Green Line Extension (GLX) Project

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The Green Line Extension (GLX) Project will extend the MBTA Green Line from a relocated Lechmere Station in East Cambridge to Union Square in Somerville and College Avenue in Medford. While proposals to extend public transit service north from Lechmere date back many decades, the current phase of planning began in 2005 with the completion of the MBTA's Beyond Lechmere Northwest Corridor Study Major Investment Study/Alternatives Analysis. Bringing MBTA light rail service to this corridor will greatly improve local and regional mobility, address longstanding transportation inequities, result in fewer automobiles on local roads, and help to combat greenhouse gas emissions and other components of air pollution. The Green Line Extension Project will also support municipal plans for sustainable growth and urban redevelopment and provide residents of environmental justice communities with faster rides to jobs and other destinations.

The proposed service consists of two distinct branches: a “mainline" branch which will operate within the existing right-of-way of the MBTA Lowell Line, beginning at a relocated Lechmere Station in Cambridge and traveling north to Medford; and a branch line operating within the existing right-of-way for the MBTA Fitchburg Line to Union Square in Somerville. There will be seven new stations constructed as part of the project, including the relocated Lechmere Station. A vehicle storage and maintenance facility will also be constructed.  Once completed, trains will operate every five to six minutes in the peak periods, providing fast and efficient service to downtown Boston.

On February 7, 2011 the MBTA awarded a contract to Gilbane Building Company/HDR Engineering Inc., a Joint Venture for Program Management/Construction Management (PM/CM) oversight of the Green Line Extension Project.  This contract included Advanced Conceptual Design/Preliminary Engineering services on the entire GLX program and over time was amended to include 100% design services for the Phase 1 construction package (MBTA Contract No. E22CN01 — Harvard Street and Medford Street Railroad Bridge Reconstruction and 21 Water Street Demolition). The Phase 1 construction package was awarded to Barletta Heavy Division, Inc. on December 13, 2012; construction is expected to begin in early 2013. This Phase of the GLX Project will be funded completely by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

On September 12, 2012 the MBTA awarded a contract for Advanced Preliminary/Final Design engineering services to AECOM Technical Services, Inc. and HNTB Corporation, a Joint Venture.  This team will initially extend the design through Advanced Preliminary Engineering in accordance with FTA′s New Starts procedures.  The Gilbane/HDR team will continue to act as Program Managers and provide services as extension of staff to the MBTA.

In accordance with Commonwealth of Massachusetts requirements, the MBTA has also procured an Owner′s Representative (OR). The Owner′s Representative will provide project oversight and report on the project to the State Inspector General, the Secretary of Transportation, the house and senate chairs and to the state auditor at the end of each calendar year.  The OR will also provide structural peer review and value engineering services on the project. 

On June 11, 2012 FTA approved the GLX Project to enter the Preliminary Engineering phase of project development under the New Starts Program. With that approval, MassDOT and the MBTA are now eligible to apply for New Starts monies from FTA.  Federal dollars could fund approximately one-half of the costs of the engineering and construction incurred by the project after the June 11, 2012 approval date.  The New Starts Program is one of the most competitive funding programs in the nation, and MassDOT and the MBTA have spent four years preparing application materials in support of the Green Line Extension.  Preliminary Engineering approval under the New Starts Program is a major step forward for the Green Line Extension Project. More information can be found at http://www.greenlineextension.org/docs_FTA_NewStarts.html

State-level environmental review (MEPA) was completed in July 2010.  Federal-level environmental review (NEPA) documents were submitted to FTA in September 2011, and a public hearing was held on October 20, 2011 (to accompany a 45-day public comment period).  A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued by FTA on July 9, 2012.  The July 2012 issuance of the FONSI completed the federal-level environmental review process.  Federal environmental clearance is the culmination of several years of technical work done by MassDOT and the MBTA with close cooperation from the Cities of Cambridge, Somerville, and Medford, as well as the participation of hundreds of individuals and local organizations. The FONSI is available at http://greenlineextension.eot.state.ma.us/docs_EnvAssess.html

Build-out of the remaining GLX program, subsequent to the E22CN01 Phase 1 construction package, will utilize a tailored Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) approach.  CM/GC is a project delivery method that incorporates an integrated team approach to design and construction.  Under a CM/GC model, the design team and the Construction Manager/General Contractor (procured through a qualifications- and price-based selection process) are each under a separate contract to the MBTA.  The CM/GC model provides some overlapping of design and construction, thereby shortening overall program delivery time.  CM/GC project delivery also provides single point of responsibility for the construction and the systems elements in particular and affords the ability to resolve property acquisition and relocation issues while advancing other areas of the work not restrained by property availability. The use of CM/GC on the GLX Project was approved as a pilot program by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor on June 19, 2012. The MBTA Board of Directors approved use of this approach on July 11, 2012.  Requisite approval of the CM/GC procurement procedures was issued by the State Inspector General on November 30, 2012.  The MBTA has since issued the following documents for procurement of CM/GC services:

• Request for Letters of Interest — December 7, 2012
• Request for Qualifications — January 9, 2013
• Request for Proposals — March 11, 2013

The following three (3) CM/GC proposers have been issued a Request for Proposals (RFP):

• GLX Transit Constructors, JV

                   Herzog Contracting Corp.
                   The Middlesex Corp
                   w/ Consigli Construction Co. 

• Walsh / RailWorks / Comstock JV

                   Walsh Construction Company
                   Railworks Track Services, Inc.
                   L. K. Comstock National Transit, Inc. 

• White Skanska Kiewit JV

                   J.F.White Contracting Co.
                  Skanska USA Civil Northeast, Inc.
                  Kiewit Infrastructure Co.

The current project delivery plan is to divide the project into (at least) three additional phases beyond the E22CN01 Phase 1 contract:

Phase 2/2A will extend service from the (new) Lechmere Station to the Washington Street and Union Square stations.  Current projected completion dates for this work are based on assumptions related to two key FTA approvals: (1) that the project receives FTA approval to enter Final Design in February 2014, and (2) that FTA agrees to issue a “Letter of no Prejudice” (permitting certain Phase 2/2A activities to proceed prior to the granting of a Full Funding Grant Agreement) for the project. With these assumptions, this phase is anticipated to complete construction in late 2016 and testing in early 2017.

Phase 3 will construct the vehicle maintenance facility and storage yard.  As the full yard and maintenance facility are not needed to support initial passenger service to Washington Street and Union Square, this phase has been scheduled to be complete some six months ahead of the date that is scheduled for revenue service to College Avenue.

Phase 4 will provide service from Washington Street Station (completed as part of Phase 2 above) to College Avenue Station by July 2019.  The risk evaluation process completed to date indicates that this phase, representing the completion of the Green Line Extension Project as currently scoped, has a 50% probability of completing construction at the end of 2018 and testing completed on or before July 2019.  It also assumes that the FTA grants the MBTA approval to enter Final Design in February 2014.

For more information please visit the project homepage

4/11/2013