(The following article by Mac Daniel appeared in the Boston Globe on May 29.)
BOSTON — The MBTA yesterday officially dropped its plans to take land from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority by eminent domain while also approving a land-for-rail compromise that will allow continued train access through property that will soon be sold to Harvard University.
The compromise was reached earlier this month after a marathon session between the Turnpike Authority and a host of opponents, ranging from Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino to state Secretary of Transportation Daniel A. Grabauskas. T officials said they have long wanted the land for a future commuter rail layover facility, while officials from the Port of Boston said they need the land for rail freight access.
The land sale is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks as lawyers and officials review and finalize key documents, according to T and state officials.
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s board will meet today, although spokesman Sean O’Neill yesterday would not say what actions the board would take on the land sale in executive session.
No item related to the land sale was on the board’s public agenda, O’Neill said, though Turnpike Authority officials said finalizing the deal could be discussed by the board behind closed doors.
The proposed Allston land sale made quick enemies of the MBTA and the Turnpike Authority earlier this month, with MBTA general manager Michael H. Mulhern seeking to protect the land from development, which would threaten the vital rail route.
Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew Amorello fought back, saying he was willing to listen to protests, but that nothing had swayed him from making the $75 million sale to Harvard. Authority officials see the money as vital to the agency keeping its faltering bond rating intact, and to extending a toll discount program.
The compromise was brokered over several days by Senator Steven Baddour, a Methuen Democrat who cochairs the Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee.
In the compromise, the Turnpike Authority and Harvard granted the MBTA 20,000 linear feet of storage track and preserved several rail easements through the property, including the current T commuter line to Framingham and Worcester.
In addition, Harvard officials granted a second permanent easement for an unbuilt second main-line track through the property, a move that could help bring a new commuter rail stop to Harvard’s doorstep.