Urban Ring Project (MBTA)

The Urban Ring is a project of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to develop new public transportation routes that would provide improved circumferential connections among many existing transit lines that project radially from downtown Boston, allowing easier travel to locations outside of downtown. The project corridor passes through various neighborhoods of Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Somerville, Cambridge, and Brookline.

The proposed project has three phases:
* Phase 1: Expanded "crosstown" (CT) bus lines serving the entire corridor and "express commuter" (EC) lines connecting to suburban locations
* Phase 2: Six overlapping Bus Rapid Transit lines forming a complete ring around downtown Boston, in addition to the enhanced bus service
* Phase 3: Rail service on the most heavily traveled portion of the ring, from Assembly Square in Somerville to Dudley Square in Boston, via Cambridge (surface, subway, or both)

tatus

The MBTA determined that Phase 1 of the Urban Ring project did not meet the threshold requirements for an extensive environmental review, and so can be implemented as a part of its normal service planning process. [http://www.mbta.com/projects_underway/urbanring_docs.asp] Dead link|date=March 2008] However, of the eleven crosstown routes proposed, only the CT1, CT2, and CT3 are currently running, and only on part of the proposed alignments. [ [http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_buses.asp] Dead link|date=March 2008]

The MBTA's Draft 2006 Service Plan [http://www.mbta.com/insidethet/2006_service_plan.asp] recommends implementing limited service in the "CT6" corridor, from Bellingham Square in Chelsea to Kendall Square in Cambridge. Full implementation is not recommended due to a lack of operational funding.

The MBTA filed the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for Phase 2 with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office on November 30, 2004. In its FY2005-10 and draft FY2006-11 Capital Improvement Plans, the MBTA has not budgeted any money for the Urban Ring project, beyond supporting the EIR process. [http://www.mbta.com/insidethet/capital.asp]

The MBTA's primary sources of revenue are a dedicated 1% statewide sales tax, assessments on participating municipalities, and rider fares. Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, whose term ended in 2006, proposed that the state dedicate new funding outside of these existing revenue sources for capital projects. As part of this initiative, the state Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) has become the lead planning agency for the Urban Ring project, as documented by the official Notice of Project Change.

As of June 2008, the EOT is formulating a Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report, to be submitted by the end of November, 2008. It then intends to submit an application for Federal New Starts funding, which has a limit of $800 million, and requires at least a 50% local match. If funds are allocated as needed, the design process should begin in 2011, with construction beginning in 2015.

Details of official proposal

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. [ [http://www.theurbanring.com/currentmaterials.asp?area=gen Current materials] on EOT website]

Phase 1

Phase 1 ["Sources for this section: The official project brochure and Phase 2 Draft EIR.] as recommended in the Major Investment Study, would expand the "crosstown" bus system by extending and increasing frequency on the three existing lines, and by adding eight new lines. It also adds "express commuter" lines for connections to locations outside the corridor. Estimated ridership according to the Phase 2 DEIR would have been 40,000 for 2003, at a capital cost of $100 million, for low-floor, low-emissions buses.

* CT1 - Central Square (Cambridge) to Andrew Station via Massachusetts Avenue
* CT2 - Sullivan Square to Ruggles via Union Square (Somerville), Kendall Square and Boston University Bridge
* CT3 - Longwood Medical Area to Airport Station and terminals via Ruggles, Boston Medical Center, and Ted Williams Tunnel
* CT4 - Ruggles Station to UMass Boston Campus via Dudley Square and Uphams Corner
* CT5 - Logan Airport to Sullivan Square via Downtown Chelsea, Wellington, and Assembly Square
* CT6 - Downtown Chelsea to Kendall/MIT via Community College and Lechmere
* CT7 - Kendall/MIT to Franklin Park via Mass Ave Bridge, Kenmore, Longwood Medical Area, Ruggles, Dudley, and Grove Hall
* CT8 - Sullivan Square to Longwood Medical Area via Union Square Somerville, Central Square Cambridge, Cambridgeport, Boston University Bridge, and Fenway Station
* CT9 - Kenmore to Harvard Square via Commonwealth Ave and Allston
* CT10 - Kenmore to JFK/UMass via Longwood Medical Area, Ruggles, and Boston Medical Center
* CT11 - Longwood Medical Area to Fields Corner via Ruggles, Boston Medical Center, and Uphams Corner

* EC1 - Anderson Regional Transportation Center to MIT at Mass Ave via Sullivan Square, Lechmere, and Kendall
* EC2 - Riverside to Lechmere via Mass Pike, Central Square, and Kendall
* EC3 - Natick to Copley Square via Mass Pike

Phase 2

Draft EIR

Phase 2 ["Sources for this section: The official project brochure and Phase 2 Draft EIR."] would convert and expand five of the "crosstown" lines (CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5, and CT8) into bus rapid transit lines that overlap and form a complete ring around the urban core:

* BRT 1: Airport Station to Kendall Square via Wellington, Assembly Square, Sullivan Square, and Lechmere
* BRT 2: Logan Airport Terminals to Wellington with local service to Chelsea and Everett
* BRT 3: Wellington to Kendall via Gilman Square, Union Square Somerville, and Lechmere
* BRT 5: Lechmere to Ruggles via Kendall, Grand Junction/MIT, BU Bridge, Kenmore/Yawkey/Fenway, and Huntington Avenue
* BRT 6: Commonwealth Ave at Boston University Central to UMass Boston via Ruggles, Melnea Cass Blvd, Uphams Corner
* BRT 7: Longwood Medical Area to Mystic Mall via South Boston, World Trade Center, Ted Williams Tunnel, and Downtown Chelsea

BRT connections with the commuter rail lines would be improved by expanding the following existing stations:
* Downtown Chelsea (Newburyport/Rockport Line)
* Yawkey (Framingham/Worcester Line)
* Ruggles (inbound platform for Northeast corridor)

The following new Commuter Rail stations would be created:
* Sullivan Square (near junction of Newburyport/Rockport and Haverhill/Reading Lines)
* Gilman Square (Lowell Line)
* Union Square (Fitchburg Line)

The new BRT lines would make additional connections at other commuter rail stops, rapid transit stops, and bus hubs.

Some parts of the BRT system would run in mixed traffic, including through the Ted Williams Tunnel and to the terminals at Logan International Airport. Dedicated lanes are provided for certain portions, including:

* The Grand Junction Railroad right-of-way, which runs through the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and crosses the Charles River under the Boston University Bridge.
* Railroad right-of-way in Somerville, connecting with Lechmere.
* Portions from East Boston to Chelsea.
* Melnea Cass Boulevard, connecting the Silver, Orange, and Green Lines (E Branch).
* The Haul Road in South Boston.

Ridership was estimated at 106,000 passengers per day in 2010; capital cost was estimated at $500 million.

Revised Draft EIR

As of June, 2008, the revised route of the ring has the following stops:
* Logan International Airport West Garage
* Airport (MBTA station), Blue Line
* Griffin Way, Chelsea
* Chelsea (MBTA station), Commuter Rail stop on the Newburyport/Rockport Line
* Mystic Mall
* Everett / Massachusetts Route 16 / Gateway Center
* Wellington (MBTA station), Orange Line and bus hub
* Assembly Square, new Orange Line stop
* Sullivan Square, Orange Line and bus hub; Commuter Rail stop to be added
* Inner Belt Road, Somerville
* Lechmere (MBTA station), Green Line (relocated as part of Green Line extension)
* First Street, Cambridge / Cambridgeside Galleria
* Binney Street, Cambridge
* Fulkerson Street, Cambridge (served only by one of the BRT routes, the others will go direct to Kendall)
* Kendall / Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Red Line
* Massachusetts Avenue / Massachusetts Institute of Technology via Albany Street
* Cambridgeport at George Washington Park, crossing into Grand Junction Railroad right-of-way
* Commonwealth Avenue at Boston University Bridge via widened Grand Junction Railroad bridge, Green Line "B" Branch
* Yawkey (MBTA station), Framingham/Worcester Line Commuter Rail
* Kenmore (MBTA station), Green Line (minor spur served by only 1 BRT route)
* Longwood Medical Area at Pasteur Ave and Longwood Ave (underground station)
* Ruggles (MBTA station), Orange Line
* Washington Street at Melnea Cass Boulevard
* Dudley Square, Silver Line and bus hub
* (doubling back past Washington Street again)
* Crosstown Center, Dorchester
* BU Medical Center
* Broadway (MBTA station), Red Line
* A Street, South Boston
* World Trade Center (MBTA station), Silver Line
* Back to Logan International Airport via Ted Williams Tunnel

This routing skips Gilman and Union Squares in Somerville, but these locations would be connected to the new Lechmere Station via the Green Line extension, expected to be operational by the end of 2014.The Grand Junction Railroad crossing of the Charles River would be widened to include bus lanes and a multi-use path.

There would be two major spurs. Three different routings are being considered for the first spur, which leaves from Commonwealth Avenue and goes to:
* Allston West Station (new Commuter Rail station on the Framingham/Worcester Line)
* North Harvard Street
* Western Avenue
* Harvard, Red Line

The second major spur would leave from between Crosstown Center and the BU Medical Center, and go to:
* Newmarket Square (new Commuter Rail stop on the Fairmount Line)
* Edward Everett Square, Dorchester
* JFK/UMass (MBTA station), Red Line

An interim surface routing is proposed, with multiple stops in the Longwood Medical Area, while the tunnel is under construction.

The capital cost for this version of the plan is estimated at $2.2 billion, with a projected daily ridership of 170,000. 53% of the route is either in a bus-only lane, dedicated busway, or tunnel. [https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/1169/docs/FenwayJune9_PublicMeetingFinal_06-09-08.pdf Sempra Energy ] ] This was increased from the previous plan for Phase 2, to improve travel times. As a result of the implementation of Phase 2, ridership growth on the Red, Orange, Blue, and Green lines would be slowed, but Commuter Rail ridership boosted. The Urban Ring would have a higher collective ridership than the Orange Line, Blue Line, or the entire Commuter Rail system.

Phase 3

Phase 3 ["Source: Official project brochure."] 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 three proposed options for what type of rail service to build:

* 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.

References

External links

* [http://www.theurbanring.com/ Website for the urban ring project]