The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will hold a public hearing later this month to present a new design for the chaotic riverfront rotary where several of its riverfront highways converge on the banks of the Charles River in Brighton.
The virtual public hearing has been scheduled for Thursday, April 17th, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (Zoom registration link).
"The purpose of this meeting is to present the updated Soldiers Field Road and North Beacon Street intersection design," according to a DCR press release issued Friday. "The goals of this project are to improve safety and accessibility for all users in this section of Soldiers Field Road, create a better balance among the various demands placed on the roadway, and create a welcoming environment with enhanced public access."
The press release does not provide any further details on the agency's design concept, but in a 2021 study of the area, consultants proposed several concepts to replace the chaotic multi-lane traffic rotary with a pair of signalized four-way intersections, or a pair of roundabouts (see image above).
The DCR also recently started work to redesign the nearby Birmingham Parkway. That project will replace a divided four-lane highway with a much narrower two-lane city street, and build a parallel 12-foot-wide shared-use path that will run from the traffic circle to Market Street near Brighton Landing.
