A state plan to seek federal funding to cover a portion of the cost of the planned Green Line extension into Somerville and the Tufts campus has local legislators concerned that the project will not be finished by its current deadline.
Agreed to by the state in order to counter increased traffic and pollution in Somerville and surrounding communities resulting from the Big Dig, the project is no stranger to delays. Once slated for completion in 2011, it currently has a deadline of 2014.
But current governor Deval Patrick's administration is seeking up to $300 million in federal funds to offset the cost of extending the rail through Somerville, and there is a possibility of another two-year delay that would push completion date back to 2016. The delay could come from a lengthy application process and federal environmental review.
Still, the governor's Deputy Press Secretary Becky Deusser said that seeking the federal money is a "prudent" decision.
"By seeking federal funds, we are working to save taxpayers $300 million - half of the project cost. To do otherwise would be irresponsible," Deusser said in an e-mail.
While city officials do oppose the prospect of federal assistance, they are committed to ensuring that the process does not cause further delays.
"I think it's prudent and sound to seek federal funding [but] they have a legal obligation to this project," Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said. "I will take any action on behalf of the city of Somerville ... to hold the commonwealth to its obligation."
Denise Provost, a Democratic state representative who represents several wards of Somerville, voiced similar concerns.
"I don't have any problem with the commonwealth applying for federal funding, but I do not believe that such an application involves a further delay, and I think it is outrageous that the [Executive Office of Transportation] is proposing any further delay," she said.
Provost said that since there is no guarantee that Massachusetts will receive assistance from the federal government, and because the state is obligated to build the extension with or without the funds, the state must move ahead with construction now.
"The suggestion that the project should not start until there is federal funding in place is ridiculous," she said. "Grant money is good, but as an excuse to build procrastination into this project, it does not fly."
Curtatone said that local officials and citizens will oppose and confront any further delays. This could include litigation. According to reporting by The Somerville Journal, the city's board of aldermen voted to take the state to court should the extension be delayed again. Board of Aldermen President Bob Trane could not be reached for comment.
The project is seen as a potential source of economic growth, revitalization and traffic reduction in the area, and is due to bring six new stops to Somerville by extending the rail from the Lechmere station.
Deusser said the state is committed to the project and will work to complete the extension in a fiscally responsible manner.
"The administration is committed to working with federal transit officials to discuss streamlining the process for this project, and we will seek ways to work collaboratively to identify any time savings that we can achieve," she said.
