Somerville Launches Western Pearl Street Reconstruction Project with Oct 9 Virtual Community Meeting

As part of the City’s intensive efforts to improve street safety for all, community engagement and design for the City’s reconstruction of Western Pearl Street is getting underway. All are invited to help inform this project which will bring increased safety, accessibility, and sustainability to Pearl Street between McGrath Highway and Medford Street.   

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, Ward 1 Councilor Matt McLaughlin, and City Staff invite you to participate in a range of feedback opportunities launching this October.  

The process kicks-off with a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, October 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Visit somervillema.gov/westernpearl to attend. At this meeting, City staff will introduce the project and provide residents with the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences. Public feedback opportunities on both the initial planning and then the design of the project will continue over the coming year. 

More information about this project and opportunities to get involved are included below.   

 
Project Overview and Timeline 

As part of our Pavement and Sidewalk Management program, the City plans to reconstruct sidewalks and repave Pearl Street from McGrath Highway to Medford Street. This reconstruction provides an opportunity to redesign the street to increase safety, improve accessibility, and deliver a more comfortable experience by: 

• Reconstructing sidewalks and adding accessible curb ramps at all crosswalks 
• Installing traffic calming safety features such as raised crosswalks, raised intersections, and curb extensions.  
• Introducing protected bicycle facilities 
• Marking “Clear Corners” at each intersection to increase visibility  
• Supporting current street trees and identifying locations for new plantings  

How to Get Involved 

The City plans to engage community members and develop the new design between fall 2024 and fall 2025. Reconstruction is currently anticipated to take place between 2026 and 2027. 

There will be a mix of in-person and virtual engagement opportunities throughout the design process, including: 

• Online and in-person surveys 
• Community meetings for the general public, Kennedy school community, and more 
• Street outreach with neighborhood pop-ups and tabling at community events 
• Direct outreach to local businesses 
• “Office hours” drop-in events 

The first event is a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, October 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. 

Attend the meeting, learn more about the project by visiting somervillema.gov/westernpearl. 

Questions and comments can be submitted at any point by emailing  transportation@somervillema.gov and by calling 311 (617-666-3311)

Policy Background 

The City’s efforts to increase safety on our streets are guided by our goals to both keep community members physically safe as well as to achieve our climate action goal to shift more trips to sustainable modes of travel like public transit, walking, biking, and rolling. You can learn more about this work in the plans below.   

• Somerville’s Vision Zero Action Plan to eliminate traffic fatalities and reduce severe injuries within our transportation system 
• The Somerville Bicycle Network Plan which aims to create bike facilities for people of all ages and abilities to safely get around the City 
• The City’s Climate Forward Plan to reduce carbon emissions and increase active and sustainable transportation options. 

 
Somerville’s recently passed  Safe Streets Ordinance reaffirms the City’s commitment to accelerating work toward these goals through the implementation of forward-looking design and safety practices. 

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.  

Efforts to secure interpretation into any language will be made upon advance request (at least seven days in advance) by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somervillema.gov/ContactSomerViva or calling 311 at 617-666-3311.