The City of Somerville is committed to Vision Zero, which is the elimination of all traffic fatalities and dramatically reducing severe injuries on our roadways. Intersections are where most conflicts between vehicles and people walking, rolling and biking occur. A core Vision Zero action item is to enhance design of our major intersections, especially those that have high crash rates. The City makes changes to intersections through either quick-build (pavement markings and flexible posts) safety improvements or full reconstruction. To determine what intersections to redesign, outside of complete street projects, the City prioritizes intersections that have larger vehicle volumes, located on streets that experience a high number of crashes, and public transit service. We also look at locations that are a significant gap in the pedestrian network and review community feedback we’ve heard over time through street outreach, 311 service requests and constituent emails.
In 2024 and 2025, the City plans to reconstruct five intersections to increase safety and improve the comfort of all roadway users. Check out the sections below for more details on each intersection along with anticipated construction schedules. For any questions regarding the upcoming changes, please reach out to the Mobility Division at transportation@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311).
To stay up to date on upcoming construction, check out the City’s Construction webpage, subscribe to the monthly Construction newsletter, and sign up for City Alerts available via phone, email, or text. Click here to see the construction plans for Broadway at Boston Avenue, Cameron Avenue at Tannery Brook Row, and Somerville Avenue at Central Street.
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Cameron Ave. at Tannery Brook Row
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What changes are coming to the intersection?
The City will construct a new raised intersection on Cameron Avenue where it connects with Tannery Brook Row, which will include two new crosswalks across Cameron Avenue. A raised intersection raises the whole area, meaning the crosswalks and the space where all streets meet are the same level as the sidewalk. This makes it safer for people using the crossing since people driving must slow down. In addition, it is also easier for people using wheelchairs, mobility devices or strollers as they do not have to go up and down curb ramps. To ensure visibility of people entering the crosswalk, parking will be restricted within 20 feet of the crossings in alignment with local, state and federal regulations. Speed humps will also be installed along Cameron Avenue to reduce speeding along the street.
Why was this intersection selected?
Cameron Avenue is over 1,600 feet long and only has crosswalks crossing the street at Holland Street and at the Community Path (in Cambridge). It also has one of the highest rates of speeding vehicles of any Somerville street where speed and volume data has been collected.
When is construction anticipated?
Work is expected to start during the week of 9/30 or soon after.
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What changes are coming to the intersection?
The City will remove the slip lane on Boston Avenue by extending the sidewalk curb and narrowing the crossing distance where it connects with Broadway on the northside of Ball Square. Extending the sidewalk and removing the right turn lane will help level the existing slope, make the sidewalk more accessible, make the crossing shorter for all users and eliminate the conflict between people crossing and right-turning people driving. The City will also reconstruct the curb ramp for the crossing on the west side of Josephine Avenue. There will be no impacts to current parking with this new design.
Why was this intersection selected?
Broadway and Boston Avenue is the main connection to the new Ball Square Green Line station. The intersection is not currently accessible with the existing slope of the sidewalk on Boston Avenue. Broadway also experiences a high number of crashes making it part of the City’s Vision Zero High-Injury Network.
When is construction anticipated?
Work is currently underway and expected to continue over the coming weeks.
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What changes are coming to the intersection?
The City will construct a new raised intersection at Washington Street, Washington Terrace and Merriam Street, and provide two new crosswalks. The sidewalk curb will be extended to shorten the crossing distance for people walking and providing short segments of protected bike lanes. The raised intersection will encourage people driving to slow down, increase visibility for people crossing, and make it easier for people to cross using a wheelchair, mobility device, stroller, or laundry cart. The City will also raise the crosswalk crossing Washington Street at Rossmore Street to increase visibility of people crossing the street and slowing down vehicles.
In addition to the new construction, the City will shift the painted yellow median line and parking lane boundaries to make the parking spaces on the northside wider, and reduce the encroachment on the buffered area for the protected bike lane. The bus stops in both directions at Merriam Street will be removed to reduce delay for bus riders and provide more reliable transit service. Three parking spaces will be removed to make space for the new crosswalks.
Why was this intersection selected?
This segment of Washington Street has been frequently cited by residents as a location with not enough places to cross the street. The City also receives frequent feedback that even where a crosswalk does exist today, such as across Washington Street at Rossmore Street, it does not feel safe due to the high speeds from vehicles coming off of McGrath Highway. Washington Street also experiences a high number of crashes making it part of the City’s Vision Zero High-Injury Network
When is construction anticipated?
We anticipate construction to be completed by the end of 2025. As we get closer to a start more details will be posted on this webpage.
Somerville Ave. at Central St.
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What changes are coming to the intersection?
The City will install floating bus stops on Somerville Avenue at Central Street next to Conway Park and across the street. Floating bus stops are sidewalk bump outs that provide dedicated waiting and boarding areas for bus riders, while streamlining bus service and improving accessibility by enabling the bus to stop in the travel lane rather than having to pull over to the curb. The floating bus stops will also provide short segments of protected bike lane on both sides of the street eliminating conflicts between buses and bikes at stops and improving safety for people biking. A new raised crosswalk will be constructed across Somerville Avenue to increase safety for people crossing. The sidewalk curb will be extended on Central Street to slow down vehicles turning onto Central Street and a small concrete median will be constructed to protect the bike lane on the northside from turning vehicles. The sidewalk curb will also be extended on Park Street to slow down right turns from Somerville Avenue and reduce the crossing distance. Parking will be removed between Beech and Central Street.
Why was this intersection selected?
This segment of street carries two bus routes, the Route 87 and 83, and Somerville Avenue experiences a high number of crashes making it part of ithe City’s Vision Zero High-Injury Network. The crosswalk across Somerville Avenue at Central Street is also a key connection between Conway Park and the Spring Hill neighborhood that currently has no safety treatments.
When is construction anticipated?
We anticipate construction to be completed by the end of 2025. As we get closer to a start more details will be posted on this webpage.
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What changes are coming to the intersection?
The City will construct a new raised intersection on Bow Street at Walnut Street, and provide two new crosswalks across Bow Street. The raised intersection will encourage people driving to slow down, increase visibility for people crossing, and make it easier for people to cross using a wheelchair, mobility device, stroller, or laundry cart. The sidewalk curb will also be extended to shorten the crossing distance for people walking and slow down right turning vehicles onto Walnut Street. The accessible parking space that is currently on Bow Street and just east of Walnut Street will be moved to the west side of the intersection to allow more flexibility for accessible loading and unloading.
Why was this intersection selected?
Bow Street sees a high amount of cars each day and has some of the highest volume of pedestrian traffic in Somerville. It also lacks crosswalks to cross Bow Street between Warren Avenue and Summer Street. This is particularly problematic at a street such as Walnut Street, where people often want to cross. The intersection is also currently set up in a way that allows the right turn from Bow Street onto Walnut Street to be made at a high rate of speed, which is more likely to result in a crash with a serious injury.
When is construction anticipated?
We anticipate construction to be completed by the end of 2025. As we get closer to a start more details will be posted on this webpage.
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