul d i t receiv e a slo t parlo rlicense

. Suffol k Down s shoul d b e approache d fo ra simila rcommitment

. Kennet hJ

. Kraus e - 201 2 SI

PAmendmen

t

### I als o fin d th e amendmen t reques t byMassDO Tt o b e extremel yshortsighte d an d poo r

plannin g policy , backe d b yquestionabl e rationale

. There has alread ybee n a significan t amoun t o fwor k performe d o n th e Red/Blu e Connector , particularl yi n term s of environmenta l review , alternative s analysi s an d conceptua l design , that shoul d not b e waste d b yshelvin g th e project

. Moreover , thi s wor k has bee n complete d a

t a reasonabl e cos t of $3 million

. That figure make s curiou s th e MassDO Testimat e that th e cost of fina l desig n of th e Red/Blu e Connecto rhas someho wballoone d t o $5 2 millio n fro m th e previou s estimat e of$2 9 million , a figur e that i n earlie rcommen t letters I ha d terme d incomprehensibl y hig h fo rth e desig n of a half-mil e tunne l an d on e undergroun d station

. MassDOT' s majo rreaso n fo raskin g t o b e relieve d of its SI P Red/Blu e requiremen t - that i t has bee n unabl e t o identifyfundin g t o construct th e Red/Blu e Connecto r"a t an y poin t i n th e nex t 2 0 years " - i s not a soun d one , i n myview

. Fewproject s i n tha t tim e horizo n hav

e a full yidentifie d fundin g source , ye t plannin g wisel ycontinue s o n th e project s deeme d most valuabl e (whic h I submi t th e Red/Blu e Connecto ri s one ) s o the y are shovel-read ywhe n fundin g i s secure d fo rthem

. Curiously , MassDOTcontinue s t o aggressivel ypursu e th e Sout h Coas t Rai l project - wit h Governo rPatric k

as recentl yas las t wee k meetin g wit h EP

Aofficial s an d others i n Washingto n t o tr

yt o advanc e thi s project pas t regulator yhurdle s - despit e th e fact that i t i s neithe ra SI P Transi t Commitmen t project , no rdoe s i t have an yconstructio n money appropriate d at thi s time

. Myopinio n i s that th e Red/Blu e Connecto ri s a n immensel yvaluabl e project that i s integra l to th e efficiencyof th e MBT Asyste m an d its abilityt o meet increasin g ridershi p demands , an d therefor e shoul d no t b e remove d as a SI P requirement

. However , shoul d MassDE P agre e wit h MassDOT' s reques t t o ceas e wor k o n th e Red/Blu e Connector , i t must require MassDO Tt o identif ysubstitutio n project s an d commi t to buildin g the m vi a inclusio n i n th e SIP

. Th e most logical , practica l an d environmentall ybeneficia l substitutio n project t o ad d i s constructio n of th e permanen t terminu s fo rth e Gree n Lin e Extensio n a t Mysti cValle yParkwa

y(Rout e 16 ) o n th e Somerville/Medford line

. Not onl yi s thi s locatio n MassDOT' s Preferre d Ful l Buil d Alternativ e fo rth e Gree n Lin e Extensio n an d has unanimou s suppor t fro m al l majo rstakeholders , bu t i t i s a project - unlike Red/Blu e - fo rwhic h th e stat e ha s identifie d a fundin g source , an d not ove ra 20-yea rhorizon , bu t i n th e nex t eigh t years ! Thi s spring , th e Bosto n Regio n MP O continue d t o mak

e th e Rout e 1 6 statio n a priorityi n it s Lon g Rang e Transportatio n Plan , designatin g $19 0 millio n fo rth e desig n an d constructio n of thi s importan t last segmen t ofth e extensio n fo rfedera l fisca l years 201 6 throug h 2020

. Kennet hJ

. Kraus e - 201 2 SI

PAmendmen

tI t i s imperativ e tha t th e stat e alig n it s plannin g an d fundin g resource s s o tha t the yar e

focusin g o n th e sam e goal s (an d th e sam e projects)

. Th e additio n o f constructio n o f th e Gree n Lin e Extensio n t o Rout e 1 6 t o th e SI P woul d b e th e perfec t substitutio n projec t fo rth e eliminatio n o fth e Red/Blu e Connecto rdesig n (whic h alread yha d bee n scale d bac k fro m th e origina l SI P commitment , whic h wa s t o desig n an d construc t th e Connector)

. M yfina l suggestio n regardin g MassDOT' s amendmen t reques t i s fo rMassDE P t o als o requir e MassDO Tt o appropriat e $2 6 millio n - th e differenc e betwee n th e origina l $2 9 millio n estimat e fo rth e Red/Blu e Connecto rdesig n an d th e $ 3 millio n alread yspen t o n i t - towar d th e Interi m Offse t Project s tha t th e stat e i s require d t o implemen t a s a penalt yfo rmissin g th e deadline s t o complet e tw o othe rSI P projects : th e Fairmoun t Commute rRai l enhancements , an d th e Gree n Lin e Extensio n t o Somervill e an d Medford

. Specifically , a larg e portio n o f thi s mone yshoul d b e designate d t o b e spen t o n tw o Interi m Offse t Project s i n th e Gree n Lin e Extensio n corridor :

+ Constructio n o f th e multi-us e pathwa yfro m Harvar d Avenu e a t th e Wes t Medford/Arlingto n lin e t o th e Maide n Bridg e betwee n Somervill e an d Everett , a s describe d an d mappe d i n th e Mysti cRive rReservatio n Maste rPla n o f Novembe r2009

.
+ Constructio n o f th e extensio n o f th e Somervill e Communit yPat h i n al l applicabl e geographi carea s containe d i n Phas e I o fth e Gree n Lin e Extensio n construction , whic h ha s a completio n timetabl e concurren t wit h th e deadlin e fo rimplementatio n o f th e Interi m Offse t Project s (Decembe r31 , 2014)

. Bot h o fthes e project s wil l provid e significan t regiona l mobilit yan d ai rqualit ybenefit s b y providin g safe , accessibl e an d invitin g route s fo rbicyclin g an d walkin g (includin g improve d acces s t o transit ) tha t wil l mak e thes e mode s a n attractiv e an d viabl e alternativ e t o drivin g i n thi s badl ycongeste d an d pollute d corridor

. Than k yo u fo ryou rconsideration

. 

### Ken/Krau^
Ke n Kraus e 5 0 Mysti cSt

. Medford , MA0215 5 781-396-092 0

cc : Davi d Mohler , Bosto n Regio n MP O Richard Davey , Secretar yo f Transportatio n

Kennet hJ

. Kraus e - 201 2 SI

PAmendmen

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