Silver Line
Project Background
Silver Line Phase 3 is the final segment of the seven-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route from Dudley Square to the South Boston Waterfront. When finished, it will connect the Silver Line Washington Street service now operating from Dudley Square in Roxbury with the Silver Line Waterfront service now operating from South Station to South Boston and Logan International Airport. Phase 3 would do so by extending the existing Silver Line Tunnel one mile, from South Station to Tremont Street, creating new Silver Line stations at the existing Boylston Green Line and Chinatown Orange Line stops.
Why It's Important
Silver Line Phase 3 is an essential component of Boston's transportation infrastructure and future economy. When completed, Phase 3 will:
- significantly improve mobility for residents living in neighborhoods throughout the corridor;
- enable connections between previously disconnected areas;
- connect Washington Street to the South Boston Waterfront, Logan Airport, and the Orange, Red, and Green Lines; and
- support and encourage development of the South Boston Waterfront.
Phase 3 will also help relieve congestion on existing Boston subway lines that are either at or near full capacity, including the Green and Orange Lines and downtown core stations such as Park Street and Government Center.
In the year 2000, there were approximately 265,000 residents and 491,000 jobs located within a ½ mile radius of MBTA station stops with two-seat ride access to the Airport, South Boston Waterfront, and or Dudley Square via the existing Silver Line service. Completing Silver Line Phase 3 would boost those figures to approximately 655,000 residents and 753,000 jobs by 2030.
ABC's Role
A Better City has long championed Silver Line Phase 3, even in constrained fiscal environments. Under the leadership of James Rooney of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, ABC's Silver Line Phase 3 Business and Institutional Committee organized abutters served by the Silver Line to inform them about the planning and construction process and potential impacts. ABC also worked with the MBTA to help identify and mitigate issues that would adversely affect abutters and neighborhoods.
ABC also engaged businesses and institutions to advocate for the project and helped to ensure that the most successful design, construction and operations procedures are employed. One successful example of the committee's work was a December 2007 tour of Silver Line Phase 2 corridor, organized in partnership MassPort, the MCCA and the MBTA. That activity visually and tangibly demonstrated the economic and mobility benefits to be realized by connecting Washington Street with the South Boston Waterfront.
Unfortunately, Silver Line Phase 3 was not funded under the September 2009 amendment to the Long-Range Transportation Plan, Journey to 2030, put forth by the Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). However, at the urging of A Better City and other organizations, the MPO did include Silver Line Phase 3 as an "illustrative project" – an example of a valuable piece of transportation infrastructure that should be pursued if additional funding becomes available. ABC is committed to advocating on behalf of the project and its full inclusion in the next Regional Transportation Plan.
