Celebrate Comm Ave Improvements (Part 2) This Friday

A bunch of big wigs will be on hand to celebrate the second phase of the Comm. Ave. improvement project.  Come check it out.

From Livable Streets:

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This Friday, we are excited to celebrate the groundbreaking of the second phase of the Commonwealth Ave project!

Thanks to the work of LivableStreets advocates like you, our partner advocacy groups, and many others, we were able secure a plan for Comm Ave that includes crucial improvements like protected bike lanes, raised crosswalks, improved bus stops, and transit signal priority for the Green Line and 57 bus. This is a landmark improvement and a big victory for the 100,000 people using Commonwealth Ave.

If you are available, join Governor Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack, Federal Highway Division Administrator Jeff McEwen, Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin, Boston University President Robert Brown and others to break ground on the second phase of the Commonwealth Avenue improvement project.

Event Details:
Commonwealth Ave Groundbreaking
Friday, October 28, 3:00 pm
@ 855 Commonwealth Ave, Boston

This project is an important example of LivableStreets’ larger vision of a seamless network of improved streets across greater Boston that are safe and convenient for all. To learn more about our work to improve the designs for Commonwealth Ave, click here.

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Dedicated Bike Lanes, Other Improvements On Comm. Ave.

From U-Hub

State transportation officials signed off today on a $20.4-million reconstruction project along a bicycle-unfriendly stretch of Commonwealth Avenue that will include dedicated bicycle lanes on both sides of the road and wider sidewalks on both sides.

Although only 0.63 miles long, the avenue between Alcorn Street and the BU Bridge is used by an estimated 30,000 pedestrians, 3,000 bicyclists, 27,000 Green Line riders who get off and on at the four stops along the way and 35,000 motorists.

State Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin – who formerly served in a similar role for the city of Boston – sad in a statement:

This project is an opportunity to make major multi-modal improvements to one of the main arteries into Boston. The reconstruction will make traveling to and from work every day safer and easier for all types of commuters.

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Comm. Ave. Could Look A Lot Different, If You Speak Up!

And that would be a good thing, the street is currently one of the busiest and in my opinion worst designed streets in the city.

Public Comments are due by November 25!  So make sure you contact Zach Wassmouth, Project Manager, BPWD ([email protected]) and let him know you want more pedestrian and cyclist friendly infrastructure on Comm. Ave.!

From the KeepBostonMoving.org site:

Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton

Description: The Boston Public Works Department is redesigning Commonwealth Avenue between Brighton Avenue (Packard’s Corner) and Warren/Kelton Streets.  With its solid apartment blocks, unique carriage roads, landscaped median, and MBTA transit reservation, this segment of Comm. Ave. is both a multi-modal transportation corridor and home for thousands of people.    The redesigned corridor will feature separated bicycle facilities, improvements to pedestrian sidewalks and crosswalks, enhanced access to the MBTA Green Line, preservation and enhancement of historic landscape features, and implementation of innovative sustainable features.    The centerpiece of the project will be the redesigned intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Harvard Avenue. Through a combination of geometric improvements and urban design features, this busy commercial and transit hub will be revitalized, with an emphasis on maximizing pedestrian space and amenities.

At completion, Commonwealth Avenue will be a livable, walkable, multimodal, green and sustainable corridor, safely and efficiently accommodating all users of this signature Boston Boulevard.

Project Status: In design

Estimated Project Cost: $20,000,000

Estimated Project Start: 2016

Estimated Project Completion: 2020

Project Design Team:

• Zach Wassmouth, Project Manager, BPWD
  • [email protected]
• Consultant Team – HDR Engineering, Inc. teamed with Crosby Schlessinger Smallridge, LLC, Ronald W. Buia, Inc., SMC, RM Engineering, Inc.

Additional Information:

Comm Ave Meeting Flyer (11-17-14)

Comm Ave Phase 3 & 4 Public Meeting #1 Presentation

Public Meeting Minutes 11-17-14

Comm Ave Meeting Flyer (10-27-15)

Comm Ave Phase 3 & 4 Public Meeting #2 Presentation

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Big New Plans For Comm. Ave.!

The city wanted a shitty plan, a plan based on old ideas, on the idea that the car would always be the main form of transportation in the city, and the entire bike community stood up and said “Hell no!” and you know what?  It worked!

The new design has smaller travel lanes, which will keep speeding down, BUFFERED cycle tracks!  I can not wait to give this a try when its done!  Congratulations everyone who worked hard on this.  It’s not over yet, and we are going to need to keep a close on the plans right up till the cement is poured, but

From livable streets (read more here):

The stretch of Comm. Ave. from the BU bridge to Packard’s Corner is about to get an $18 million dollar upgrade, with the project going to bid in fall 2015. The original plan, since 2009 and as of fall 2014, called for wider car lanes that would encourage speeding, narrower sidewalks, and no protected bicycle lanes. The city has since updated its plan to include crucial improvements…

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Don’t Miss Your Chance To Give Public Comments On The New Comm. Ave. Design!

The big Comm. Ave. public meeting is tomorrow, make sure you show up to give your input!

From Livable Streets.

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An example of a more complete street design with protected bike lanes.

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