Dorchester's Ashmont T station officially dedicated

October 21, 2011|By Patrick Rosso, Town Correspondent, Globe Staff

From left, state Representative Martin Walsh joined by State Representative… ((Patrick Rosso/Boston.com/2011) )

(Patrick Rosso/Boston.com/2011)

From left, state Representative Martin Walsh joined by State Representative Russell Holmes, City Councilor Charles Yancey, Senator John Kerry, Governor Deval Patrick, State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry, state Transportation Secretary Richard Davey, and state Senator Jack Hart for the ribbon cutting and dedication of the Ashmont MBTA station.

By Patrick Rosso, Town Correspondent

Governor Deval Patrick and Senator John Kerry joined residents and state and local officials Friday afternoon to officially cut the ribbon and unveil the new and improved Ashmont MBTA station.

“It is enormously important that we invest in tomorrow because tomorrow will be the way we want it to be, if we build it the way we want it to be, not if we just wait for it to happen,” said Governor Patrick.

The Ashmont Station project, which cost nearly $84 million, was part of larger Red Line Rehabilitation Project, which invested $158 million in four stations that serve Dorchester, Fields Corner, Savin Hill, Shawmut, and Ashmont.

The project, which began construction in 2003, included improvements to the roof as well as new lighting and floors. Glass curtain walls along with new canopies for bus commuters were also installed, along with landscaping and the construction of Peabody Square Park.

Members of the community played a major role in the design.

“The credit goes to the people in the community that drove this project from the beginning. I’m glad to be here, it’s a long time coming,” said State Senator Jack Hart.

The upgrade capped a decades-long community effort to improve what was one of the worst T stations in the transit system.

Although the dedication focused on the station and the work that went into it many officials expressed that this is not only a celebration for the Ashmont neighborhood but for the community as a whole.

“This is going to raise the property values of this community it’s going to make life better and that’s what good governance is all about,” said Kerry.

E-mail Patrick Rosso, patrick.d.rosso@gmail.com. Follow him @PDRosso, or friend him on Facebook.