Transit project is a legal obligation

CHARLES CHIEPPO ("The T's unchecked expansion and its consequences," Op-ed, Oct. 12) writes, "Unchecked expansion has bankrupted the MBTA," while admitting that "investing in transit is not . . . a bad idea, but failing to provide a way to pay for [it] is."

The Silver Line III project primarily discussed in Chieppo's op-ed is not an example of "unchecked expansion." Rather, it is one of a group of transit projects that was agreed to by the state as a condition of the Central Artery Highway Project. The projects' purpose was to improve and expand the existing transit system to offset the negative air quality impacts of the Big Dig and to compensate surrounding communities for the construction and long-term impacts of the new highway.

The Silver Line III project and the other transit commitments are legal obligations of the Commonwealth. The MBTA has inappropriately been forced to bear the burden of paying for them. The state has the responsibility to pay for these transit projects and others, such as extending commuter rail service to New Bedford and Fall River. That is what the Transportation Finance Commission recommended last year, and strong leadership at the state level will be required to make it so.

WILLIAM SCHMIDT
Cambridge