Pavement and Sidewalk Management Program

Paving Map

We’ve created a map to help show which streets have been paved recently, which streets are up next, and which streets we’re planning to pave within the next five years.

How It Works

Timeline - The color of each line indicates either when a street was recently paved or when we expect it to be paved.

Type of Project - The type of line indicates what type of street paving was or will be performed on a given street. 

More detailed descriptions of the various paving project types are included in the section below.

Click through above to view the full map in a separate window. Use the tools at the top of the full map to toggle the legend on/off and filter by timeline or project type. 
 

Project Types and FY 2024 Plan

Annual pavement and sidewalk reconstruction projects are categorized by project type within our annual plans. 

FY2024 Pavement and Sidewalk Managment Plan (PDF)

Note: The fiscal year '24 plan includes projects that will be constructed in both calendar years 2024 and 2025.

Below you’ll find a description of each project type and the streets/sidewalks included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Plan.

Complete Street and Intersection Projects 

Complete Street projects consist of the wholesale reconstruction of major travel corridors to improve safety and accessibility for all users of the road. Complete street projects are typically undertaken after subsurface utility improvements have been made to avoid the need for substantial excavation on newly reconstructed streets.

Targeted intersection projects focus on locations that have higher vehicle volumes, are located on streets that experience a high number of crashes, and are near public transit. The City also looks at locations that represent a significant gap in the pedestrian network or have frequently been cited by community members in street outreach, 311 service requests and constituent emails.

Full Street (Sidewalk, Intersection, and Curb to Curb Repaving) Projects

Full street projects include the replacement of sidewalks and pavement of the entire street from one curb to the other. 

During a full street project, the sidewalk is removed and replaced as is, unlike in a Complete Streets Project, where the curb line might change. In a full street project, minor changes to the grade of the sidewalk will be made to meet ADA slope requirements. Additionally, any preexisting pinch points (sidewalk 3’ or less) next to tree wells will be evaluated for a curb bump out, in which case the curb line will change in a stand alone location.

Intersection work within a full street project will bring Accessible Curb Ramps (ACR) up to ADA compliance through the adjustment of sidewalk grades, and sometimes curb line changes. 

Partial Paving Projects

Partial paving projects involve reconstructing local roads that have been identified as having poor pavement conditions, but accessible sidewalks in good condition.

When only the pavement condition is poor, the travel lane of the roadway is paved. This enables us to increase the total number of streets we are able to pave.

Prioritization Process

Selecting Streets and Sidewalks for Reconstruction

Somerville uses a multi-phase, data-driven process to evaluate needs and select streets and sidewalks for reconstruction. The factors considered in this process include the current condition of the road, the function of the road (whether it is a principal artery or local road, etc.), the average daily traffic, Somerville’s bicycle network plan and more. The result of this process is a Network Priority Ranking (NPR) for each roadway in the City.

Whereas in the past, sidewalk reconstruction was driven solely by roadway prioritization, the City now employs a similar, independent approach for sidewalk management that prioritizes ADA accessibility and locations along priority routes for pedestrians, such as those near schools, library, transit, and healthcare facilities among others. The pedestrian priority routes are given a Route Classification Priority ranking of 1 to 4, 4 being the highest priority pedestrian route. The result of this process is called a Sidewalk Priority Index (SPI), and is calculated with a combination of both the physical condition of the sidewalk or the Sidewalk Condition Index (SCI), and RCP. 

Once this initial prioritization has been completed by the Engineering Division, annual construction plans are assembled through coordination with other relevant City staff to encourage greater efficiency and collaboration as we pursue our many City goals related to the public right of way. 

A more detailed description of this prioritization process is included within this year’s FY2024 Pavement and Sidewalk Management Program Memo.  

Addressing Isolated Issues 

Because the street/sidewalk reconstruction process considers the average condition of the entire street length, isolated failures, such as a single broken sidewalk panel, may be missed.

To address such instances, the City assesses 311 notifications, ADA complaints, and the annual sidewalk condition surveys to inform site-specific repairs where necessary.

Funding Sources

The FY2024 program budget totals $7,680,881, and is derived from three sources:

• $1,219,113 from the Massachusetts Chapter 90 program for roadway repairs,
• $5,561,768 from City bond for street resurfacing, sidewalk improvements and ADA ramps and improvements, and
• $900,000 from City General Fund as approved in FY24 City Budget.

Active Work

The list below consists of active projects being undertaken as part of the City's Pavement and Sidewalk Management Program. 

Don't see what you're looking for? VIsit somervillema.gov/construction for a comprehensive list of work underway across the city.

Western Washington Street (Complete Street, FY '23 Plan)

Visit project website at somervillema.gov/westernwashington for latest updates