Beacon Street (Brighton) Safety Updates

This is a state-of-good-repair repaving project with an updated street design. Repaving projects are limited to new pavement, pavement markings, standard signs, and upgraded existing pedestrian curb ramps. We will also be making targeted sidewalk and driveway repairs along the southern curb.

Routine repaving work, such as this project, is a great opportunity to make standard updates to obsolete roadway designs, address known safety risks, and take advantage of the efficiency of coordinating investments. But, in order to deliver on hundreds of streets repaved each year, we have to keep the scope simple and materials limited to those already in our construction contracts.

New crosswalks require new pedestrian curb ramps to make the crossings accessible, which are outside of the scope of a repaving project. You can submit a 311 request to initiate an evaluation of a new crosswalk location. 

Based on your feedback, we took a preliminary look at the feasibility of new crosswalks at Chestnut Hill Driveway, Reservoir Road, and the Reilly Rink driveway. Our assessment is that the road curvature and high vehicle speeds would not allow for any new unsignalized crosswalks within the project area. The existing crosswalks are on straight sections where sightlines are not limited. Additionally, new crosswalks are limited by grade differences between Beacon Street and the parallel Reservoir Trail, and jurisdictional boundaries between the City of Boston and the State Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

RRFBs require new equipment and connection to a power source, which is outside of the scope of a routine repaving project. We are limited by the items included in the repaving contract. However, the work we’re doing this summer to update Beacon Street does not preclude things like RRFBs in the future. You can submit a 311 request to initiate a separate evaluation.

In response to your many requests, we are designing cast-in-place concrete medians to provide separation for the bike lanes. They are designed to meet minimum dimensions for routine street sweeping and snow removal. Installation will be scheduled to follow pavement marking and sign installation.

A bicycle crossing at this location would require a new traffic signal or reconstruction of the entire intersection, which is outside the scope of this project.

This area is connected to a separate project. Stay tuned for future updates from the Streets Cabinet posted here. The Planning Department is also requesting feedback on the design of Cleveland Circle through the Allston-Brighton Community Plan.

Vision Zero Boston is our commitment to focus the City’s resources on proven strategies to eliminate fatal and serious traffic crashes in the city by 2030. Speed is a core factor in crash severity outcome. Research has shown that wider lanes encourage faster driving speeds, while narrower lanes can encourage safer driving speeds. Drivers speed when they feel like they have a generous amount of space to maneuver.

We use lane widths that are appropriate for the context, volume, and role in the network. Ten-and-a-half to eleven foot lanes are appropriate on an arterial street such as Beacon Street. Beacon Street will still be able to serve its regional arterial function for drivers while becoming safer for all road users.

We have videos to show you how! Watch here.