Added July 13: link to draft design and advantages of using land at MBTA's commuter rail facility for the Green Line repair building and shared parking. A more detailed scaled and elevation design has also been prepared.
RESOURCES - added January 2010
Alan Moore's comments on issues other than Comm Path and Support Facility
COMMUNITY PATH EXTENSION issues related to Green Line Ext
January 7, 2010 letter from Friends of the Community Path to EOEA on the Green Line extension
Alan Moore's comment letter to EOEA on Community Path issues and the Green Line extension
GREEN LINE MAINTENANCE AND STORAGE FACILITY ISSUES:
Steve Mackey's 2008 plan for using the Boston Engine Terminal (BET) for the Green Line maintenance and storage facility
Alan Moore's comment letter to EOEA regarding the location of the Green Line support facility
Alan Moore's Option Mirror L BET design links: (satellite background, no legend street map background with legend)
Google map: http://tinyurl.com/y8hptp9
Alan Moore's analysis of the Option L Mirror BET option:
Advantages (not in any priority):
not next to Brickbottom
not in Yard 8 so future connections to Inner Belt can be made from Joy St. across/under the new Green Line tracks
doesn't use any of NorthPoint development land (like Mirror H)
much of the 8 acres land is already owned by the State (no private, existing buildings to be taken – only some slivers of land)
4 acre support facility Site (could be enlarged to 6 acres by moving the Lowell Line and bridge over the Valley tracks a little northeast)
60,000 SF support facility building
only small takings of taxable Somerville land
4 acre storage facility for 80 light rail vehicles
Green Line extension tracks don't have to cross the Valley tracks, only the Fitchburg (required by every option)
2-track connection from Grand Junction to Valley track can be used by CSX until some future date when not needed and be converted into 2-way Urban Ring route (35’ width)
leads from Union Square branch as well as Medford branch go directly to storage tracks and the Support facility so that vehicles from both branches can access it without reversing directions (no other option had this)
doesn’t impact future North-South rail link northern portal
Urban Ring bridge can also be used for Community Path and limited (?) street access from Inner Belt to Cambridge until Urban Ring can move onto the Grand Junction/Valley tracks
Using the Table 4-1 rating system in the 12/9/09 report, I get +1 (compared to 0 for Yard 8, -3 for Mirror H and 0 for Option l
Saves ~ $50 million to buy the land with 2 buildings to be taken in Option L. My cost estimate for this Mirror L BET is $100 million as follows:
- Real estate acquisition: $5 million (VHB used $8 million for the North Point land acquisition)
- Building: $38 million (VHB’s amount for every option)
- Structured/roof parking: $13.5 Million (150% of the high end range of structured parking cost estimate of $25-30,000 per space, 300 spaces). This could be saved by finding surface parking in numerous smaller lots
- Track: $33 million (same as VHB’s estimate for Option L)
- Infrastructure: $3 million (this is the maximum used by VHB of the 3 options)
- Earthwork: $5 million (same as Option L)
Click for 2008 Summary of storage maintenance & repair yard issues by Steve Mackey.
older link: