Where to begin ...
This project and its eventual outcome will be a tremendous benefit for the city of Boston, the surrounding communities, the MBTA, Amtrak, the northeast region, as well as the entire eastern seaboard (yeah, pretty deep). Let's ask one of the questions that often gets overlooked ... what's the cost of NOT doing it?
Less travel/service options for daily commuters, weekend tourists, less induced demand, less service expansion, less flexibility and throughput for MBTA and Amtrak trains, less layover/storage space for MBTA and Amtrak trains, more frustrated commuters and intercity passengers walking from South to North Stations, more commuter and intercity buses on the roadways, more taxis are cars shuttling across the dense financial district and bullfinch triangle, losing out to more progressive, forward thinking cities across the country, with younger, more modern infrastructure, and therefore more development flexibility (Denver, Seattle and Chicago to name a few), less companies moving in, more companies moving out, less population, reduced economic stability (GDP) ...
The northeast will always be dense and somewhat successful, but the region and our cities will always be at a disadvantage, as compared to newer, younger cities across the country (or world) that have been able to develop smarter than northeast cities with a long, complex history and aging infrastructure. I mean, do you think that a Phoenix utility company has to cut through the same cobblestone streets, buried roadways, and layers upon layers of other utilities as a New York utility company? Boston and other northeast cities will always have to work twice as hard, for twice the cost (if not more), to maintain its competitiveness with other cities and regions (what a punch in the face), and this project is a key example of that and the ensuing challenges. If we don't build it, or come up with a better alternative, within a reasonable time frame, then we will be taking several steps back, instead of forward. This is not just a state question, but a federal question as well. Massachusetts cannot do this alone. It also questions the budgetary process for cities across the country, but I digress ...
