Blue Line into Lynn study may be funded

LYNN – As the state continues to scale back transportation projects due to funding problems this summer, the Executive Office of Transportation is expected to announce plans to fund the final phase of an environmental study needed to determine the feasibility of extending the Blue Line into Lynn.Speaking Tuesday, Congressman John Tierney said the Blue Line expansion project is not yet on the state’s 20-year transportation plan, but local legislators have been informed that the state will fund the next step of the process and ensure the final environmental impact study is completed.”The federal government is trying to get the state on a 20-year plan with these transportation projects and some of the projects, the way of paying from the state side was not firmed up,” Tierney said. “We do have it coming up in our next authorization bill and the state legislators here, (state Sen. Thomas) McGee and (state reps.) Steve Walsh and Bob Fennell have done a great job in providing for project bonding, but the federal government wants to see something more concrete from the state before it commits any money to the project.”Walsh said he and other legislators have been in contact with state Secretary of Transportation James Aloisi and expect him to visit Lynn next week to make an announcement on the next stage of funding. An official date and time for the announcement has not been released.With growing costs slamming the state, several transportation projects are now at risk of being scaled back, including a plan to extend the green line all the way to Route 16 in Medford.Originally budgeted at $600 million, the Patrick Administration now says the project will cost upwards of $934 million and will only extend tracks and build stations as far as Union Square in Somerville and Tufts University by 2014, a legal deadline for the project.Other projects in trouble include more than a dozen highway projects valued at over $800 million and plans to construct a $1.5 billion bus tunnel under Boston Common – all of which have been put on hold.”Major transportation projects like the Blue Line extension have been affected by the economy, but this project remains a priority for transportation to and from the North Shore,” said Walsh. “We have waited longer than any other region for a regional transit improvement. As soon as we found out that there were questions about some of the long term plans we invited the secretary to Lynn to meet with the legislators, myself, John Tierney and (Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr.)”Despite the scale backs, legislators seem confident that the Blue Line project has a bright future. Tierney said once the results of the environmental impact study come back, the state will have a better idea of what it needs to do to get the project back on the 20 year plan.”We are going to work with the state to show them exactly what we can do to get that project back on track,” he said. “It will give the state time to firm up how they are going to get the funding secure. It is not going to be easy for them, but at least they have made that commitment to the environmental study.”Clancy, aware of the funding for the environmental study, was cautiously optimistic about the project, but warned that the future of the state’s economy will predict whether the Blue Line project would remain a priority for the state.”Micro, it is good news. Macro, we have got to take a close look and make sure that the Blue Line remains a part of the regional transit plan if we expect this to move forward,” Clancy said. “I am interested in seeing the Blue Line come to Lynn and I hope that someday we can get that done. But for something to remain in the queue, you’ve got to remain a priority in the regional transit plan.”Two potential extension routes for the Blue Line to reach Lynn include one path that would run through marshland alongside the existing Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line on existing rail lines formerly operated by the Boston and Maine railroad.A s