By Andrew Mason | Oct. 14, 2018 |
A 2018 study set to research the construction of the highly anticipated Red-Blue Line connector for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will investigate a “cut-and-cover” approach, according to State Representative Adrian Madaro of East Boston.
The Fiscal Management and Control Board (FMCB) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the governing bodies of the MBTA, first announced the idea of a new study in April 2018. However, it was unclear until now whether the evaluation would be the first to look at a “cut-and-cover” strategy, one that is more disruptive to street traffic but ultimately more cost effective, according to Madaro.
Under a “cut-and-cover” method, the Red-Blue connector would be built directly from the street level, with workers cutting into the ground below to craft the estimated 1,500-foot tunnel. This is an alternate strategy to the fully underground but more expensive tunnel boring techniques investigated in the past for the connector.
“We need to get some real numbers based on the 2018 study,” Madaro said. “It is going to be very helpful for trying to move this forward because we are going to see that the investment is absolutely worth it.”
The connector, which was originally promised to the East Boston community through the Big Dig Memorandum of Understanding in 1990, has gained but lost momentum several times in the past decade.
“For years the can was kicked down the road,” Madaro said.
One reason for the lack of urgency from the MBTA authorities on building a Red-Blue connector is the ambiguous price that it would cost. According to Monica Tibbits-Nutt, a member of the FMCB, it has been difficult to organize such a connector until further understanding of the cost exists.
In past investigations of non “cut-and-cover” digs, the MBTA has estimated the cost to be close to $750 million, reported by Boston.com in March 2016. Tibbits-Nutt and the MBTA were unwilling to offer an estimated price for building the connector through the “cut-and-cover” process.
For East Bostonians who work in Downtown Boston or visit the medical facilities along the Red Line, installing the connector would save them time and hassle while traveling to their destination.
“I personally think it’s a great idea,” said Aaron Crittendon, a 26-year-old Tuft’s University dental student. “I feel like you have to go out of your way to get to the Red [Line]. If there could be a direct connection, I don’t see why not.”
Aside from the request for a connector, Madaro spent much of the past year in front of the governing bodies demanding other improvements to the Blue Line that would benefit his constituents, such as new signals and upgraded power.
Madaro’s enthusiasm for upgrades gained further support after two Blue Line trains broke down in August 2018. In one case, about 350 passengers were forced to walk on foot through the tunnel back to Maverick Station in East Boston because the Blue Line lost power.
30-year-old Keepling Gramdoit, who lives in Chelsea but passes through Maverick Station for work on a regular basis, notes the few occasions he was late to work due to power outages on the Blue Line.
“I left my house at 6 a.m. and start work at 8 a.m.,” said Gramdoit. “I had to call my boss and tell him I was going to be 30 minutes late.”
While renovations have been promised and unfulfilled in the past, Madaro remains optimistic for the future state of the MBTA.
“We have yet to see some action,” Madaro said, “although there appears to be plans for some upgrades and improvements to the Blue Line.”