Skip to Content
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Log In
Street Design

MBTA Hosts Its First Public Hearing for Lynnway Redesign Project

A 2021 rendering of a proposed center-running busway and new shared-use pathway along the Lynnway in Lynn, which is currently a 6- to 7-lane wide roadway with no bus or bike lanes. In 2022, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation awarded a $20 million grant to advance the project. Rendering courtesy of MassDOT and VHB.

Nearly three years after winning a $20 million federal grant, the MBTA hosted its first public forum on Wednesday evening for a proposed transit-focused redesign of the Lynnway, a major highway that slices across Lynn's waterfront district.

The Lynnway is currently a 6- to 7-lane highway owned by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. It extends from the Rumney Marshes at the city's southern boundary to Nahant Beach, and it's a loud, polluted barrier that divides downtown Lynn from the city's waterfront.

Although the Lynnway today is lined with car dealerships, junkyards, and strip malls, the City of Lynn has ambitious plans to transform the area into a walkable mixed-use district that can capitalize on its proximity to the city's waterfront.

A well-worn dirt path runs alongside an allee of trees next to a large 6-lane-wide divided highway. On the left edge of the photo, on the opposite side of the roadway, is a 6-story apartment building. A metal street lamp pole in the foreground bears a "no parking any time" sign.
A well-worn dirt path through Department of Conservation and Recreation parkland marks the location of a missing sidewalk on the Lynnway just west of its intersection with Market Street in downtown Lynn.

In its 2021 federal grant application, MassDOT and the MBTA proposed to redesign the Lynnway by sacrificing some of its existing lanes to make room for "center-running bus lanes with transit signal priority, a shared use path along the eastern edge of the Lynnway, improved bus stops, and improved pedestrian crossings" (the rendering at the top of this story is from that 2021 application).

But there was no mention of dedicated transit lanes or bike paths in any of the materials on view at Wednesday's open house.

"We're focusing today on existing conditions outreach, making sure we're starting from square one to get feedback on what might go into the concept design," Phillip Cherry, an MBTA Senior Project Manager, told StreetsblogMASS. "This is the first time we've had any kind of public forum for this project."

Better bus service for a growing district

Currently, three bus routes use this section of the Lynnway: the 441 and 442, which both run from Wonderland to Marblehead every 40 to 60 minutes for most of the day, and the 439 to Nahant, which only makes five trips a day.

The City of Lynn has adopted redevelopment plans that could add thousands of new homes along the Lynnway, and the T has plans to boost its bus service in Lynn so that many of those new residents would also be transit users.

A sketch of Lynn's South Harbor plan, showing a grid of new streets and boxes representing new development
An illustration of Lynn's new South Harbor Plan, which calls for a new street grid, parks, and thousands of new homes along Lynn's historically industrial waterfront.

Under the T's proposed bus network redesign, the Lynnway would become a new high-frequency bus corridor that connects downtown Lynn to the Blue Line at Wonderland.

For the time being, though, the junkyards and auto dealerships along the Lynnway don't generate much bus ridership.

According to ridership data on display at Wednesday's open house, about 750 riders a day use bus stops on the Lynnway today, compared to 2,350 bus riders who board buses at Central Square next to the closed Lynn regional rail station.

The busiest bus stop on the Lynnway is the one that's located next to the Walmart, where the loading docks at the back of the building look out over a new waterfront park.

At Wednesday's open house, StreetsblogMASS spoke with about a dozen attendees, but none of them were regular bus riders.

That's not representative of Lynn's actual demographics: roughly one in six households in Lynn do not own a motor vehicle, according to U.S. Census data.

The project's team acknowledged that weekday evening in-person meetings might not be the most effective way to reach transit riders, and they're also conducting in-person, multilingual outreach events at bus stops and at the city's Market Basket grocery store.

'Quality' bike facilities, pedestrian improvements a priority

Although there wasn't much feedback about bus service, Lynn residents at the open house expressed a strong preference for safety improvements along the Lynnway.

"I live on the Lynnway and I walked here," Lynn resident Susan Plawsky told StreetsblogMASS. "Right now my priority is walking safely, both during the day when there's traffic, and at night when there's less traffic but no light. When you have to cross the Lynnway, it's scary."

The proposed Lynnway busway and shared-use path would connect to Lynn's commuter rail station and the Northern Strand Trail. Courtesy of MassDOT.

One of the project's key government stakeholders – the agency that actually controls the highway – agrees.

Dan Driscoll, the Director of Green Transportation for the Department of Conservation and Recreation, was also at Wednesday's open house.

"We're a partner (in the project) as the landowner, but we're not driving the project," explained Driscoll. "Obviously we care a lot about landscaping and adding greenery, and making it safer with things like quality, grade-separated bike facilities and pedestrian ways. Which I think everyone is committed to."

According to a project timeline poster at Wednesday's open house, the MBTA hopes to have a concept design this fall, then begin detailed design and engineering to begin a multi-year construction project in 2027.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Massachusetts

Roadblocked: Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Eliminates Most Federal Funding For Allston Highway Realignment

Without a formal project agreement in place, MassDOT will receive only $8 million out of a $335 million "reconnecting communities" grant that the Biden administration had pledged.

July 10, 2025

Another Bus Lane Bites the Dust: Wu Administration Forces Chelsea, Charlestown Transit Riders to Wait In More Traffic

The change comes just weeks before the MBTA rolls out a new bus lane enforcement system, which is expected to improve bus service considerably – at least on the dwindling number of streets where dedicated bus lanes still exist.

July 8, 2025

Balanced For Now – But Beacon Hill Is Putting the T Back On the Edge of Another Fiscal Cliff

The state's final budget gives the T about $80 million less than it had planned to spend in the coming fiscal year to cover its payroll and other transit operating costs.

July 7, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025
See all posts