Skip to Content
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Log In
Walking

Construction Closes Popular Walking Route Across Public Garden In Downtown Boston

A locator map of downtown Boston and Back Bay with the Public Garden in the center and the Charles River in the upper right. A red X marks the spot where a popular access point into the Garden will be closed until Spring 2024. The X is in the center of the map, where Commonwealth Avenue terminates at the western edge of the Garden.

A construction project will close a well-used pedestrian gate where Commonwealth Avenue meets the Public Garden, marked by a red X in the map above.

A heavily-used pedestrian route between Back Bay and downtown Boston will be closed until spring 2024 while workers restore two historic fountains at the Arlington Street entrance to the Public Garden.

Starting on Wednesday, September 13, a construction project will close pedestrian access into the Public Garden from the Arlington Street gate, located directly across from the Commonwealth Avenue mall (see map above).

The rest of the Garden will still be open, and can be accessed by other gates located one block away in either direction, at the ends of Newbury Street or Marlborough Street.

The Child Fountain Restoration Project, sponsored by the Friends of the Public Garden, will renovate the areas around the George Washington statue and the two fountains on either side. The project will also install upgrades to the park's lighting, new seating, and accessibility improvements.

The project is expected to continue into spring 2024. 

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Massachusetts

Western Mass. Amtrak Expansions Are Flush With Funding, But New Routes Won’t Debut ‘Til 2030s

Years of work remain before new Amtrak routes start rolling through Springfield to connect Boston, Albany, and New Haven.

May 14, 2025

SUV Driver Kills Priest on Route 138 in Milton

A 2018 study warned of "poor safety conditions" on the state roadway where a driver killed Father James B. Doran last week.

May 12, 2025

MassDOT Makes More Space for Bikes and Pedestrians In Revised Designs for Medford Main Street

"It really did feel like they really did listen and change a lot of stuff,” says Ellery Klein, a Medford road safety advocate.

May 9, 2025
See all posts