Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Somerville

Reimagined design for Highland Avenue with protected bike lanes

Somerville Council Requests New Design with Protected Bike Lanes for Highland Ave.

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 15, 2021 | No Comments

District Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen said that "I have become increasingly convinced that it is indeed possible - not only possible, but really essential - that we include protected bike lanes on Highland Ave."

Highland Avenue near Central St. in 2020.

Advocates Press for Protected Bike Lanes on Somerville’s Highland Ave.

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 1, 2021 | No Comments

In a construction project expected to begin later this year, the City of Somerville will rebuild Highland Avenue as well as several adjacent streets as part of its Spring Hill Sewer Separation project.

Chelsea bus lane installation on Broadway

Legal Settlement Will Restore Carpool Lane and Add New Bus Lane on Tobin Bridge

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 19, 2020 | No Comments

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has committed to establishing a new bus lanes on the Tobin Bridge and I-93 as part of a legal settlement over its decision to eliminate a carpool lane on I-93 in the spring of 2019. The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), a Boston-based environmental group, filed an intent to sue MassDOT […]

A freshly-paved Webster Avenue in Cambridge with new protected bike lane markings.

Eyes On the Street: Cambridge Fills A Key Bike Network Gap

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 17, 2020 | No Comments

Webster Avenue is a short but frequently-used bike route between Union Square in Somerville and Cambridge Street in Cambridge.

The viaduct for the Somerville Community Path extension soars over the future Green Line tracks in Somerville's Inner Belt neighborhood.

Photos: Green Line Extension Marks Halfway Point to Completion

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 2, 2020 | No Comments

MBTA officials announced Thursday that the Green Line Extension construction project is 50 percent complete, and on schedule to open by the end of 2021.

Guest Column: It’s Time to Build Resilient Streets for Somerville

By Arah Schuur, George Schneeloch and Thomas DeVito | Sep 22, 2020 | 1 Comment

In cities across the globe emerging from COVID-19, we have consistently seen a slow return to transit, and a quick return (and even growth) in private car travel. We know that pre-COVID-19, fewer than half of Boston area residents drove to work. We also know that if this ratio were to change due to the […]

The Wellington Bridge (circled in red) between Medford and Somerville will get new protected bike lanes this fall. Existing bike paths are shown in green and bike lanes in blue. Base map courtesy of MAPC.

Protected Bike Lanes Coming to Wellington Bridge Over the Mystic

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 20, 2020 | No Comments

The City of Somerville has announced that it will create new protected bike lanes on the Wellington Bridge across the Mystic River this fall, connecting Somerville’s fast-growing Assembly Square district with the City of Medford. The project is being funded through the MassDOT’s new Shared Streets and Spaces Program, a statewide pool of funding intended […]

A rendering of a proposed center-running bus transitway for Columbus Avenue. The project would extend from the Jackson Square Orange Line station, through Egleston Square (pictured) to Franklin Park, and is scheduled to go under construction this fall for completion in 2021. Courtesy of the Boston Transportation Department.

T Announces New Bus Lane Projects, Targeting 6 Regional Bottlenecks

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 28, 2020 | No Comments

The T estimates that, even under reduced levels of ridership during the pandemic, these bus lane projects would benefit over 50,000 riders every weekday.

Pedestrians take advantage of expanded walking areas on Beacon Street in Brookline in mid-April. Brookline officials have repurposed on-street parking areas to provide additional space for safe physical distancing in commercial districts and on key routes to area hospitals; City of Boston officials may soon follow suit. Photo courtesy of the Brookline Transportation Department.

MassDOT Announces $1 Million in Grants for Pandemic ‘Shared Streets and Spaces’

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 23, 2020 | No Comments

The first round of grant funding will create safer walking routes to schools in Chelsea, a new bus lane in Somerville, and new protected on-street pathways in Lowell.

A map of the proposed Mystic-to-Charles trail connections to the new Community Path Extension in Somerville. Courtesy of the Friends of the Community Path and the Friends of the Mystic to Charles Connector.

Trail Advocates Plot New Routes to Link E. Somerville to Charles River

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 10, 2020 | No Comments

A newly-published study recommends detailed routes for new dedicated bike and pedestrian pathways to form a network of trails through East Somerville and Cambridge. The trail feasibility study analyzes two critical links that would connect to the under-construction Community Path Extension, which will eventually run from Davis Square to Lechmere: one connection would run northward, […]

Proposed "shared streets" and expanded curbside pedestrian areas, part of the city's COVID-19 mobility plan. Courtesy of the City of Somerville.

Check Out Somerville’s Citywide ‘COVID-19 Mobility Strategy’

By Christian MilNeil | May 24, 2020 | No Comments

The City of Somerville has announced a citywide mobility strategy to provide safer walking and biking routes with more room for physical distancing as “stay at home” orders ease this spring and summer. Roughly a quarter of Somerville’s households are car-free. The city’s COVID-19 mobility plan therefore focuses on creating safer routes between residential neighborhoods […]

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