A revised plan to extend the MBTA's Green Line light rail line into Somerville and Medford required approval from the state (approved last May) and the Federal Transit Authority (approved this week).

Nicole Duncga reports: "The Federal Transit Administration has approved the MBTA’s new cost estimate for a scaled-down version of the Green Line extension into Somerville and Medford, a critical milestone that effectively ensures the $2.3 billion project will move forward."
The review was necessary after delays and a scaling back of the project, but the new version of the project can now proceed.
"The extension of one of the country’s busiest light rail lines into Somerville and Medford had been considered for years before finally moving forward in 2015, when Congress approved the $1 billion grant," explains Duncga. Now that the project is proceeding, its seven new stops are expected to end construction in 2021. Next in the process: choosing a contractor for the design-build process.
FULL STORY: Feds OK Green Line extension costs, securing project’s future

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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