Fifteen years ago, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the state of Massachusetts set out its plans for the Big Dig. Among them was a proposal to extend the Green Line of the 'T' into the Medford Hillside area, partly to alleviate the increased traffic and air pollution caused by the growing populations of Medford and Somerville.
The agreement stated that the line would be extended by 2011, but in early 2005 the cities of Medford and Somerville sued the state for the funds to begin construction. The MBTA had just announced service cuts because of a $16 million budget deficit, though, and postponed the Green Line extension project - expected to cost in excess of $375 million.
But in May, the project finally got off the ground after the funding became available. University Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel told the Daily in March that "the good news we have about the Green Line right now is that when the 'T' did all their modeling, they determined that extending the service to Medford makes sense."
Rubel added, though, that "the work that's been done so far does not say that it will happen, where it will happen or how it will happen."
One of the several suggested locations for the 'T' stop is on the Tufts campus - most likely at the intersection of Boston Ave. and College Ave. For Tufts students, a 'T' stop so close to campus would most likely be a popular one.
"I think it would be a pretty universal reaction - everyone would think it's great," senior Spencer Maxwell said.
Davis Square and the corner suggested by the MBTA are not too far apart, though, and Maxwell wondered about how reasonable it would be to build a second stop so nearby. "I'd be surprised if they actually do it, because it would be so close to Davis," he said. "It would make more sense to put it closer to Medford Square. If I were the MBTA, that's what I would do."
Although the walk to Davis Square usually isn't a bad one, in inclement weather students find it can be quite a different story. "It would be great for people without cars, especially, because no one wants to walk to Davis in ten-degree weather or in pouring rain," junior Peter Hugick said.
"It'd be amazing to have a stop right there because it's no fun walking to Davis Square when the weather is bad," junior Allie Watt agreed.
But some students did express concern that a 'T' stop on campus would have its downfalls. "One drawback would be that more non-students would be coming on to campus," Maxwell said. "That can really be a problem with parties and things like that."
Hugick disagreed: "If people are going to come to Tufts, they're going to come to Tufts, and a new 'T' stop probably won't change that much," he said.
"I think it would bring a lot more people to the area, but I think it's a good thing to have a busier campus," Watt said. "It would promote Tufts a lot more, and it would help the area businesses out a lot, too."
The lack of a campus 'T' stop may enforce Tufts' inferiority complex: Harvard, MIT, Boston College and Northeastern all have their own stops - and Boston University has two. So why doesn't the Hill have one yet?
Sophomore Lauren Basile offered her personal opinion: "Tufts was built on a farmland, so they built roads around that," she said. "And obviously, no one is going to build a 'T' stop on a farm."
