View source for Urban Ring Project

{{Short description|Circumferential rail transit route in Massachusetts}}
{{update|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox Bus transit
| name            = MBTA Urban Ring
| logo            = 

| logo_size       = 200
| image           = 
| image_size      = 350
| image_caption   = 
| company_slogan  = 
| parent          = [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]]
| founded         = Suspended, but partial implementation of some segments is proceeding
| headquarters    = 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116
| locale          = [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
| service_area    = [[Boston]], [[Chelsea, Massachusetts|Chelsea]], [[Everett, Massachusetts|Everett]], [[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]], [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], and [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]
| service_type    = [[Bus rapid transit]]
| alliance        = 
| routes          = 1 circumferential, with 2 major spurs
| destinations    = 
| stops           = 
| hubs            = 
| stations        = 31 proposed
| lounge          = 
| fleet           = 
| ridership       = 282,000–293,000 passengers per day in 2025 (estimated)
| fuel_type       = [[Diesel fuel|Diesel]]
| operator        = MBTA
| ceo             = <!-- Beverly A. Scott is long departed. Since the overall project is suspended, there is no point in listing anybody as managing it currently. -->
| website         = {{URL|www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/}} <!-- Is/should this website be archived? -->
}}

The '''Urban Ring''' was a proposed project of the [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] and the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]], to develop new [[public transportation]] routes that would provide improved circumferential connections among many existing transit lines that project radially from downtown [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]].<ref name=eot>[http://www.eot.state.ma.us/default.asp?pgid=content/urbanRingMtg&sid=about eot Urban Ring Notice]</ref> The Urban Ring Corridor is located roughly one to two miles from downtown Boston, passing through the [[Massachusetts]] cities of [[Boston]], [[Chelsea, Massachusetts|Chelsea]], [[Everett, Massachusetts|Everett]], [[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]], [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], and [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]].<ref name=eot /> The project was expected to convert 41,500 car trips to transit trips daily.<ref name=Fact>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110722105736/https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/1169/docs/URnews0105c.pdf "Urban Ring Phase 2: Fact Sheet"], Executive Office of transportation, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, January 2009 (archived 2011)</ref>

The Major Investment Study split the project into three phases, the first of which (enhanced bus service) was partially implemented.  The planning of Phase 2 was suspended in January 2010 because MBTA and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have insufficient funding to build a substantial portion of that phase (projected to cost $2.4 billion).<ref name=Fact /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/emepa/mepadocs/2010/012710em/pn/14.pdf |title=Re: Urban Ring Phase 2, EOEEA #12565 |date=January 22, 2010 |last=Mullan |first=Jeffery B. |publisher=Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs |access-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-date=March 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323171512/http://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/emepa/mepadocs/2010/012710em/pn/14.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>  {{Asof|2019}}, some interim bus service improvements have been implemented or are underway, in the absence of major funding.

==Background==
Transportation advocates in Boston have complained that rail transit riders cannot travel from one outlying area to another without first traveling to the downtown hub stations, changing lines, and traveling outbound again. Some of the radial  transit lines, notably the [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]], are so overcrowded that service is very slow and limited in capacity because of rush-hour "[[crush load]]s". There are [[MBTA crosstown bus routes|several crosstown bus lines]], such as the #1, #66, CT2, and CT3 routes, but they are slow, unreliable, and subject to [[bus bunching]] because they must operate in mixed street traffic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/as-mbta-issues-continue-advocates-push-for-transportation-funding-bill/2081909/|title=As MBTA Issues Continue, Advocates Push for Transportation Funding Bill|website=NBC Boston|date=25 February 2020 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-04}}</ref>

A circumferential rapid transit line was proposed by the City of Boston as early as 1923,  and circumferential transit has been studied as early as 1972, in the [[Boston Transportation Planning Review]].<ref name=BTPR>{{cite web|title=Circumferential Transit Report|url=https://archive.org/stream/circumferentialt00mass/circumferentialt00mass_djvu.txt|work=Boston Transportation Planning Review|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|access-date=2014-02-11|date=October 1972}}</ref> Detailed proposals were not studied until the late 1990s.<ref name=transplan>{{cite web |url=http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/boston.html |title=The Transportation Plan for the Boston Region - Volume 2 |date=15 November 1993 |publisher=National Transportation Library |author=Central Transportation Planning Staff |access-date=24 January 2013 |archive-date=5 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005000720/http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/boston.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Project proposal==
The proposed project has three phases. The first phase has been partially implemented. Phase 1, as it is commonly called, involves expanding [[MBTA crosstown bus routes|"crosstown" bus lines]] serving the entire corridor and "express commuter" lines connecting to suburban locations. Phase 2 would create six overlapping [[bus rapid transit]] lines forming a complete ring around downtown Boston. Phase 3 includes the implementation of rail service on the most heavily traveled portion of the ring, from Assembly Square in Somerville to Nubian Square in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, via East Cambridge.

==Phase 1==
Phase 1, as recommended in the 2001 Major Investment Study, was to add interim service within 5 years while planning and construction took place for further phases. The three existing [[MBTA crosstown bus routes|crosstown (CT) bus routes]] would have been modified, and eight additional crosstown routes added. Two express commuter (EC) routes would also have been added to provide radial service to portions of the corridor. (A third route, EC3, was dropped from consideration due to low projected ridership.) Phase 1 was to cost $98.5 million, primarily for acquisition of 100 new buses and expansion of bus garages. Because of the limited construction scope, it did not require further environmental review.<ref>{{cite book |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011108040617/http://www.mbta.com/newsinfo/geninfo/projects/urbanring/ENFPart1.pdf |archive-date=November 8, 2001 |url=http://www.mbta.com/newsinfo/geninfo/projects/urbanring/ENFPart1.pdf |title=Circumferential Transit Improvements in the Urban Ring Corridor: Expanded Environmental Notification Form (ENF) |chapter=Attachment 2: Detailed Descriptions, Plans, and Schedule of the Proposed Project by Phase |date=July 2001 |pages=1–6 |publisher=Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable
!Route
! colspan=2|Terminals
! Via
|-
!CT4 
|{{bts|Ruggles}}
|{{bts|JFK/UMass}}
|{{bts|Dudley Square}} and [[Uphams Corner]]
|-
!CT5
|[[Logan Airport]] terminals
|{{bts|Sullivan Square}}
|Chelsea and Everett
|-
!CT6
|{{bts|Bellingham Square}}
|{{bts|Kendall/MIT}}
|{{bts|Community College}} and {{bts|Lechmere}}
|-
!CT7
|Kendall/MIT
|[[Franklin Park Zoo]]
|{{bts|Kenmore}}, Ruggles, and Dudley Square
|-
!CT8 
|Sullivan Square
|[[Longwood Medical Area]]
|[[Union Square, Boston|Union Square]], University Park, Lower [[Cambridgeport]], and [[Boston University]]
|-
!CT9
|Kenmore
|{{bts|Harvard}}
|Boston University and Allston Landing
|-
!CT10 
|Kenmore
|JFK/UMass
|Longwood Medical Area, [[Museum of Fine Arts station (MBTA)|MFA]], Ruggles, [[Melnea Cass Boulevard station|Washington St/Silver Line]], [[Boston City Hospital|City Hospital]], [[BU Medical Center|BU Medical Area]], {{bts|Newmarket}}/[[South Bay Center|South Bay]], Andrew
|-
!CT11
|Longwood Medical Area
|{{bts|Fields Corner station}}
|MFA, BU Medical, and Uphams Corner
|-
!EC1
|{{bts|Woburn}}
|University Park
|Sullivan Square and Lechmere
|-
!EC2
|{{bts|Riverside}}
|Lechmere
|{{bts|Newton Corner}}, Allston Landing, [[Central Square, Cambridge|Central Square]], and Kendall Square
|-
!EC3
|[[Massachusetts Route 9|Route 9]] [[Natick, Massachusetts|Natick]]
|Kenmore
|{{bts|Wellesley Hills}}, Riverside, Newton Corner, and Longwood Medical Area
|}

==Phase 2==

===Draft EIR===
[[File:MBTA Urban Ring map.svg|thumb|300px|Map of the proposed Phase 2 system]]
[[File:MBTA right of way along Ruggles Street, December 2016.JPG|thumb|right|MBTA-owned right of way along Ruggles Street, which would have been used for the Urban Ring busway]]
The MBTA filed the Draft [[Environmental Impact Report]] (DEIR) for Phase 2 with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office on November 30, 2004.<ref name=autogenerated1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060218222921/http://www.mbta.com/projects_underway/urbanring_docs.asp "Urban Ring Documents Library"], MBTA. (archived 2006)</ref> In its FY2005-10 and draft FY2006-11 Capital Improvement Plans, the MBTA has not budgeted any money for the Urban Ring project, beyond supporting the EIR process.<ref>[http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/financials/?id=1052 "MBTA Financials"], MBTA. Also cf. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050604081339/http://www.mbta.com/insidethet/capital.asp "Inside the T: Capital Investment Program: The FY06 – FY10 Capital Investment Program"], MBTA, (archived 2005)</ref>

Phase 2<ref>''Sources for this section: The official project brochure and Phase 2 Draft EIR.''</ref> would convert and expand five of the "crosstown" lines (CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5, and CT8) into [[bus rapid transit]] lines that overlap and form a complete ring around the urban core.

*BRT 1: Airport Station to Kendall Square via Wellington, Assembly Square, Sullivan Square, and Lechmere
*BRT 2: Logan Airport Terminals to Wellington with local service to Chelsea and Everett
*BRT 3: Wellington to Kendall via Gilman Square, Union Square Somerville, and Lechmere
*BRT 5: Lechmere to Ruggles via Kendall, Grand Junction/MIT, BU Bridge, Kenmore/Yawkey/Fenway, and Huntington Avenue
*BRT 6: Commonwealth Ave at [[Green Line B branch|Boston University Central]] to UMass Boston via Ruggles, Melnea Cass Blvd, Uphams Corner
*BRT 7: Longwood Medical Area to [[Mystic Mall]] via South Boston, [[World Trade Center (MBTA station)|World Trade Center]], [[Ted Williams Tunnel]], and Downtown Chelsea

BRT connections with the commuter rail lines would be improved by expanding the following existing stations:
*Downtown Chelsea ([[Newburyport/Rockport Line]])
*Yawkey ([[Boston and Albany Railroad|Framingham/Worcester Line]], project initiated, construction scheduled for completion in 2014)
*Ruggles (inbound platform for Northeast corridor)

The following new Commuter Rail stations would be created:
*Sullivan Square (near junction of [[Newburyport/Rockport Line|Newburyport/Rockport]] and [[Haverhill/Reading Line|Haverhill/Reading]] Lines)
*Gilman Square ([[Lowell Line]])
*Union Square ([[Fitchburg Railroad|Fitchburg Line]])

The new BRT lines would make additional connections at other commuter rail stops, rapid transit stops, and bus hubs.

Some parts of the BRT system would run in mixed traffic, including through the [[Ted Williams Tunnel]] and to the terminals at [[Logan International Airport]].  Dedicated lanes would be provided for certain portions, including:
*The [[Grand Junction Railroad]] right-of-way, which runs through the campus of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] and crosses the [[Charles River]] under the [[Boston University Bridge]]
*Railroad right-of-way in Somerville, connecting with Lechmere
*Portions from East Boston to Chelsea
*Melnea Cass Boulevard, connecting the Silver, Orange, and Green Lines (E Branch)
*The Haul Road in South Boston

Ridership was estimated at 106,000 passengers per day in 2010; capital cost was estimated at $500 million.

===2008 revised draft EIR===
The revised route of the ring had the following stops:<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170514232004/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf |archive-date=May 14, 2017 |url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf |title=The Urban Ring Phase 2: Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement |publisher=Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation |date=November 2008}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Station
! BRT routes
! Existing connections
! City / Neighborhood
|-
|[[Logan International Airport]]
| 2
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Silver}}
|Boston / [[East Boston]]
|-
|{{bts|Airport}}
| 1, 2, 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Blue}}
|Boston / East Boston
|-
|[[Box District station|Griffin Way]]
| 1, 2, 7
|
|[[Chelsea, Massachusetts|Chelsea]]
|-
|[[Bellingham Square station|Downtown Chelsea]]
| 1, 2, 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Newburyport/Rockport}}
|Chelsea
|-
|[[Chelsea station (MBTA)|Mystic Mall]]
| 1, 7
|
|Chelsea
|-
|Everett
| 1, 2
|
|[[Everett, Massachusetts|Everett]]
|-
|{{bts|Wellington}}
| 1, 2
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Orange}}
|[[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]]
|-
|Assembly Square
| 1, 2
|
|[[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]] / [[Assembly Square]]
|-
|{{bts|Sullivan Square}}
| 1, 2, 5
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Orange}}
|Boston / [[Charlestown, Massachusetts|Charlestown]]
|-
|Inner Belt Road
| 1, 5
|
|Somerville / [[Inner Belt District|Inner Belt]]
|-
|{{bts|Lechmere}}
| 1, 5
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Green}}
|[[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] / East Cambridge
|-
|First Street
| 1, 5
|
|Cambridge / East Cambridge
|-
|Binney Street
| 1, 5
|
|Cambridge / East Cambridge
|-
|Broadway
| 1
|
|Cambridge / Tech Square
|-
|{{bts|Kendall/MIT}}
| 1, 5
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Red}}
| Cambridge / [[Kendall Square]]
|-
|[[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Ave]] / [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]]
| 5
|
|Cambridge / MIT campus
|-
|[[Cambridgeport]]
| 5
|
|Cambridge / [[Cambridgeport]]
|-
|[[Boston University Bridge|BU Bridge]]
| 5, 6
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Green|type=[[Green Line B branch|B branch]]}} (at {{bts|Boston University Central}})
|[[Boston]] / [[Boston University]] campus
|-
|{{bts|Yawkey}}
| 5, 6, 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Framingham/Worcester}}
|Boston / [[Fenway–Kenmore]]
|-
|{{bts|Fenway}}
| 5, 6, 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Green|type=[[Green Line D branch|D branch]]}}
| Boston / Fenway-Kenmore
|-
|LMA
|5, 6, 7
|
| Boston ([[Longwood Medical Area]])
|-
|{{bts|Ruggles}}
| 5, 6, 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Orange}} 
{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Providence/Stoughton}}
{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Needham}}
{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Franklin}}
| Boston / [[Roxbury, Massachusetts|Roxbury]]
|-
|[[Melnea Cass Boulevard station|Washington Street]]
| 6, 7
| {{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Silver}}
|Boston / Roxbury
|-
|{{bts|Dudley Square}}
| 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Silver}}
|Boston / Roxbury
|-
|Crosstown Center
| 6, 7
|
| Boston / Roxbury
|-
|BU Medical Center
| 7
|
|Boston / [[Boston University Medical Center|BU Medical Center]] campus
|-
|{{bts|Broadway}}
| 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Red}}
|Boston / South Boston
|-
|A Street
| 7
|
| Boston / South Boston
|-
|{{bts|World Trade Center}}
| 7
|{{rail color box|system=MBTA|line=Silver}}
| Boston / Seaport
|}

[[File:Silver Line Gateway construction north from Bellingham Street, December 2015.JPG|thumb|right|Construction of the Silver Line Gateway busway - the only part of the Urban Ring to enter construction - in Chelsea in 2015]]

Logan International Airport, Broadway, and Dudley Square were to be on short spurs, each served by only one route. There were to be two major spurs, both served only by the BRT 6 route. One was to [[JFK/UMass station]], splitting from the main route near Crosstown Center with intermediate stations at {{bts|Newmarket}} and Edward Everett Square. The other spur would run to [[Harvard station]] via [[Allston, Boston|Allston]], with several possible alignments. Potential intermediate stations on different alignments included [[West Station (MBTA)|West Station]], Cambridge Street, North Harvard Street, and Brighton Mills; all alignments included a Barrys Corner stop. A commuter rail platform was to be added at Sullivan Square to serve the [[Haverhill Line]] and Newburyport/Rockport Line.

An interim surface routing was proposed, with multiple stops in the Longwood Medical Area, while the tunnel would be under construction. The capital cost for this version of the plan was estimated at $2.2 billion, with a projected daily ridership of 170,000.  Approximately 53% of the route was either in a bus-only lane, dedicated busway, or tunnel.<ref name="fenway">[https://www.commentmgr.com/projects/1169/docs/FenwayJune9_PublicMeetingFinal_06-09-08.pdf Sempra Energy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> This was increased from the previous plan for Phase 2, to improve travel times.  As a result of the implementation of Phase 2, ridership growth on the Red, Orange, Blue, and Green lines would be slowed, but Commuter Rail ridership boosted.  The Urban Ring would have a higher collective ridership than the Orange Line, Blue Line, or the entire Commuter Rail system.<ref name="fenway" />

==Phase 3==
Phase 3<ref>''Source: Official project brochure.''</ref> would add a rail line on the most heavily traveled portion of the corridor, from Assembly Square in Somerville to Lechmere, Kendall Station, crossing Massachusetts Avenue near MIT, and connecting at Longwood Medical  Area, Ruggles, and Nubian Square.  The exact alignment would be determined through further environmental review, and included possible stops in Union Square Somerville, Cambridgeport and/or Kenmore Square, and a possible new tunnel under the [[Charles River]].

There were three alternatives being considered for Phase 3, which differed from the alternatives described in the Major Investment Study (MIS) and Draft Environmental Impact Review (DEIR).  Employment growth projections have also changed since those documents were written.
<!-- <ref>[http://www.theurbanring.com/currentmaterials.asp?area=gen Current materials] on EOT website</ref> -->
The three proposed options for what type of rail service to build were:

* A light rail branch of the [[Green Line (MBTA)|Green Line]], mostly on the surface
* A light rail branch of the Green Line, entirely [[rapid transit|subway]]
* A heavy rail branch of the [[Orange Line (MBTA)|Orange Line]], entirely subway

Estimated ridership is 282,000–293,000 passengers per day in 2025; about 47,000 would be diverted from cars, and most of the rest would be diverted from trips on congested radial lines, reducing the need to travel through downtown Boston.

==Partial implementation==
{{main|Silver Line (MBTA)#Extension to Chelsea}}
Since the suspension of the overall project, a segment of the original route was constructed, completing in 2018. The "Silver Line Gateway" service (route SL3) has commenced, connecting Downtown and South Boston to the inner-core city of Chelsea, with an intermediate stop serving Logan Airport. The route is a mix of dedicated right-of-way and shared street traffic segments, using articulated buses.

==See also==
*[[Interstate 695 (Massachusetts)]] – a 1960s proposed but cancelled highway involving many of the same communities
*[[Mid-City Transitway]] in Chicago, IL

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/ Massachusetts DoT Website for the Urban Ring Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126102840/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/ |date=2013-01-26 }}
*[http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf Phase 2 plans] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728112411/http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/theurbanring/downloads/Plan_Profile_Drawings.pdf |date=2013-07-28 }}
*[https://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Projects/Transportation/~/media/CCE84B2335074AD5ABA9125BB6D7BD51.ashx GRAND JUNCTION FEASIBILITY REVIEW], December 22, 2016, City of Cambridge

{{MBTA}}

[[Category:MBTA bus]]
[[Category:Proposed public transportation in Massachusetts]]