Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick announces funding for Silver Line expansion

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority received funding to expand the Silver Line to link South Station, the Seaport District, East Boston and Chelsea, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick announced Wednesday.

The Silver Line Gateway Expansion, which includes a renovated Chelsea commuter rail stop, is expected to be completed by late 2015 or early 2016. It is estimated to cost $82.5 million, according to a Wednesday press release.

“We have a great transportation system,” Michael Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts and political science professor at Northeastern University, told The Daily Free Press in a phone interview. “In order to keep it good, you’ve got to keep investing in it and adding to it…It’s one of the reasons for Boston’s success, and as long as he [Patrick] can make sure it’s done cost effectively, he’s of course doing the right thing.”

The line will be extended from Boston Logan Airport northward to the future site of an Eastern Avenue stop and will continue in the direction of the Chelsea commuter rail station, stopping at the Box District, Downtown Chelsea and Mystic Mall, according to plans from the MBTA.

Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the MBTA, said the outbound Chelsea line will be shut down during construction and buses will be re-routed due to the reconstruction of the Washington Street Bridge as a part of the project.

The announcement comes in the midst of several renovations to the T this year. Major projects include the Green Line’s extension into Somerville, the renovation of several Blue Line stops and the early stages of a complete redesign of South Station.

“Growth requires investment [in transportation],” Patrick stated in the Wednesday release. “If we want to expand opportunity in our Commonwealth, this is what government must do and do well.”

Gov. Patrick attempted to pass The Way Forward Plan as a part of his budget in March, which outlined an investment of $13.7 billion into the MBTA and road renovations across the Commonwealth. It was not passed, but Pesaturo said Patrick’s continued focus on transportation has allowed for substantial growth nonetheless.

“The Governor has made it very clear that a strong transportation infrastructure is the backbone of a robust economy,” Pesaturo said in an email. “Once the improvement and expansion projects are complete, commuters will find it easier than ever to choose public transit over the automobile.”

Dukakis said the continued investments in mass transit were vital to the Massachusetts economy, but the numerous expansions this year should only be done if they can help reduce the T’s more than $8 billion of debt.

“Revenue just has to be replaced,” he said. “Because this is a state-run operation, tax funds have to increase and passing tax breaks left and right like the legislature has been doing the past 10 years or so is just not the way to do. They’re [tax breaks] absolutely worthless, and if you want to find funds for public transportation, that’s the place to go.”

Several residents said they were excited at the possibilities of the T expanding its service to more locations..

“It’s pretty important to be getting service to as many people as possible, if only because it makes Boston more accessible to the thousands of people in addition to helping with traffic and smog,” said Stephanie Lemmeyer, 26, of Boston. “Of course, as far as cost goes, there’s never a good time to shove millions at transit without tradeoffs, but it’s something that has to be done.”

Zach Boutin, 23, of Brighton, said investing in the MBTA would serve to reduce the system’s debt.

“The expansion seems to be following the demand for where it’s needed,” he said. “The T needs to balance between making new things and maintaining or repairing what it has, but this expansion seems like it could be profitable.”

Debbie Prew, 66, of Brighton, said she was more skeptical of the proposed projects.

“They [the government] keep paying more and more to build on it [the T], but there are just too many issues it needs to fix first,” she said. “The buses are spotty, the drivers are unqualified, and the trolleys have breakdowns all the time. Yes, expansion is good, but there’s no point if it’s building on a broken system.”