South Huntington Avenue Better Bike Lane
We invested in a safe, connected, and accessible South Huntington Avenue.
We completed work on South Huntington Avenue in spring 2023. This project delivered the following investments:
- Better road surface quality: we repaved South Huntington Avenue from Heath Street to Centre Street, bringing surface quality to a state of good repair.
- Enhanced accessibility: we rebuilt curb ramps to meet accessibility standards.
- Safer, more comfortable bicycling: we upgraded the existing bike lanes to separated bike lane, addressing a high injury-causing crash corridor for bicyclists.
- Changes to parking: we aimed to minimize parking impacts while prioritizing safety and mobility.
Project Details
Details
We installed protected bike lanes on South Huntington Avenue between Centre Street and Heath Street.
Changes to South Huntington Avenue includex:
- Parking-protected bike lanes
- Shorter and more visible pedestrian crossings
- Changes to on-street parking to increase visibility at some driveways and intersections
South Huntington Avenue connects Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill to the Longwood Medical Area, one of the region’s major employment centers. But, the street is the top 3% high-crash corridors for people biking citywide, highlighting the urgent need for safety improvements. And, many of the curb ramps were inaccessible.
Everyone in Boston deserves safe streets
This project is part of a bold plan for transforming Boston's streets to better serve people walking, rolling, and riding bikes. Over the next three years, we will expand our bike network so that 50% of residents will be a 3-minute walk from a safe and connected bike route.
Performance evaluation is a key part of delivering successful projects.
We collected traffic data one year before and one year after implementation. Key findings included:
- More bicycling: bicycle trips increased by 16%.
- Vehicle volumes increased only slightly by 5%.
- Driving speeds: 95th percentile speeds increased slightly from 35 mph to 36 mph. This could be due in part to the improved road surface quality after repaving.
Related Projects
Huntington Ave / South Huntington Ave E-Branch Accessibility Project
We're working with the MBTA and the community to design urgent upgrades to accessibility and reliability on the Green Line E-Branch from Brigham's Circle to Heath Street.
Jamaica Plain Centre/South Transportation Action Plan
We're advancing efforts to improve safety, connectivity, and placemaking on Centre and South streets in Jamaica Plain. We're focusing on the stretch between Hyde Square and Forest Hills Station.
Route 39 Transit Priority Corridor
We're working to improve the experience of Route 39 bus riders!
Project Updates
UpdatesCONSTRUCTION STARTING SOON!
April 14, 2023 UPDATE
We're installing protected bike lanes on South Huntington Avenue between Centre Street and Heath Street.
Please observe all posted signs about temporary parking restrictions and construction detours. Schedules may change. Our work is dependent on the weather.
Changes to South Huntington Avenue will include:
- Parking-protected bike lanes
- Shorter and more visible pedestrian crossings
- Changes to on-street parking to increase visibility at some driveways and intersections
We are also looking at the traffic signals at Centre Street, Perkins Street, and Bynner Street. We may make changes to how these signals operate to increase safety and efficiency for all users.
What to expect:
View the design plans (PDF 7.5 MB)
changes to on-street parking (PDF 228 KB)
Talking with you:
We sent an update to our project email list on April 14, 2023. You can get updates by joining the email list by scrolling up to the "Stay Connected" section.
In October 2022, we mailed 6,436 postcards to addresses in Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill.
View the postcard (PDF 2.5 MB)
We distributed flyers to residential buildings along South Huntington Avenue between Centre Street and Heath Street in mid-November 2022.
Update: December 16, 2022
We have completed the following work on South Huntington between Centre Street and Heath Street:
- Rebuilt inaccessible curb ramps and replaced crosswalks
- Installed the double yellow-centerline and stop bars at intersections
Due to the onset of cold weather, we will not be able to complete work on the parking-protected bike lane this season. We look forward to finishing the work when weather allows in spring 2023. These changes will include:
- Parking-protected bike lanes
- Shorter and more visible pedestrian crossings
- Minor loss of parking to increase visibility at some driveways and intersections
We are also looking at the traffic signals at Centre Street, Perkins Street, and Bynner Street. We may make changes to how these signals operate to increase safety and efficiency for all users.
What to expect:
View the design plans (PDF 7.5 MB)
changes to on-street parking (PDF 228 KB)
Talking with you:
We mailed 6,436 postcards to addresses in Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill. The postcards began arriving in late October 2022.
View the postcard (PDF 2.5 MB)
We distributed flyers to residential buildings along South Huntington Avenue between Centre Street and Heath Street in mid-November 2022.
We sent an email update to the project email list. You can get updates by joining the email list by scrolling up to the "Stay Connected" section.
We have the opportunity to improve safety now on South Huntington Avenue between Centre Street and Heath Street. This work is possible now following the completion of a scheduled repaving. These changes will make it safer and easier for you to walk and bike on South Huntington.
If weather allows, we may be able to install the changes in the coming weeks. If not, we will start work next spring. These changes will include:
- Parking-protected bike lanes
- Shorter and more visible pedestrian crossings
- Upgrade inaccessible curb ramps (already complete)
- Minor loss of parking to increase visibility at some driveways and intersections
We are also looking at the traffic signals at Centre Street, Perkins Street, and Bynner Street. We may make changes to how these signals operate to increase safety and efficiency for all users.
What to expect:
View the design plans (PDF 7.5 MB)
changes to on-street parking (PDF 228 KB)
Talking with you:
We mailed 6,436 postcards to addresses in Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill. The postcards began arriving in late October 2022.
View the postcard (PDF 2.5 MB)
We are distributing flyers to residences along South Huntington Avenue between Centre Street and Heath Street.
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