The Federal Transit Administration has given an all but certain thumbs up to approval of funding for completion of the Green Line Extension Project.

By Jim Clark

Last week’s news that federal funding for the heretofore beleaguered Green Line Extension project would be approved was welcome relief for proponents of the project as well as for those who simply yearned for a conclusive decision on the matter.

In a statement made on Tuesday of last week, The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) indicated that it would green light the $2.3 billion in funding that has been requested for the project. The initial amount to be contributed by the feds was originally set at around $1 billion. After cost overruns and contractor expenditures were reevaluated, the additional funds were found to be wanting and new appeals were made for the means to carry out the project through its completion.

After reworking the budget and scaling back on the scope of the project, the funding has finally been approved by the FTA.

In a public statement made upon release of the news, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone effused, “Been saying it for years, best public transportation project on the books. When you look at the tens of thousands of people it will serve, the use of existing rail beds, the economic growth potential, the health and traffic benefits of taking thousands of cars off our local roads, the GLX is pretty much the most obvious transportation extension project we will ever see.”

General manager John Dalton says that it is now just a matter of nailing down the financing plan and getting the FTA’s final approval for the project to go forward.

The City of Somerville agreed to a $50 million contribution to the project in December of 2015 as an act of good faith and support for the GLX. An additional $25 million was contributed by the City of Cambridge. Also, Union Square Station Associates (US2) recently committed to provide Green Line Extension and additional community benefits amounting to an estimated $112 million.

In an interview conducted on SCATV’s Greater Somerville program after the funding approval announcement, MBTA/GLX general manager John Dalton told host Joe Lynch, “What’s really important is that it’s been a great day for the future riders of the Green Line Extension in Somerville, Cambridge and Medford. At the end of the day, those are the end users, the real beneficiaries of where we’re going to go. It’s a great day for us all collectively.”

Dalton acknowledged that the FTA decision was the result of a lengthy process involving the FTA and the MBTA’s in-house team, reviewing the plans, thorough cost estimating, and scheduling projections. Ultimately, the FTA came back concurring with the MBTA’s findings and the stage was set for the next step, approval for the funding. “With that, we are one step closer to the funds being released for the Green Line Extension program,” according to Dalton.

Dalton further explained that the financing plan is currently undergoing finalization so that the MBTA and the state can fulfill their end of the funding. The FTA will review the plan, and upon final approval the funds will be available to draw on.

With that, it looks as though the GLX program has finally found its fiscal foothold. As Mayor Curtatone stated, “Simply put, everything is in place to finish this project.”