Street Design
News topics:
Snow Piles Reveal Pointless Pavement In the Wake of the Storm
Editor's note: this is an updated version of a story we originally published in 2020.
February 2, 2026
Lynn, Somerville, and Providence Win National Recognition for ‘Best New Bike Lanes’
PeopleForBikes, a national advocacy organization for bike transportation, has honored the cities of Lynn, Providence, and Somerville for building three of the nation's "best bike lanes" in 2025.
January 15, 2026
MassDOT Airs Options for Obsolete Memorial Drive Highway Interchange in Cambridge
On Tuesday evening, MassDOT hosted a virtual public hearing on its plans to remove the William Reid Overpass, a crumbling highway viaduct in Cambridge that flies over the traffic circle on the northern end of the Boston University Bridge.
January 6, 2026
While We Were Away: A Roundup of News From the Holiday Break
Happy new year! We took some time off for a long winter break, but news kept on happening. Some of these are stories we may cover in greater depth after we dig through a few hundred unread messages in our inbox, but for now, here's a quick briefing on the big stories from the past two weeks:
January 5, 2026
New Trails to Look Forward To In 2026
Massachusetts opened over 40 miles' worth of new off-street trails in 2025, and more than a dozen new projects are expected to break ground in 2026.
December 23, 2025
Boston Data Show New Bike Lanes Successfully Shift Traffic, With Fewer Cars and Way More Bikes
Mayor Wu has hard evidence that her bike lane projects are helping reduce traffic – but her administration is reluctant to share it.
December 5, 2025
Eyes on the Street: The Fall of a Freeway in Fall River
The demolition of MassDOT's blighted Route 79 expressway opens up 19 acres of land for new housing next to Fall River's MBTA station.
November 26, 2025
Boston’s Bus Lane Projects Are Stuck In Red Tape, Leaving Riders Stuck In Traffic
When Mayor Marty Walsh's administration hosted their first open house for their plan to build a new dedicated bus transitway on Blue Hill Avenue in early 2020, they predicted that the project could save daily riders of the MBTA's 28 bus two to three hours every week, and hundreds of hours over the course of a year.
November 19, 2025
Somerville Completes Installation of Community Path Lighting Improvements
Just in time for the darkest days of the winter, the City of Somerville has finished its installation of new lighting along its Community Path, a segment of the Mass. Central Rail Trail.
November 14, 2025
Your Annual Update That DCR’s Arborway Redesign Still Isn’t Happening
DCR and their longtime design consultants, Howard Stein Hudson, still haven't produced a safer design for the roadway after six years of working together.
November 14, 2025
