Connect Downtown
Connect Downtown centers people — residents, commuters, and tourists — in a redesign of iconic streets in our downtown neighborhoods.
OPEN HOUSE SERIES UPDATE
We have postponed our Connect Downtown Open House series until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience. The postponed open houses were previously scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, at Hill House in Beacon Hill and Saturday, March 14, at the Boston Public Library. We will reschedule these Open Houses as soon as we can. We look forward to meeting with you again in the near future!
ENGAGING WITH YOU ELECTRONICALLY
As we continue to take precautions around public gatherings, we are working on ways to engage with you electronically. We will update this web page when we have more information. You can also follow @BostonBTD on Twitter for updates.
Project Vision
Walking will be pleasant and easy. Safe, separated bikeways will serve and connect residents, employers, and local businesses. Families will explore Boston's neighborhoods and iconic parks together, from the Esplanade to the Boston Common to the Southwest Corridor.
Through this project, we will:
- Improve pedestrian crossings along the route
- Provide comfortable, reasonably direct routes for bicyclists, and
- Enhance pedestrian access to the Public Garden and Common.
We plan to design the project in a way that allows for faster construction.
Stay Connected
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Study area
We are studying a network of City streets that are within or border multiple neighborhoods. These neighborhoods include Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Chinatown, Downtown, South End, and West End.
Open Houses
Open HousesOur open house series is postponed until further notice. We are working on ways to engage with you electronically. We will keep this web page updated when we have more information.
POSTPONED Hill House | 127 Mt. Vernon Street, Beacon Hill | 6 - 8 p.m.
POSTPONED Boston Public Library | 230 Dartmouth Street, Back Bay | 1 - 3 p.m.
Upcoming office hours
We are hosting a series of Office Hours for Connect Downtown. We invite you to drop by to ask us questions, give feedback, and review project materials.
View the project fact sheet (PDF)
Where and when to find us:
We will be at the Boston Public Library Central Library, South End Library, and West End Library.
- At the Central Library, enter the Johnson Building from Boylston Street. We'll be just inside the entrance to the left of the Information Desk.
- At the South End Library, find us in the seating area in the alcove between the entrance and the window facing Tremont Street.
- At the West End Library, enter and walk past the circulation desk. Keep walking straight and find us in the small study room to the left.
Find a full list of our planned Office Hours in the table below.
Interpretation/Interpretación/解釋
If you need interpretation in another language, please contact us five business days before the Office Hours you wish to attend. Call or email Nathaniel Fink at 617-635-0738 or nathaniel.fink+connect-downtown@boston.gov.
Si necesita interpretación en otro cualquier idioma, comuníquese con nosotros en los cinco días de negocio antes del horario de atención al que desea asistir. Llame o envíe un correo electrónico a Nathaniel Fink al 617-635-0738 o nathaniel.fink+connect-downtown@boston.gov.
如果您需要其他語言的口譯服務，請在您希望參加的辦公時間前五個工作日與我們聯繫。 致電或發送電子郵件至Nathaniel Fink，電話為617-635-0738或nathaniel.fink+connect-downtown@boston.gov.
| Date | Location | Address | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
Boston, MA 02116 |
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Boston, MA 02114 |
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Boston, MA 02114 |
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Boston, MA 02116 |
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Boston, MA 02114 |
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Boston, MA 02114 |
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Boston, MA 02116 |
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| Thursday, March 12 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| NEW! Tuesday, March 17 | South End Library | 685 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02118 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, March 26 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday, April 1 | Central Library | 700 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, April 9 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| NEW! Tuesday, April 14 | South End Library | 685 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02118 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, April 23 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| DATE CHANGE! Thursday, May 7 | Central Library | 700 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| NEW! Tuesday, May 12 | South End Library | 685 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02118 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, May 14 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, May 26 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday, June 3 | Central Library | 700 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| NEW! Tuesday, June 9 | South End Library | 685 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02118 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, June 11 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, June 25 | West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
| Wednesday, July 1 | Central Library | 700 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 |
12 - 8 p.m. |
Share your experience
Share your experienceWe are asking for people to share their experiences about walking and biking in the Connect Downtown study area.
Project updates
Project updatesWe hosted a series four of community walks during the fall of 2019. The walks covered neighborhoods and streets we are looking at as part of Connect Downtown. We invited community members to attend and share their experiences walking and biking in the study area.
Scroll down to read about each walk.
Beacon Hill
Saturday, November 2, 2019
- Intersections like Beacon Street at Charles Street and Charles Circle feel like barriers for people walking because of long wait times or unclear pedestrian signals.
- Desire for more pedestrian space and pedestrian-only events on Charles Street north of Beacon Street.
- Concern about excessive speeding on Charles Street south of Beacon Street and Beacon Street east of Charles Street.
- Some people want to bike but don't feel comfortable with the busy streets and intersections. People who bike now sometimes use the Common and sidewalks because they don't feel safe on the street.
- The curbside on Charles Street north of Beacon Street should be better managed to reduce double parking and provide space for commercial loading and passenger pickup and dropoff.
"People come [to Charles Street] for the pedestrian experience."
"This [crosswalk between the Boston Common and Public Garden] is a special place, a major gateway between two iconic, historic open spaces—and should look like it!"
"Biking from the West End to Copley Square is easy but biking back is very hard because of one-way streets."
"I don't usually have sympathy for bikers, but this area needs bike lanes!"
Back Bay
Thursday, November 7, 2019
- Walk signals are different at each intersection. Locals have learned how they work, but visitors find them confusing. The inconsistency erodes confidence in the signals. People make their own decisions about when to cross.
- The Beacon Street, Arlington Street, Mugar Way intersection is stressful for people walking because of long wait times, confusing signals, and multi-stage crossings via small islands.
- Many people bike in the area but the streets and intersections are not designed for them. As a result, people who bike have developed their own strategies to navigate the area. Some feel like the only "safe" option is to go during the pedestrian signal to avoid stressful interactions with vehicles.
- People often bike across the plaza on the southwest corner of Charles Street South and Boylston Street to get to Columbus Ave and continue to the Southwest Corridor. They are avoiding the stressful weave from Stuart Street to Charles Street South to Park Plaza.
"Consistency in walk signals is important. It gives pedestrians confidence."
"Can we put a big crosswalk in the middle of the intersection so you can cross directly from the Public Garden to the Commonwealth Ave Mall?"
"Being on the island in the middle of the intersection [of Beacon Street and Arlington Street] is like being a penguin on an iceberg with rising sea levels."
"It's common to see bicyclists cut across the intersection [of Boylston Street at Charles Street] and use the sidewalk to get to Columbus Ave [heading southwest]."
South End
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
- Walk signals are inconsistent. Some are concurrent with vehicles while others are exclusive. People find this confusing. Some make their own choices about when and where to cross.
- The sidewalks on Columbus Ave are narrow and feel congested, especially during peak travel hours. Nearby Back Bay Station is a major draw for people walking.
- Columbus Ave is an important bike route through the city. In the South End, bike commuters choose Columbus Ave over the Southwest Corridor Park because it's a direct connection between downtown and neighborhoods to the southwest.
- Desire for better bike lanes on Columbus Avenue. The existing bike lanes on southwest of Dartmouth Street feel too narrow and are often blocked by doubled-parked cars. Northeast of Dartmouth Street, there are no bike lanes.
"We should embrace the cold weather. Can we have car-free street events during the winter?"
"Can we make the intersections more compact and feel human-scaled?"
"Sidewalks [on Columbus Ave] between Clarendon and Berkeley are very congested, particularly when trains let out at Back Bay Station."
"Can we reduce the number of travel lanes on Columbus Ave northeast of Dartmouth Street so we can have separated bike lanes? There could be a left turn lane at Berkeley Street for the [Route 39] bus and drivers going to Storrow Drive."
Bay Village/Chinatown
Tuesday, December 10
- Walk signals are too short and infrequent. People who aren't able to walk fast have to wait for two full cycles.
- Some unsignalized crosswalks are stressful to use because there are many lanes and drivers go fast. Examples include Tremont Street at the Tufts Medical Center garage, Charles Street South at Melrose Street, and Arlington Street at Isabella Street.
- In some places, many people cross the street but there is no crosswalk. Examples include Boylston Street mid-way between Tremont Street and Charles Street, Stuart Street at Warrenton Street, and Charles Street South at Park Plaza.
- Stuart Street, Charles Street South, Boylston Street, and Tremont Street are important bike routes in the city but don't have bike facilities.
- People who bike find some intersections very stressful because of turning or weaving traffic. To avoid conflicts with vehicles, some choose to go during the pedestrian phase.
"The north-south crossing on the east side of Arlington Street at Stuart Street has a staggered pedestrian crossing. You get stuck in the middle. It's difficult."
"Exclusive pedestrian phases are too short with too long of a wait in between."
"The turn from Stuart Street onto Charles Street South is scary as a bicyclist. You have to weave across a bunch of lanes. This results in people going when they feel safe based on their ability level, including on the walk signal."
"This area is very very loud because of cars, trucks, and sirens. We have had to shout to hear each other this entire walk!"
"Can we do something to manage pickup and dropoff traffic? Tremont Street south of Stuart Street gets really congested with Ubers when theater shows start or finish."