State, Environmental group settle lawsuit

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State, Environmental group settle lawsuit

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff

State officials and an environmental group today settled a lawsuit over a series of transit projects the Commonwealth had pledged to build to offset pollution caused by the Big Dig.

Officials with the Conservation Law Foundation say the agreement will add a new project to the list, including the design of a $264 million tunnel connecting the MBTA's Red and Blue subway lines, as well as set preliminary and final deadlines for the various transit projects. The state had not agreed to any timeline prior to today's settlement.

The deal also creates more public participation in the construction of the projects, which include the extension of the Green line to Somerville and Medford; the rehabilitation of the Fairmount commuter rail line; and the addition of 1,000 parking spaces at various commuter rail lots.

"Today, the Commonwealth has made a strong commitment to public transportation and air quality, helping to improve the health and well-being of residents throughout the Boston region," said CLF president Phil Warburg in a statement. "For the communities long promised relief, it?s the beginning of a light at the end of the tunnel."

CLF sued the Commonwealth in March 2005 saying that the state had fallen behind on a number of the promised projects. The settlement ensures the extension of the Green Line beyond Lechmere to Medford Hillside and Union Square, providing new rail transit to Somerville.

It also guarantees that the MBTA's Fairmount Line, running through the predominantly low-income neighborhoods of Dorchester and Mattapan, will be upgraded to provide multiple stops in those communities.

The settlement also forces the Commonwealth to create a final design of the Red-Blue connector, a tunnel linking the Blue Line at Government Center with the Red Line?s Charles Street/MGH station.

The settlement does not include promises to build a light rail line along the Arborway, a controversial plan quietly opposed by both the city and the MBTA. It does, however, include a promise to explore transit improvements along the Arborway corridor through a public process.

The settlement is contingent on the US Environmental Protection Agency approving the state's revised plan to comply with the federal Clean Air Act. Once it is approved, CLF officials said they would officially drop the lawsuit.

I think at this point I have switched my belief that the Arborway service should be restored. I think a better option would be to extend the Silver Line down to JP. Here is an idea: http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/FutureT/JP_Silver.jpg
 

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