By Senator Pat Jehlen

Exciting news from the GLX Project Team and the MBTA today!  The remaining 2 bids for the GLX construction were opened today.

Each bid came in below budget and included all six additive options to the program. This means that Station Canopies, Elevators, Public Art, additional Community Path access, the Community Path Extension to Lechmere Station and the Enhanced Vehicle Maintenance Facility will be included in the project.

Congratulations to the presumed winning bidder GLX Constructors on putting forward an exciting proposal at $1.082B. I am grateful to the MBTA and the project team for their hard work to make this a reality.

None of this would have happened without the support of the cities of Somerville, Cambridge and Medford, all my colleagues in the state delegation, and most importantly the steadfast work of community advocates, who for years have pushed this project forward while setbacks piled up.

Today, I especially congratulate the Friends of the Community Path, who persisted and persisted despite even more obstacles than the GLX itself.  Until today, the full extension of the Community Path looked very unlikely.

We look forward to the final contract award in the next 2 weeks and the beginning of full construction next spring!

The remaining money in the budget will be used as extra contingency that will ensure that cost overruns that might occur will not derail the project again.