Masschusetts Avenue bike lane Melnea Cass to Columbia Road

[Christopher Binns]

Hi, Jen,

Any news as to when this will resume after the minor work done last fall? It's now nearly 2 years since it was announced that work would begin in 2021  (see 6/29/2021 announcement below).  This missing link is a critical choke point separating a large part of the city from the bike lane networks in the South End/Back Bay/Fenway -- even Cambridge. The bike lanes on the South Boston waterfront out to Castle Island, to Columbia Point, and through Dorchester on Columbia Road to Franklin Park are cut off from those networks for any but the most intrepid.

It feels beyond neglectful that this isolation persists while bike paths continue to be built in the more central parts of this city, for example what's being built in the South End this winter.

Thanks,

Kit

--------------------------

BTD announcement of 6/29/2021:

Check out our final design plans! We began planning this corridor with you in September 2019. The final design reflects comments and feedback from nearby residents, business owners, and people who use this corridor. Our final design includes:  A two-way separated bike lane on the west side of Massachusetts Avenue New crosswalks and reconstructed curb ramps to improve accessibility for people with disabilities Changes to intersections to improve safety and keep vehicle traffic moving Improved bus stops along the corridor, including a new pair of bus stops near the Stop and Shop driveway Modified loading and parking regulations in response to local business needs We have illustrated the final design plans. We also have a document that explains and summarizes the changes we made in response to feedback from people who work, live, and use the corridor.  We have a contractor ready to begin construction later this year, 2021. We will send an update when the contractor sets a start date for construction.  For more information about our design process, visit our project webpage.

[Alex Shames]

Hi Kit,

Not sure if we've met, but my name is Alex (he/him) and I'm a Community Organizer for the Boston Cyclists Union, I'm spending more time in Dorchester these days as BCU amps up our organizing in the neighborhood. BCU launched a campaign for safety improvements on Mass Ave South back in 2019 and we definitely agree that this is a critical link that serves under resourced communities and should be prioritized, thanks for all your effort on this. I biked on Mass Ave South the other day and felt super scared. 

My understanding based on prior conversations with Jen and other BTD folks is that the delay is currently due to the contracted construction company and not due to the City. Unfortunately, the current contracting system doesn't have built in accountability for the construction companies, so the construction companies can basically say "sorry, this is taking longer than we thought it won't be done this year!" and the city currently has no mechanism of holding the contractors accountable. We are hoping to work with the city soon to figure out a way to build accountability into these contracts to prevent this from happening. I have also heard from BTD that the construction contractors have finished most/all of the "behind the scenes" work on this project, so it should be done by Spring 2023, but of course we can believe it when we see it :). Once it's done I'd love to talk more with you about how we should celebrate!

This long-winded response is hopefully to save Jen some typing, TL;DR is that Jen/BTD are working really hard on this corridor and it should be done this Spring---if we get word of any funny business we can definitely talk more about how to push harder on this, would love your help with that. How does this all sound? Any questions/thoughts/concerns?

Thank you Jen for all your hard work on this! And thanks Kit for your continued pressure on this, it's important work! 

Alex Shames (he/him)

Community Organizer

Boston Cyclists Union

617-694-2215 (cell)

@bostoncyclistsunion (IG, TikTok)

@bostonbikeunion (Twitter)

Want to chat 1:1? Add a meeting to my calendar here.

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[PHILIP LINDSAY]

It’s easy to think there’s some bias against doing the job that terminates at Mass n Cass. Call out the contractors bs for what it is. 

Same old lip service even with new administration. 

Phil Lindsay

Retired advocate. 

On Apr 10, 2023, at 12:34 PM, Alex Shames <ash...@bostoncyclistsunion.org> wrote:



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[Vivian Girard]

Kit, thanks for the inquiry, and thank you Alex for the thorough update!

Vivian G. 

[Taufiq Dhanani]

Thanks Alex for the update! The BTD (and especially Jen) have done amazing work over the last few years over this! As a point of clarification, when you say "Spring of 2023", do you mean this year or was that supposed to be 2024?

This is my daily commute and as the weather turns nice, Mass Ave south not being safe is the #1 reason why I don't bike commute as much as I would like to. It's unfortunate about the accountability issue and it sucks not having any sort of recourse. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/dotbike/CAHJFy0FMg5WZSPF81oBygLbbi6n3%3DAM7w_ogQXtPQ8C-EOCX1Q%40mail.gmail.com.

[Alex Shames]

Hi Taufiq,

Thank YOU for all your work on this importance project! My understanding is that they expect it to finish Spring 2023 (I think the specific language was "Mid 2023), but I can confirm and get back to you. Once we get this bike lane, maybe you can speak at a celebratory ride! I think you could bring the house down :)

Alex Shames (he/him)

Community Organizer

Boston Cyclists Union

617-694-2215 (cell)

@bostoncyclistsunion (IG, TikTok)

@bostonbikeunion (Twitter)

Want to chat 1:1? Add a meeting to my calendar here.

[Adam Pieniazek]

Since Boston will always have streets and they'll always need maintenance and upgrades it really seems to make sense to me that the city would have a department to do this work itself instead of relying on third party contractors with no accountability. 

Could apply the same logic to the T but that's a whole other thing.

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[Alex Shames]

Definitely agree, and that's something we can/should definitely push upper city management for in the long term (next time BCU has a meeting/sends a letter to City Hall chiefs we can think about including this). I will also add that Jen in particular has been for a while BY FAR the best ally BCU has in CIty Hall, obviously every public employee can/should be pushed but we have a finite amount of energy to push and I think it's best spent pushing the employees with the most power :).

Alex Shames (he/him)

Community Organizer

Boston Cyclists Union

617-694-2215 (cell)

@bostoncyclistsunion (IG, TikTok)

@bostonbikeunion (Twitter)

Want to chat 1:1? Add a meeting to my calendar here.

[Jen Rowe]

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the delay--I was out of office this past week. Thank you for stepping in with information in my absence, Alex and Taufiq! You captured the gist of the situation. I'll add just a couple additional notes below. 

What's been completed so far: 

• Construction on the Mass Ave Better Bike project began last summer. The changes might not have been easy to spot if you mostly drive or bike on the corridor: it primarily involved additions and reconstructions of curb ramps so that the sidewalks will be fully accessible to people using assistive devices like wheelchairs or walkers. 
• The contractors paused in late fall in observance of the winter construction moratorium. The very observant may have noticed that the City street lighting team added some missing light poles near the Eversource property over the winter. 
• The construction moratorium ends mid-April each year, once the weather is consistently conducive for construction activities and materials. While I haven't been able to bike these past couple weeks to see for myself, I've heard that work has recommenced on the ramps and sidewalk elements on the west side of the road and on some new signal infrastructure. 
  

What's coming in the next few months: 

• The contractors will continue constructing the ramps, bus islands, and other sidewalk elements on the west side of the road.
  
• Once it's warm enough to do so, the contractors will stripe the new permanent yellow center line, as well as temporary pavement markings that will direct traffic during the remainder of the construction period.
  
• The last pieces to go in will be the remaining pavement markings, flex-posts and pre-cast concrete barriers, as well as the final traffic signal changes.

We expect construction to wrap up this summer. Of course, there can always be surprises (unexpected discoveries while digging, supply shortages, etc). We'll be sure to let you know if anything major of that sort comes up. 

Thanks again for all your support for this project! I'm looking forward to having this new bike corridor in the neighborhood and to celebrating with you soon. 

Gratefully,

Jen

Jennifer Rowe, AICP (she/they) Transportation Planner Boston Transportation Department (o) 617-635-1378 (c) 857-309-3305

Mass Ave construction continues this fall Construction on the Massachusetts Avenue Better Bike Project started this summer. Our contractor began by adding and improving curb ramps so that they will be fully accessible to people using assistive devices like wheelchairs or walkers. Complications in the design of these ramps slowed the pace of work. We now anticipate project completion in early summer, 2023. Our contractor will continue reconstructing ramps and other sidewalk elements on the east side of the roadway between Clapp Street/Enterprise Street and Magazine Street this fall, until winter weather prevents further construction. They will start again in mid-April and finish the remaining work in the following order:  Complete ramps and sidewalk elements on the east side of the roadway, Stripe the new permanent yellow center line, as well as temporary pavement markings that will direct traffic during the remainder of the construction period, Construct bus islands, ramps, and other sidewalk elements on the west side of the roadway from Island Street to Columbia Road, Permanently stripe all remaining pavement markings, install flex-posts and pre-cast concrete barriers, and implement changes to traffic signals. We will send updates as construction advances. We started planning the corridor with you in September 2019 and hope you're as excited as we to see the new two-way separated bike lane take shape—as well as the new crosswalks, curb ramps, bus stops, and intersection improvements.

For more information about our design process, visit our project webpage.

About the Boston Transportation Department The Boston Transportation Department's vision is for Boston's streets to be safe, inclusive, and vibrant. Our mission is to plan, build, maintain, and operate our streets in a manner that increases access to opportunities, promotes safety and resilience, and fosters the highest quality of life for everyone living, working, and visiting our City. Can’t see the email? Display this email in your browser Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02201 Hours & Directions Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

[Christopher Binns]

Thanks for the update, Jen!

Kit

[Jen Rowe]

You're very welcome, Kit! See you on the road :) 

[Kirill Shklovsky]

May be relevant: saw this today

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[David Duncan]

A workaround until the bike lanes are installed is Cottage Street - Norfolk Avenue - Gerard Street between Everett Square and Melnea Cass. Northbound you have to walk across Mass Ave at the light at the Melnea Cass intersection.  It’s narrower but has less and slower traffic and the road surface is a bit nicer than Mass Ave. it’s about .8 mile longer. 

David Duncan

Sent from my phone

On Apr 18, 2023, at 9:47 PM, Kirill Shklovsky <kirill.s...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/dotbike/CABhZC8O88t2GzhAtVseF6%3D7cX4Ud25FbLGk__BJPX0%3DBXxrw-w%40mail.gmail.com.

<20230418_155734.jpg>

[nancy]

hi - Just wanted to chime in here, I take Mass Ave home (south end to uphams corner) 75% of the time and find it the widest and quickest way with the best road. Yes, the cars speed but they do that everywhere.

I used to take the Norfolk ave route from Uphams to the south end every day before the cars learned of it in the Waze app - Norfolk ave is really narrow and really bad in the morning. Drivers think it’s their own personal shortcut and are not bike friendly. 

I find Dudley street from Columbia Road to Hampden street the least stressful.

Just FYI

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[Kirill Shklovsky]

Just an update here: I rode home on Mass Ave yesterday: the construction is definitely moving along. One separation island has been completed already (close to Columbia Ave) corner, and they are working on another one, closer to Melnea Cass. Looks like the work is proceeding apace, so thank you the folks on this email who work for city of Boston (Jennifer! Others?)

IMHO, if someone is going to try to talk to the Mayor about something bike-related at the Coffee thing tomorrow, this project might not be at the top of my list, as it seems to be going very nicely, in my very unprofessional opinion. I guess it's always useful to say "Thanks!"?

Cheers, 

Kirill

[H Mark Smith]

It's true!  AND, I look forward to riding through this stretch more safely.

H. Mark Smith

Savin Hill, Dorchester, MA

Land of the Massachusett people

"[We] did not weave the web of life, [we are] merely a strand in it. Whatever [we do] to the web, [we do] to [ourself]."

- Chief Seattle

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[Paul Basken]

Good to see, thanks! I hope to get to the one tomorrow in East Boston... And if you haven't already, you might consider joining https://www.wbur.org/radio/programs/radioboston/radio-boston-texts so that you can add questions for guests such as the mayor... 

Thanks, Paul

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[Alex Shames]

Awesome! If anyone wants to do me a big favor, next time you bike by the construction on Mass Ave, spend a couple minutes filming the construction from a few angles and text it to me at 617-694-2215 so we can make a tik tok like this to help share info about the construction/history of this project,

Thanks!

Alex Shames (he/him)

Community Organizer

Boston Cyclists Union

617-694-2215 (cell)

@bostoncyclistsunion (IG, TikTok)

@bostonbikeunion (Twitter)

Want to chat 1:1? Add a meeting to my calendar here.