Lower Roxbury Transportation Study
We're guiding investments in Lower Roxbury's streets.
The City of Boston is working to enhance biking and walking for neighborhood residents. We met you in nine locations over seven months in 2019 and 2020 to hear what you love in Lower Roxbury and where you envision changes to your streets.
Last summer, we heard a lot of support for the changes we proposed in response to your priorities. We incorporated your feedback and are excited to share the final design plans.
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Still have questions? Contact:
Transportation
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1 City Hall Square
Room 721Boston, MA 02201-2026
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Get updates
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Upcoming events
EventsView the Final Design Plans
View an overview map of the final design plans for changes to the locations we've prioritized together.
A Closer Look
New Crosswalk on Harrison Avenue at Lenox Street
RAISED CROSSWALKS ON Northampton Street AT HARRISON AVENUE
New Crossing island on Washington Street at Thorndike Street
NEW CROSSING ISLANDS ON Washington Street aT Lenox Street
NEW CONTRAFLOW BIKE LANE ON NORTHAMPTON STREET
View the Northampton Street design
NEW CONTRAFLOW BIKE LANE ON SHAWMUT AVENUE
New RAISED Crosswalk AT HAMMOND STREET
New RAISED Crosswalk AT THE GROCERY STORE, NEW CROSSWLALKS AT CAMDEN STREET, AND CURB EXTENSIONS AT LENOX STREET
Ask us questions!
MEET WITH US DURING OFFICE HOURS
You can talk with a member of the project team one-on-one. We will be available between 3 and 7 p.m. every other Wednesday. Sign up for a 15-minute phone call or virtual meeting.
SEND A NOTE
You can mail your questions to us at:
Boston Transportation Department
ATTN: Stefanie Seskin
1 City Hall Square Room 721
Boston MA 02201
Types of changes in the final design plans
Below are some types of changes we used in our final design plans to make it safer and more enjoyable to travel on Lower Roxbury streets.
CLEAR CORNERS
Parking is prohibited ahead of a crosswalk or intersection. Drivers are more likely to see approaching vehicles or people crossing the street. This reduces the likelihood of crashes at intersections.
CROSSING ISLAND
A crossing island allows people to pause while crossing multiple travel lanes. Crossing islands can also slow turning traffic by ensuring that drivers cannot “cut” turns quickly.
Curb extension
A curb extension extends the sidewalk out into the parking lane. This makes crosswalks shorter and improves visibility of people crossing.
Raised crosswalk
Raised crosswalks slow drivers and make crossings more comfortable for people using wheelchairs and mobility devices.
'T' Intersections
Reshaping wide or irregular intersections to look more like a “T” improves visibility and shortens crosswalks.
CONTRAFLOW BIKE LANES
Contraflow bike lanes allow people to bike in both directions. We would not change the street direction for people driving.
OUTREACH ADVISORY GROUP
We are working to co-create next steps together with Lower Roxbury residents and stakeholders.
We've convened an outreach advisory group to help us communicate with and engage communities in Lower Roxbury. The group meets quarterly. You can access all meeting notes and materials below. For more information, email jennifer.rowe@boston.gov.
Study area
The project area is bounded by, but does not include Columbus Avenue, Massachusetts Avenue, and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
Project updates
UpdatesWe held a series of "Ideas on the Street" pop-ups at locations around Lower Roxbury to ask your thoughts about the neighborhood. We asked people what they love about the neighborhood and where they find joy. We also asked people to envision the future of their streets in Lower Roxbury.
We gathered 285 comments from residents and visitors of all ages.
| DATE | START | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, August 17 | 12 – 3 p.m. | Shawmut Avenue, adjacent to Ramsay Park |
| Wednesday, August 28 | 8 – 11 a.m. | Southwest corner of Washington Street at Lenox Street |
| Friday, August 30 | 4 – 7 p.m. | Northeast corner of Harrison Avenue at E. Lenox Street |
| Sunday, September 1 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Southwest corner of Tremont Street at Camden Street |
| Wednesday, September 4 | 8 – 11 a.m. | Northeast corner of Tremont Street at St Cyprians Place |
| Friday, September 13 | 4 – 7 p.m. | Southwest corner of Tremont Street at Hammond Street |
Community members shared 297 ideas for how to improve transportation for people riding the bus, walking, biking, and driving or parking.
We heard many comments about improving safety for people walking and biking. We also heard a lot about improving bus service, accessibility, and walkability in the neighborhood.
- "Better wayfinding and markers related to neighborhood history: Frederick Douglass, Melnea Cass, MLK, Eustis St, and Harriet Tubman House."
- "Crossing is dangerous and difficult on foot because of conflicts with cars."
- "Smoother roads for biking and skateboarding"
- "Blind people have a hard time crossing the street. We need countdown timers with sounds at intersections."
- "The Silver Line is good."
- "We need another crosswalk on Washington Street at Ball Street."
- "Frederick Douglass Way has no stop sign at the corner of Tremont—can we add a stop sign?"
- "You want enough space for kids to play and ride bikes."
- "Bumpy sidewalks on Tremont near Melnea Cass. Elderly people stay inside because the sidewalks are bumpy and hazardous."
We hosted a series of open houses. We aimed to share what we'd heard about what you love in Lower Roxbury — and how you envision your streets.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 15 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Mandela Homes |
| Monday, October 28 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Peoples Baptist Church |
| Monday, November 4 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Camfield Estates |
| Thursday, January 30 | 6 – 7 p.m. | St. Stephen's Church (Youth Group) |
| Sunday, February 2 | 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. | St. Stephen's Church (Coffee Hour) |
In spring 2021, we launched a new round of engagement to confirm neighbors' priorities and make sure we hadn't missed anything. We hosted three virtual public meetings with Spanish interpretation in June 2021.
You can review:
- the presentation
- information we shared during the meeting, and
- maps of priorities (based on the comments received).
En español:
- la presentación
- información compartida durante la reunión, y
- mapas de prioridades (basado en los comentarios recibidos).
Here are the seven locations we’ve prioritized together.
Potential to improve crosswalks or add new crosswalks.
Potential for two-way travel for people biking (not driving).
We proposed changes to several streets and corridors in the study area. To get the word out to community members, we hosted a series of pop-up events on different street corners in Lower Roxbury. At the events, we aimed to share proposed changes with community members and answer questions. We heard what residents liked and how they felt about any trade-offs.
We gathered 101 comments. We heard a lot of enthusiasm for the proposed changes, especially safety improvements for people crossing the street and people walking. Additionally, we found that two of the proposed raised crosswalks on Shawmut Avenue are clear favorites: in front of the grocery store and at Hammond/Ball Street.
Comments we received:
- 24 discussed safer crossing or walking
- 17 proposed new crosswalks
- 13 were about slower and safer driving
- 12 mentioned safer biking
General feedback we heard:
- Support for making it safer to walk
- Enthusiasm for raised crosswalks on Shawmut Avenue
- Desire to slow vehicular speeds
- Desire to retain as much parking as possible
- Appreciation for proposed safety improvements at intersections that have been community priorities
- Excitement about the proposed safer bike connections
| DATE | START | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, June 24 | 4 – 7 p.m. | Harrison Avenue and East Lenox Street |
| Wednesday, June 29 | 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. | Northampton Street and Tremont Street |
| Saturday, July 9 | 12 – 2 p.m. | Shawmut Avenue adjacent to Ramsay Park |
| Monday, July 11 | 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. | Washington Street and East Lenox Street |
| Wednesday, July 13 | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Hammond Street and Tremont Street |
| Thursday, July 21 | 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. | Tropical Foods |
In February, we shared final design plans for the project. We hosted a series of pop-up events on different street corners in Lower Roxbury. At the events, we aimed to share the final design plans with community members and answer questions. We also mailed postcards to over 8,000 households in the project area.
We had approximately 60 conversations, heard a lot of support for the changes, and gathered 25 specific comments. There was a lot of excitement about safer crossings and safer bike routes. We answered clarifying questions about how contraflow bike lanes and curb extensions slow down traffic and make streets safer for all users. We listened to more stories of crashes and near-crashes, difficulties crossing the street, and discomfort felt riding next to drivers going at high speeds. Finally, we received suggestions for how to continue getting the word out about the project before construction.
| DATE | START | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, February 6 | 4 – 5 p.m. | Tremont Street and Hammond Street |
| Wednesday, February 8 | 9 – 10 a.m. | Washington Street and Lenox Street |
| Saturday, February 11 | 1 – 2 p.m. | Shawmut Avenue adjacent to Ramsay Park |
