Urban Ring Project (MBTA)

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The Urban Ring is a project of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA, to develop new public transportation routes that would provide improved circumferential connections among many existing transit lines that project radially from downtown Boston, allowing easier travel to locations outside of downtown. The project corridor passes through various neighborhoods of Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Somerville, Cambridge, and Brookline.

The proposed project has three phases:

  • Phase 1: Expanded "crosstown" (CT) bus lines serving the entire corridor and "express commuter" (EC) lines connecting to suburban locations
  • Phase 2: Six overlapping Bus Rapid Transit lines forming a complete ring around downtown Boston, in addition to the enhanced bus service
  • Phase 3: Rail service on the most heavily traveled portion of the ring, from Assembly Square in Somerville to Dudley Square in Boston, via Cambridge (surface, subway, or both)

Contents

[edit] Status

The MBTA determined that Phase 1 of the Urban Ring project did not meet the threshold requirements for an extensive environmental review, and so can be implemented as a part of its normal service planning process.[1] However, of the eleven crosstown routes proposed, only the CT1, CT2, and CT3 are currently running, and only on part of the proposed alignments.[2]

The MBTA's Draft 2006 Service Plan [3] recommends implementing limited service in the "CT6" corridor, from Bellingham Square in Chelsea to Kendall Square in Cambridge. Full implementation is not recommended due to a lack of operational funding.

The MBTA filed the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for Phase 2 with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office on November 30, 2004.[4] In its FY2005-10 and draft FY2006-11 Capital Improvement Plans, the MBTA has not budgeted any money for the Urban Ring project, beyond supporting the EIR process.[5]

The MBTA's primary sources of revenue are a dedicated 1% statewide sales tax and assessments on participating municipalities. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, whose term ended in 2006, proposed that the state dedicate new funding outside of these existing revenue sources for capital projects. As part of this initiative, the state Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) has become the lead planning agency for the Urban Ring project, as documented by the official Notice of Project Change. [6]

[edit] Details of official proposal

There are now three alternatives being considered for Phase 3, which differ from the alternatives described in the Major Investment Study (MIS) and Draft Environmental Impact Review (DEIR). Employment growth projections have also changed since those documents were written. [7]

[edit] Phase 1

Phase 1[8] as recommended in the Major Investment Study, would expand the "crosstown" bus system by extending and increasing frequency on the three existing lines, and by adding eight new lines. It also adds "express commuter" lines for connections to locations outside the corridor. Estimated ridership according to the Phase 2 DEIR would have been 40,000 for 2003, at a capital cost of $100 million, for low-floor, low-emissions buses.

[edit] Phase 2

Phase 2[9] would convert and expand five of the "crosstown" lines (CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5, and CT8) into bus rapid transit lines that overlap and form a complete ring around the urban core:

  • BRT 1: Airport Station to Kendall Square via Wellington, Assembly Square, Sullivan Square, and Lechmere
  • BRT 2: Logan Airport Terminals to Wellington with local service to Chelsea and Everett
  • BRT 3: Wellington to Kendall via Gilman Square, Union Square Somerville, and Lechmere
  • BRT 5: Lechmere to Ruggles via Kendall, Grand Junction/MIT, BU Bridge, Kenmore/Yawkey/Fenway, and Huntington Avenue
  • BRT 6: Commonwealth Ave at Boston University Central to UMass Boston via Ruggles, Melnea Cass Blvd, Uphams Corner
  • BRT 7: Longwood Medical Area to Mystic Mall via South Boston, World Trade Center, Ted Williams Tunnel, and Downtown Chelsea

BRT connections with the commuter rail lines would be improved by expanding the following existing stations:

The following new Commuter Rail stations would be created:

The new BRT lines would make additional connections at other commuter rail stops, rapid transit stops, and bus hubs.

Some parts of the BRT system would run in mixed traffic, including through the Ted Williams Tunnel and to the terminals at Logan International Airport. Dedicated lanes are provided for certain portions, including:

Ridership was estimated at 106,000 passengers per day in 2010; capital cost was estimated at $500 million.

[edit] Phase 3

Phase 3[10] would add a rail line on the most heavily traveled portion of the corridor, from Assembly Square in Somerville to Lechmere, Kendall Station, crossing Massachusetts Avenue near MIT, and connecting at Longwood Medical Area, Ruggles, and Dudley Square. The exact alignment will be determined through further environmental review, and includes possible stops in Union Square Somerville, Cambridgeport and/or Kenmore Square, and a possible new tunnel under the Charles River. There are three proposed options for what type of rail service to build:

  • A light rail branch of the Green Line, mostly on the surface
  • A light rail branch of the Green Line, entirely subway
  • A heavy rail branch of the Orange Line, entirely subway

Estimated ridership is 282,000-293,000 passengers per day in 2025; about 47,000 would be diverted from cars, and most of the rest would be diverted from trips on congested radial lines, reducing the need to travel through downtown Boston.

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1][dead link]
  2. ^ [2][dead link]
  3. ^ http://www.mbta.com/insidethet/2006_service_plan.asp
  4. ^ [3][dead link]
  5. ^ http://www.mbta.com/insidethet/capital.asp
  6. ^ [4][dead link]
  7. ^ Current materials on EOT website
  8. ^ Sources for this section: The official project brochure and Phase 2 Draft EIR.
  9. ^ Sources for this section: The official project brochure and Phase 2 Draft EIR.
  10. ^ Source: Official project brochure.

[edit] External links

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