We are shocked and dismayed by MassDOT’s treatment of the Blue Line’s future in the draft 2040 "Focus40" visioning plan. We urge your reconsideration of a vision that utterly fails to respond to the mobility needs of our constituents, and fails also to provide the kind of access to jobs and opportunity that remains lacking on the one subway line that dies not connect to all the others.
The communities of East Boston, Winthrop and Revere are environmental justice communities and have been on record for many years advocating for an extension of the Blue Line to Charles/MGH. The mitigation plan for the CA/T project contained an obligation to build such a connector. We have been dismayed at the dropping of that commitment by the Patrick Administration, and have been urging the Baker Administration to reinstate the commitment and commit to fast track implementation. We were encouraged that a small amount of money was allocated to refresh some of the analysis for the project.
Our communities are among those most impacted by the operations of Logan Airport, whose annual passenger count exceeded 38 million in 2016. With recent compounded growth we can envision an airport that soon (within 5-7 years) will serve 50 million travelers. That is good for the city and regional economy, but it has terrible impacts on traffic and pollution in our communities. Today the traffic from that airport poisons our neighborhoods and makes our streets less safe. State transportation decision makers must plan for expanded and improved ways to get people to and from Logan Airport by public transportation.
Let us remind you that we are separated from the Boston economy by Boston Harbor. This natural barrier, compounded by the artificial barrier of heavy chronic traffic congestion, reduces access to jobs and opportunity for our people, and it critically reduces access to health care services at Mass General and Mass Eye and Ear hospitals. One important solution is better public transportation connectivity.
The Focus 40 document takes what little hope we have had for an enlightened public transportation outcome and offers a pedestrian connection that will be of little use or convenience to the residents, employers and employees of these communities. It is an idea without merit as a substitute for connecting the Red and Blue lines at Charles/MGH.
We find the Focus 40 document wanting in many respects when it comes to how to plan for and manage the Blue Line’s future. It offers no tangible and viable solution to today’s real connectivity problem, and it fails to capture the essence of what will make the Blue Line serve the people of our neighborhoods. We call on you to get to work on extending the Blue Line to Charles/MGH now, as the one clear and unambiguous solution to connecting Blue Line subway riders to the rest of the system, and to the critical health care destinations at MGH and Mass Eye and Ear.