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.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

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

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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