Phase 3
Phase 3 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 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. The three proposed options for what type of rail service to build are:
- 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.
Read more about this topic: Urban Ring Project (MBTA)
Famous quotes containing the word phase:
“This is certainly not the place for a discourse about what festivals are for. Discussions on this theme were plentiful during that phase of preparation and on the whole were fruitless. My experience is that discussion is fruitless. What sets forth and demonstrates is the sight of events in action, is living through these events and understanding them.”
—Doris Lessing (b. 1919)