Somerville residents were recently provided with an overview of the current status and future plans of the GLX extension progress.

By Eesha Pendharkar

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) held a public meeting in Somerville on Wednesday of last week to brief attendees about the Green Line Extension (GLX) project. The team responsible for the Green Line Extension provided an update about the overall schedule and the most forthcoming plans. Attendees voiced concerns during the meeting about pre-construction activities and design and execution transparency.

GLX project manager John Dalton summarized the general plans including 7 planned stations on both branches of the extended Green Line, building of a vehicle maintenance facility, and construction of a multi-use community path, and procurement of 24 new green line vehicles. Dalton said that the pilot vehicle arrived in Boston two weeks before the meeting.

“Design and pre-construction work is underway,” said GLX Constructors representative Clyde Joseph. “Construction starts early summer.” He added that this spring, pre-construction activities, site clearing and surveys would be conducted.

Joseph showed the audience a rendering of the Gilman Square station adjacent to Somerville High School. “We were able to include all of the  additive options requested in the proposal stage, including elevators, canopies and easier access,” he said to applause from the audience.

Terry McCarthy, deputy program manager, introduced the community working group, consisting of 14 people from Somerville, Medford and Cambridge. McCarthy explained that the group acted as liaisons to residents, working to keeping them informed.

Representative Mike Connolly who said he was a regular presence at the GLX meetings congratulated the team for acting upon past concerns and coming up with design and communication solutions to them.

“The two words I have on my mind now are rodents and tress,” Connolly said. Rodent control without using glue traps and the environmental deficits caused by felling trees to build the community path were two major concerns echoed by many residents.

Johnson addressed these issues by saying that the team was partnering with arborists to oversee tree removal, and that glue traps were just another tool in the toolbox.

Some citizens also had concerns about the exact route of community path. Meeting moderator Martin Nee responded, “It’s too early to tell what the final design of the community path will be.”

A few attendees said that they would like better communication and specific dates for pre-construction plans from GLX moving forward. Gilman square resident Sarah McClellan said that there were still a lot of specifics that were not discussed in the meeting, especially exact construction schedules that directly affected business owners and residents.

“I understand that not everything can be taken care of, and not everyone’s concerns can be addressed but I hope that they’re going to be transparent and as clear as possible from now on,” she said.

GLX project overview as described in presentations

1) Seven light-rail GLX stations

• Relocated Lechmere Station
• 5 on Medford Branch
• 1 on Union Square Branch

2) Conforms wi th all environmental commitments and committedscope elements

3) Includes a multiuse community path (Lowell Street to Cambridge Crossing/Lechmere)

4) Procurement of 24 Green Line light rail vehicles

5) Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF)

6) Any future Green Line service to Route 16 and/or Porter Square is not precluded