MBTA Green Line Extension Project Has Received Affordability Limit Certifications from Design Build Teams

Certification means price proposals will meet or be below $1.319 billion. GLX Community Working Group to be part of the GLX Project.

BOSTON – The MBTA Green Line Extension (GLX) Project Team has received certifications from two of the three shortlisted GLX Design Build (DB) teams that their upcoming responses to the Final Request for Proposals (RFP) will include price proposals that meet or are below the established Affordability Limit of $1.319 billion. These certifications come as part of the Final RFP and allow the Project to continue into its next phase.

"Certification of two of the short-listed Design-Build teams is a significant achievement toward extending the Green Line into Somerville and Medford," said MBTA General Manager Luis Manuel Ramírez. "Certification of the project's affordability ensures the project proposals are competitive, and that it can be built out with the established budget, and brings the vision of Green Line service one major step forward for our customers."

In addition to the Affordability Limit, the Final RFP also included a base scope of work and "Additive Options" only to be included in the project scope should teams affirm that the Options can be completed within both the Project schedule and the Affordability Limit. If a DB team believes that Additive Options can be included, the firm will propose those Additive Options in the following order as prioritized by the MBTA:

Platform canopies.
Additional elevators at select stations.
Public art.
Additional community connection to the community path on Chester Street in Somerville.
Extension of the community path between East Somerville and Lechmere Stations.
Enhanced Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Somerville.

While these certifications have been received by the GLX Project Team, actual pricing and the inclusion of any Additive Options will be known at the time of the public pricing opening, which is currently scheduled for Friday, November 17.

The GLX Project will also now include a GLX Community Working Group comprised of community representatives, staff from GLX Project Management Team (PMT), and representatives of the DB team in order to provide a collaborative forum for information exchange between the GLX PMT and external stakeholders. Through period meetings, the GLX PMT will advise participating stakeholders about upcoming community impacts associated with construction activities and allow participating stakeholders to provide their feedback prior to upcoming work, helping the MBTA to plan neighborhood and community meetings and to share local topics of interest, concerns, and cooperation. Community members will include representatives from the City of Somerville, the City of Cambridge, and the City of Medford.

Learn more about the Green Line Extension Project.