MBTA puts hold on 3d, final phase of its Silver Line

MBTA officials put the Silver Line's final phase on hold yesterday, saying the transit agency needs to build more support from neighborhood groups and develop a more specific plan for the bus route before submitting the project for federal funding.

General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said that if he did not halt the $780 million project before it gained backing from its neighbors, ''I think it would spell disaster for the whole project."

It was a rare move for a transit agency, especially the MBTA, which has long touted the Silver Line as one of its top urban projects. While Grabauskas downplayed the significance of the move, one congressman who has supported the project expressed concern, saying further delays would suggest there is a back-door effort by the state to kill it.

The final phase would be an underground link for the two existing Silver Line routes: the surface bus route from Dudley Square to Downtown Crossing and the newly opened South Boston transitway, which runs from South Station to South Boston and Logan International Airport.

The mile-long underground tunnel would run from South Station to the Theater District, with connections to the Orange and Green lines. But the precise configuration of the route, including where tunnel portals would be located, is still being debated.

The T is seeking federal funds for 60 percent of the project, which received a ''not recommended" rating from the Federal Transit Agency several years ago. Grabauskas said yesterday that if the project received a similar rating a second time, it may never be able to receive federal approval, leaving the two existing stretches of the Silver Line unconnected.

Grabauskas insisted that the project is not dead, just delayed. But US Representative Michael E. Capuano, Democrat of Somerville, said he would be watching the T carefully.

''As long as today's announcement is not the slow death knell of the connection, I support the MBTA's decision to place a temporary hold on the Silver Line Phase III project while community concerns are further explored," Capuano said. ''However, if this process continues for too long, I can only conclude that this delay is nothing more than a back-door attempt to walk away from the project. I will be communicating my concerns to the MBTA and to the Federal Transit Administration."

Among the criteria the Federal Transit Administration considers when evaluating proposals for funding is the level of community support.

The T has previously said that the final phase of the project would be completed by 2013. It is not clear whether yesterday's action will affect that date.

Opposition has stemmed from the proposed location of the route and the portals required for the buses to go underground.

One portal was proposed for a site near New England Medical Center, but that has set off concerns among neighbors and hospital administrators about access for emergency vehicles and vibrations from construction. A portal proposed for Columbus Avenue has neighborhoods around Chinatown, the Theater District, and Back Bay worried about the impact of the construction on ground-water levels. Many old buildings in that part of the city were built on wood pilings that require them to be submerged in water. If the ground-water level drops, the buildings' foundations could be damaged.

The project, the first to build underground transit tunnels in the city center in decades, would also require digging down at least 82 feet to avoid the Orange Line at Chinatown Station.

Opponents were pleased with yesterday's decision, with Jeremy Marin of the Sierra Club pledging to work with the T to make the project happen.

''We're glad they're finally listening," Marin said. ''There are better options out there that we want to see examined."

The decision was announced after Stephen R. Pritchard, the state environmental secretary, gave preliminary approval to the third phase's initial environmental review, while expressing concern about its impact on ground water and the fact that the T has yet to finalize the route. Just about every route the T has explored has set off opposition.

Grabauskas, who recently took the helm at the T with a ''riders first" agenda, said: ''It's very clear there is no consensus on the particulars on the project. . . . There are obviously a lot of competing interests, . . . and the conversation has not yet resulted in a consensus of what the project would look like."

He also said the financial condition of the T is a factor in the delay. Facing a projected $20 million deficit, Grabauskas said the T may not be able to afford a project facing neighborhood opposition and possible litigation.

He cited the Greenbush Line as an example. The commuter rail line, which was pushed through as a means of meeting the state's transit commitments to the Big Dig, still faces opposition from some residents, which has increased costs.

''I am redoubling my dedication to get this project to move forward," Grabauskas said. ''But I want to put it on hold as a sign as good faith to work out the issues that these people have raised."