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Eyes On the Street: Protected Bike Lane Construction in Roxbury and the South End

11:30 AM EDT on March 30, 2022

Realigned curbs under construction at the intersection of Tremont Street and West Springfield Street in Boston's South End.

Relocated granite curbs at the intersection of West Springfield and Tremont Streets delineate the project’s future protected bike lanes and crosswalks.

Work is finally getting underway this spring on two major street safety projects on Tremont Street in the South End and on Ruggles Street in Roxbury near Nubian Square.

The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) had identified Tremont Street as a priority for safety improvements under the city’s “Vision Zero” policy after motorists killed pedestrians there in November 2015 and again in May 2017. A project to reduce the number of motor vehicle driving lanes from four to two, while also building physically-protected bike lanes and raised crosswalks at intersections, has been in the works since before the pandemic.

Work is now underway, and at the intersection of Tremont and West Springfield Street, near the southwestern end of the project, curbs have already been realigned into their new configuration, funneling northbound motor vehicles into a single lane and delineating space for the future curbside bike lane (see photo above).

At the same intersection, contractors have also installed new raised crosswalks across West Springfield Street:

A new raised crosswalk under construction across West Springfield Street at its intersection with Tremont Street in Boston's South End.
A new raised crosswalk under construction across West Springfield Street at its intersection with Tremont Street in Boston's South End.
A new raised crosswalk and curb extensions under construction across West Springfield Street at its intersection with Tremont Street in Boston's South End in March 2022.
A rendering of a new bus stop and protected bike lane planned for Tremont Street in the South End.
A rendering of the planned new configuration of Tremont Street in the South End. Courtesy of the City of Boston.
A rendering of the planned Tremont Street protected bike lane, pictured here behind a new bus stop for the MBTA's route 43. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

When complete, the project will create a 0.8-mile protected bike route through the South End, from Massachusetts Avenue to Herald Street.

A few blocks away from this project, another construction crew is busy rebuilding Ruggles Street, a 0.4-mile link between Nubian Square and the Southwest Corridor near Northeastern University.

When complete, the new Ruggles Street will feature a sidewalk-level bike lane in the northbound direction, and a buffered southbound bike lane, and several raised intersections.

New sidewalks under construction on Ruggles Street next to the Madison Park High School playing fields.
New sidewalks under construction on Ruggles Street next to the Madison Park High School playing fields.
New sidewalks under construction on Ruggles Street next to the Madison Park High School playing fields.
New curbs delineate a future raised intersection between Ruggles and Dewitt Street in Roxbury.
New curbs delineate a future raised intersection between Ruggles and Dewitt Street in Roxbury.
New curbs delineate a future raised intersection between Ruggles and Dewitt Street in Roxbury.
A rendering of the proposed Ruggles Street improvements illustrate new bike lanes, shortened, raised crosswalks, and increased sidewalk space for pedestrians and bus riders. The planned reconstruction project is scheduled to begin in 2020. Courtesy of the City of Boston.
A rendering of the proposed Ruggles Street improvements illustrate new bike lanes, shortened, raised crosswalks, and increased sidewalk space for pedestrians and bus riders. Courtesy of the City of Boston.
A rendering of the proposed Ruggles Street improvements illustrate new bike lanes, shortened, raised crosswalks, and increased sidewalk space for pedestrians and bus riders. The planned reconstruction project is scheduled to begin in 2020. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

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