(The following article by Carol Britton Meyer appeared in the Hingham Journal on June 26.)
HINGHAM, Mass. — The Army Corps of Engineers (ACE), the lead federal agency reviewing the proposed restoration of the 17-mile Greenbush rail line, isn’t ready to issue a permit allowing the project to move forward.
Two months remain of a six-month delay announced by the MBTA in February to resolve outstanding permitting and right-of-way issues for the $470 million project. Governor Mitt Romney then said his administration would review the economic feasibility of the proposal.
“It’s worth spending the time to resolve these issues,” said Selectman Melissa Tully. “If the project is going to be done it has to be done right.”
Jon Carlisle, spokesperson for the Secretary of Transportation and Construction office, noted that the purpose of the construction delay was to allow time to address those types of issues. “We want to be sure prior to making a final decision whether or not to move forward with Greenbush that all permitting, right-of-way, and mitigation issues are settled so we can have a full appreciation of the costs associated with the project,” he said. “It’s a complicated process, with quite a number of permits to secure, but we’re working to get through the issues in order to put a final price tag on the project and make a decision accordingly.”
In a June 16 letter to MBTA Director of Environmental Affairs Andrew Brennan, the Corps listed a number of issues which still need to be addressed. Those include one related to the Section 106 review process concerning impacts on historic resources and another with regard to the use of four-quadrant gates, which are deemed safer than two-quad gates because they block both lanes in each direction at grade crossings. The MBTA favors the installation of two-quad gates, which block only the right lanes and are often combined with median barriers to prevent motorists from cutting around the gate. The ACE is requesting the MBTA arrange a meeting with the Federal Railroad Administration, MBTA safety experts, Corps staff, and representatives of the towns affected by Greenbush restoration to further review the issue.
“We need to better understand the specific concerns that exist over the use of four-quad gates at various crossings in the Greenbush corridor in order for us to conclude that four-quad gates at specific locations should be dismissed.” The Corps is also requiring additional analysis related to new drainage features planned for Hingham’s Town Brook and more information about archaeological investigations. The ACE is also asking for more information about a recommendation made recently by the project’s design-build team that vent buildings be constructed for the tunnel under Hingham Square.
Selectman Mathew MacIver is pleased at the “professional” way the ACE is handling the project.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find any kind of objective observer in this,” he said. “The Corps is responding in a way that brings us back to the expectations set forth in Hingham’s Memorandum of Understanding with the MBTA.”
Hingham has a mitigation agreement with the MBTA calling for four-quadrant gates; Town Brook work, including extending the new piping out to Hingham Harbor; and a Home Meadows culvert to return the area to what it was originally – more of a tidal flow basin.
The ACE is allowing Brennan 30 days to respond: “If we do not hear from you (within that time period), we will close your file,” wrote Crystal I. Gardner, Chief, Permits & Enforcement Section, Regulatory Branch of the ACE. “No work within our jurisdiction may be started until you receive a permit signed by our District Engineer or his authorized representative.”
Additional unresolved issues relate to other towns along the Greenbush line.