West of Washington Street
This page contains information about the Neighborhood Slow Streets plan for the West of Washington Street neighborhood.
Neighborhood Slow Streets is a new approach to traffic calming requests in Boston. We're focused on street designs that self-enforce slower speeds and safer behaviors. Through this program, we aim to:
- reduce the number and severity of crashes on residential streets
- lessen the impacts of traffic, and
- add to the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
West of Washington Street is one of five communities that was selected to join the program in 2017.
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Sign up to get email updates specific to West of Washington Street!
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Looking for general information about the Neighborhood Slow Streets program? Visit the Neighborhood Slow Streets page.
Construction - Summer 2020
This summer, we will install intersection improvements in the West of Washington Neighborhood. We'll redesign intersections at:
- Harvard Street, Thane Street, and School Street near the Holmes Innovation School
- Park Street and Norwell Street near the MBTA Fairmount Line Talbot Avenue Station
These changes will reduce visibility issues, improve crossing safety, and reduce the likelihood of crashes.
Project History
HistoryWe met with residents during the April 17 neighborhood meeting, which began at 7 p.m. at Mount Horeb Lodge #10. We accepted feedback through May 16.
In response to community requests, we can convert parts of Athelwold and Park Streets to one-way streets. City departments will review and evaluate these options. We will consider impacts on bus routing and trash collection.
After the July 19, 2018, public meeting, we collected feedback through an online survey. Community members were asked to give their feedback on the concept plan.
We met with residents from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Mount Horeb Lodge #10 on Harvard Street.
We joined community members for a neighborhood walk on Friday, September 29, at 4:30 p.m. We started at Park Street and Norwell Street. What we learned from the walk will supplement information:
- received in the application
- reported through the Vision Zero Safety Concerns map, and
- collected through speed and volume studies.
Neighbors were welcomed to join all or some of the walk. The walk was not the only time or place that neighbors can provide input on the Neighborhood Slow Streets project. Neighbors can also share their concerns at future public meetings about the project.
In fall 2019, we were able to install the speed humps part of the Neighborhood Slow Streets plan at the close of the construction season. In summer 2020, we will install the intersection improvements.
We've redesigned the intersection at Park Street/Norwell Street and Thane Street/School Street/Harvard Street. The new design reconfigures crossing locations and modifies the geometry of corners. This will reduce visibility issues, better protect pedestrians, and reduce crashes at intersections. View the project map:
Zone Map
*All streets that we will consider for changes are marked as "zone streets." During the planning process, we may determine that some streets won’t see any changes. We generally will not consider any additional streets that are not marked as "zone streets."
2017 Application Period
Neighborhood Slow Streets prioritizes street safety improvements in areas:
- with a history of serious crashes
- with a high number of residents more likely to be killed or seriously injured walking or biking (children, older adults, and people living with disabilities)
- that include places people may walk or bike to (schools, libraries, parks, community centers, bus stops, or transit stations), and
- near existing or planned opportunities for walking, biking, or taking transit.
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GET UPDATES
Sign up to get email updates specific to West of Washington Street!
-
Looking for general information about the Neighborhood Slow Streets program? Visit the Neighborhood Slow Streets page.
