Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Somerville

Two Silver Line buses pass each other on the dedicated busway in Chelsea. Photo courtesy of the MBTA.

Everett, Somerville Advance Silver Line Extension Project

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 13, 2020 | No Comments

A grant application document submitted to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission requests $425,000 for the “planning and design of the MBTA Silver Line bus rapid transit service from its current terminus in Chelsea, through Everett, Sullivan Square, and Washington Street in Somerville, and terminating at appropriate MBTA Red Line and/or Green Line intermodal facilities.”

New Somerville Zoning Law Dramatically Curtails Off-Street Parking

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 16, 2019 | No Comments

A newly-passed overhaul of Somerville's zoning laws will eliminate requirements for off-street parking across most of the city.

Somerville planners Brad Rawson (left) and Justin Schreiber in front of the city's new bus lanes at the top of Winter Hill on November 22, 2019.

Early Data Show Less Traffic, More Bus Riders On Broadway In Somerville

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 10, 2019 | No Comments

The MBTA on Monday also revealed a plan to utilize the new bus lanes by adding even more bus service on the corridor in 2020.

Monday: Somerville Hosts Public Hearing On Broadway Bus Lanes

By Christian MilNeil | Dec 6, 2019 | No Comments

On Monday evening, Somerville will host a public hearing at City Hall to discuss early traffic and transit data from the city’s new bus and bike lanes on on Broadway in Winter Hill. The meeting will be hosted by the City Council’s Traffic and Parking Committee and the city’s Traffic Commission. Following a presentation of […]

The under-construction protected bike lane on Commonwealth Avenue, photographed on May 8, 2019.

Many Holdups, Little Accountability For Delayed Street Projects

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 27, 2019 | No Comments

Some delays in complex construction projects may be inevitable. But in a state with serious traffic and transportation challenges, and with millions in taxpayer funds at stake, it’s reasonable for Massachusetts citizens to expect better outcomes.

A sketch of the bus and bike lane improvements that the City of Somerville implemented on Broadway this summer. Courtesy of the City of Somerville.

Drivers Lash Out As Bus Riders Sail Through Somerville

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 10, 2019 | No Comments

New bus lanes on Broadway – the region's first all-day, bi-directional dedicated bus lanes outside of the Silver Line – are under fire.

Powder House Boulevard at the southern edge of the Tufts University campus in Somerville, pictured in May 2019.

Parking Trumps Bike Lanes on Powder House... for Now

By Christian MilNeil | Aug 1, 2019 | No Comments

In a more conciliatory public meeting Wednesday night, city officials raised the possibility of installing a one-way protected bike lane on Powder House Boulevard in 2020, and emphasized the expected safety benefits of traffic-calming measures that are being installed on the street this summer. While safety advocates and bicyclists in particular have been focused on […]

The Mystic Avenue crosswalk at the Kensington pedestrian underpass in East Somerville.

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Woman in Crosswalk in Somerville

By Christian MilNeil | Jul 22, 2019 | 2 Comments

Massachusetts State Police have arrested Zewdu Abate Gedamu, 64, of Roxbury, for killing Cheryl Pauline Richards, 52, of Somerville, as she was walking across Mystic Avenue in the crosswalk Saturday evening near Assembly Square. Gedamu, who was driving a 2008 Mercedes-Benz E350, struck Richards shortly before 8 p.m. on the crosswalk that connects Stop and […]