Quick-build project to improve safety for people traveling between Tufts Street and the Boston city line
SOMERVILLE– Whether you are walking, taking the bus, driving, or riding a bike, you should feel safe using the city’s streets. This is one of the principles guiding Somerville’s ongoing work to create safer, more accessible streets across the city. With this principle in mind, the City has started planning and exploring options for improving safety along Washington Street between Tufts Street and the Boston city line.
To learn more about this work and share feedback, all are invited to join a virtual project kick off meeting.
When? Wednesday, June 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where? The meeting will be held virtually on Zoom. Visit somervillema.gov/eastwashington to attend.
At this meeting, City staff will introduce the project and provide residents with the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences.
Project Overview and Timeline
The East Washington Street Quick-Build Improvements project is intended to improve safety through a range of approaches including installing protected bike lanes, increasing visibility and safety at crosswalks, improving bus rider experience, and evaluating existing parking regulations including the potential removal of some parking to accommodate safety features.
The East Washington Street Safety Improvements project is a “quick-build project,” which means that all of the work can be done without digging or making major structural changes to the street (such as moving sidewalk curbs or changing the height of the road). Instead, the city will use materials that are quicker to install like signs, vertical plastic posts, and paint markings on the street. This approach allows us to deliver safety improvements faster and more affordably than full street reconstruction.
The City plans to engage community members and develop the new design between Spring 2026 and 2027. Installation of the new safety and mobility features is currently expected to take place in fall 2027.
How to Get Involved
The City will offer a mix of in-person and virtual engagement opportunities throughout the design process, including:
Online and in-person surveys
Street outreach with neighborhood pop-ups and tabling at community events
Direct outreach to local businesses
Local stakeholder meetings with residents of Cobble Hill Apartments, seniors at the Ralph and Jenny Center, among other local community groups and businesses.
In addition to community feedback, this effort is informed by Somerville’s commitment to Vision Zero (a plan to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries from our streets) and the City’s Bicycle Network Plan (a roadmap for expanding bicycle safety and building a connected bicycle network across the city).
Questions and comments can be submitted at any point by emailing transportation@somervillema.gov and by calling 311 (617-666-3311).
Visit somervillema.gov/eastwashington to learn more about the project and stay up to date.