Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Somerville

Reimagined design for Highland Avenue with protected bike lanes

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 […]

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.

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