Silver Line opponents see chance to kill plan
Final segment to be reviewed
Groups that have fought the MBTA's Silver Line for years see a fresh opportunity to spike the line's completion now that the transportation authority's new chief has removed it from the federal funding pipeline, citing lack of community support and disruptions that could occur during and after construction.
Daniel Grabauskas, who became the T's general manager in May, notified the Federal Transit Administration on Wednesday that the authority would suspend preliminary engineering on Phase III of the Silver Line.
That action means the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will not seek a rating next year for the project, designed to connect the existing ''rapid bus" segments. One runs on Washington Street, while the second runs from South Station to South Boston and Logan International Airport. A ''recommended" rating is required for any transit project to advance toward a federal funding commitment.
Bob Terrell, director of the Washington Street Corridor Coalition, said yesterday that project opponents are pleased with Grabauskas's action but that they want him to do more than simply reevaluate where to place the proposed tunnel that would link the two Silver Line sections.
''We don't want it at all," Terrell said. ''If he goes out and tries to sell this again to folks, he's not going to have very much success."
The coalition was among a group of 17 organizations that signed a letter two weeks ago urging Grabauskas to reject the proposed tunnel entrances at the New England Medical Center and on Columbus Avenue near the Massachusetts Turnpike overpass. The letter also urged him to scrap the bus connection entirely and review rail alternatives.
A project favored by many Silver Line opponents would be to run a light-rail line along Washington Street into an abandoned subway under Tremont Street and connect with the Green Line at Boylston Station. The idea has been unsuccessfully pitched since the old elevated Orange Line was relocated from Washington Street in 1987.
With a new MBTA chief putting the brakes on the bus expansion, light-rail supporters hope their idea will get some attention.
''By putting this project on hold for a year, they have the opportunity to sit down with residents and riders of the system to work out a new project," Terrell said.
Grabauskas met with Silver Line planners yesterday to brainstorm about the authority's next steps. He stressed that completing the Silver Line is still a goal.
''That's the most likely outcome," Grabauskas said. ''But if we don't have a portal and alignment, we don't have a project. It's as simple as that."
Tufts-New England Medical Center was among the organizations that objected to the proposed tunnel entrance in the heart of the Chinatown hospital complex, citing potential problems with construction vibrations on sensitive medical equipment and congestion for ambulances trying to reach the emergency room.
Ellen Zane, the center's president and CEO, said she was pleasantly surprised by the decision to go back to the community to find a better solution. ''It's important that we investigate all the viable alternatives," Zane said.
A lawmaker whose district includes the Washington Street corridor said Grabauskas did the right thing by suspending the project but should move ahead with another option quickly.
Representative Byron Rushing, a Boston Democrat, said the T needs to consider light rail or reconfigure the bus tunnel to run straight from Washington Street to South Station rather than heading northwest to Boylston and then east to Chinatown, a route he described as circuitous and expensive.
Lucas Wall can be reached at lwall@globe.com. 