Bicycles

Town Wants to Know What Changes You’d Make to Streets in Your Neighborhood

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Many road projects planned by the Town of Watertown focus on major roads and intersections, but the Department of Public Works recently began an effort to find places to make small scale changes on neighborhood streets. The improvements are not just for motor vehicles, but also for walkers, bikers and riders of public transportation, said Phil Goff, senior planning associate with Alta Planning + Design, the firm hired by the town to create a list of projects. Accommodating all these forms of transportation is part of the Town’s Complete Streets Policy. In February Town officials signed a Commonwealth Compact with the state and creating the policy was the first step toward the Town being able to apply for up to $400,000 in state funding for the projects. The second step, or tier, is creating the Complete Streets Prioritization Plan.

Government

Changes Planned for Intersection of School St. and Walnut St./Dexter Ave.

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The intersection where School Street meets Walnut Street and Dexter Avenue will be altered in an effort to control traffic flow and make it easier for pedestrians to cross. 

The project – estimated to cost $200,000 to $250,000 – is part of the $25 million in I-Cubed projects that are being funded by Athenahealth in a program in which they partnered with the Town of Watertown and the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation. Representatives from the company based in the Arsenal on the Charles, about a block from the intersection, spoke with the Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee on Wednesday night. The biggest change will be adding sidewalk bump outs on the four corners of the intersection, said Steve Boudreau, traffic engineer from Vanasse & Associates – the consultant working with Athenahealth. “The bump outs will make it safer for pedestrians, reducing the crossing distance on Dexter and Walnut,” Boudreau said.

Transportation

MassDOT Holding Meetings on Changes Mass Pike at Allston Interchange

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced that the public meeting for the I-90 Allston Interchange Improvement Project scheduled to be held in Brookline on Tuesday, December 12, will now be held in the Auditorium of the Pierce Elementary School in Brookline. This venue change is at the request of the Town of Brookline due to logistical considerations and to ensure there is adequate space for attendees. Signage will be in place at Town Hall to notify attendees of this venue change and the full schedule of upcoming public meetings for the I-90 Allston Interchange Improvement Project is as follows:
December 12, 2017, 7:00 p.m.
Auditorium, Pierce Elementary School
50 School Street, Brookline
January 3, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
The Morse School
40 Granite Street, Cambridge
Last week, MassDOT officially filed the Draft Environmental Impact Report for this project with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and is now hosting several public meetings in order to provide information to the public on the DEIR. Information on how to obtain an electronic copy of the DEIR is posted on the project website and paper copies of the DEIR will be provided to the Copley, Faneuil, Honan-Allston, and Brighton branches of the Boston Public Library, the State Library of Massachusetts, and the Main and Central Square branches of the Cambridge Public Library. In response to public requests, MassDOT has extended the public comment period to January 19, 2018, so that all interested parties will have ample time to review the document and provide detailed input.

Government

Watertown Gets Grant to Test Dedicated Bus Lanes on Parts of Mt. Auburn St.

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Watertown officials announced Wednesday that the Bar Foundation, as part of its BostonBRT initiative, has awarded the community a grant to conduct a pilot project testing bus rapid transit (BRT) features in collaboration with the City of Cambridge and the MBTA. The pilot will seek to create a faster and more reliable commute for more than 12,000 daily bus riders on routes 71 and 73. The pilot, which will take place during 2018, will take bus riders out of car congestion through the creation of all-day dedicated bus lanes for significant segments on Mount Auburn Street between Belmont Street and Fresh Pond Parkway. It will also include inbound “queue jump” lanes to give buses
priority in intersections on Mount Auburn Street and Belmont Street near where they meet, and timed traffic signals where feasible so that buses get more green lights. The pilot is a temporary demonstration.

Government

Town Hosting Meeting on Making Watertown More Pedestrian, Bike and Transit Friendly

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The Town of Watertown will host a meeting about Complete Streets, and discuss where the concept should be implemented in town. 

Complete Streets helps make the streets more walkable, bikeable and more public transit friendly, according to the announcement from the Town. On the meeting agenda:
• What are Complete Streets? • Where should Complete Streets projects be implemented in Watertown? • Next Steps in the Prioritization Plan Process
The Town’s Complete Streets Prioritization Plan meeting will be on Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m., in the Town Council Chambers in Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown.

Government

Concerns Raised About Narrowing Mt. Auburn St. & Making it Safer for Bikes

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The latest proposal for the major overhaul of Mt. Auburn Street was unveiled by traffic engineers at Monday night’s Public Works subcommittee meeting, and they were largely met with skepticism and disappointment. The first detailed draft of what the redesigned Mt. Auburn Street could or would look like was presented in June by the traffic engineers from WorldTech Engineering. It included removal of lanes, called a “road diet” in some areas and added bike lanes along the roadway.

Government

Meeting Monday Will Discuss Major Redesign of Mt. Auburn Street

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A major redesign of Mt. Auburn Street, including a proposal to reduce the lanes to one each way, will be discussed Monday night by the Town Council’s Public Works Committee. 

The meeting is at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, November 20, 2017 in Town Hall, Administration in the Richard E. Mastrangelo Council Chamber 149 Main Street, Watertown. The Town sent out the following information:
The Watertown Department of Public Works will provide an update on the progress in designing elements of the Mount Auburn Street project at the Public Works Committee meeting. The project team will follow up on comments from the June meeting and provide an update on the project timeline and design. The Mount Auburn Street project has a dedicated website.

Arsenal Street Corridor

Residents Worry About Impact of Changes to Watertown Square, Charles River Road

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Residents living between the Charles River and North Beacon Street, east of Watertown Square, packed the Town Council Chambers well past seating capacity Tuesday night because they are concerned about traffic near their homes and how the area could be impacted by the Watertown Square Improvement project. A study of the Arsenal Street corridor for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) by consultants from VHB identified several improvements that could positively impact the major artery through the east side of Watertown. VHB’s Laura Castelli said that residents who attended public meetings about the Arsenal Street Corridor study overwhelmingly supported making improvements to Watertown Square the top priority. One major change proposed to improve flow through Watertown Square would be to remove Charles River Road from the mix, at least in one direction (in or out). The project was originally scheduled for the medium term, Castelli said, because it was thought the town would have to wait to get state road improvement funds, but it was pushed forward because it will be part of the I-Cubed project.