Urban Ring Citizen's Advisory Committee

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Urban Ring Phase 2 CAC Members-

I would like to remind you about our upcoming CAC meeting on Wednesday, May 2 at 4 pm at 10 Park Plaza, Conference Room 2-3.

I would also like to inform you that Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen has recently announced that he is considering filing a Notice of Project Change with the MEPA Office to request an extension of the filing deadline for the Urban Ring Phase 2 RDEIR/DEIS. EOT is considering this serious step in order to enable a review and potential update of the Boston Region MPO's year 2030 demographic assumptions. This is in response to concerns that members of the CAC and other stakeholders have raised about these demographic assumptions and their potential effects on the ridership projections for the Urban Ring Phase 2.

EOT plans to request an extension that is long enough to enable the Boston Region MPO to develop and agree upon a new demographic scenario, because the Urban Ring Phase 2 project must use demographic assumptions that are officially recognized by the Boston Region MPO. Based on these updated demographic assumptions, the project team would be able to revise ridership projections and to work with the CAC, general public, and other stakeholders to finalize the alternatives analysis and evaluation. We also expect that an extension would provide an opportunity for expanded public involvement in the alternatives analysis and evaluation process.

Even if we are granted an extension, there will be no hiatus in the work of the project team or the work of the CAC. We will continue work on the neighborhood and environmental impacts and the cost estimates for all of the alternatives, and we would like to start a discussion about the relative ridership levels of different alternatives and segments of alternatives. I would encourage CAC members to review the figures posted on the Urban Ring website under "Current Materials" (at http://www.theurbanring.com/currentmaterials.asp?area=gen ). These figures show the latest versions of the Build Alternatives, along with preliminary capital cost estimates, major issues, and ridership density diagrams (which show preliminary projections for relative ridership levels in terms of line thickness).

We will discuss these and other issues at the May 2 CAC meeting. I have attached a draft agenda.

Please contact me with questions. Thanks.

Ned

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Ned Codd, P.E.
Manager of Plan Development, Executive Office of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Room 4150, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-973-7473 Fax: 617-973-8035

MAY 02
MAY 30
JUNE 20
AUGUST 02
SEPTEMBER 12
*FALL 2007 MEETINGS
TO BE ANNOUNCED*
All meetings for the Citizen
Advisory Committee will be
at 10 Park Plaza, Conference
Rooms 2-3,
from 4pm to 6pm