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Western Avenue Reconstruction
What's Happening Now
Construction
starts summer 2012 and is expected to end autumn 2014.
The
Final Design & Construction flyer is available.
We
expect a contractor to be on board in the spring, with construction starting this summer. Work hours for the project will be 7:00 A. M. to
4:00 P. M.. During
construction, crews will maintain at least one travel lane on Western Avenue, with occasional detours. Every effort will be made to maintain
as much parking as possible, and pedestrian, bicycle, and MBTA access will be maintained. The contractor and police details will coordinate
access to neighbors’ private property if needed.
Public Works will hold a community meeting in the spring
to introduce the contractor, present the phasing of the project, discuss construction details, and address resident questions and concerns.
The underground stormwater and sewer system, water main, roadway, and sidewalks on Western Avenue will all be replaced from Green Street to Memorial
Drive. NSTAR Gas will resume upgrades in the roadway early this spring.
Join
the Western Avenue email list and learn about the project and upcoming construction:
About the Project
Western Avenue is scheduled to be fully reconstructed beginning in fall, 2011. The underground stormwater and sewer system, roadway and sidewalks will all be replaced from Franklin Street to Memorial Drive. The redesign considers all street users: walkers, bicyclists, bus riders and drivers. The public process began in January 2010. Neighborhood walks and community-wide meetings have been held. An advisory committee met regularly. Following are the project goals that were developed in conjunction with the Advisory Committee:
- Ensure corridor is safe for all users
- Maintain adequate traffic flow
- Reinforce residential character
- Ensure appropriate traffic speed
- Improve conditions for walking, bicycling and transit riders
- Meet and exceed accessibility requirements
- Improve access to businesses
- Help meet stormwater environmental goals through green design
- Provide adequate parking
- Promote environmental sustainability
- Improve landscaping
Final Design
The conceptual design for the surface was selected in the fall of 2010. The Conceptual Design is shown here. From fall 2010 until January 2012, the project has been advanced to 100% engineering design.
The final design Pleasant St. to Blackstone St. will have two vehicle travel lanes, parking on both sides, and a separated bicycle lane (raised cycle track). Pedestrian safety will be improved with raised crosswalks on (unsignalized) sidestreets, curb extensions, and new crosswalks. New trees, planting beds, trash/recycling containers, and energy efficient streetlights will be installed. The new design will improve pedestrian crossings at Pleasant / Western / Franklin and at Blackstone.
Cronin Park will be enlarged, landcaped, and include seating, a rain garden, and a permanent public art installation “Breaking Bread,” which consists of a custom designed table and fixed chairs lit by metal "baroque" inspired chandeliers. (see Public Art, below, for details). A concept plan for the park may be viewed here.
100% design drawings for the project will be posted to the website soon.
Public Art
We are very pleased to announce that $100,000 of the Western Avenue construction budget has been set aside to commission an artist to complete a public art project associated with Western Avenue. This is standard practice for large street rehabilitation projects.
- The Cambridge Arts Council assembled an Art Jury to review artist portfolios. A representative of the Art Jury and the Cambridge Arts Council staff interviewed the Western Avenue Advisory Committee on June 17, 2010 to obtain community perspectives about the Western Avenue Reconstruction Project and the neighborhood in general. They brought this feedback to the Art Jury as a whole, who then narrowed down the field of potential artists. The Art Jury selected three artists as finalists: Vaughn Bell, Matthew Geller, and Matthew Mazzotta.
- The artists were interviewed on September 2, 2010 by the Site Committee comprised of representatives from the Art Jury, Cambridge Arts Council staff, Public Art Commission, Community Development Staff, and the Western Avenue Advisory Committee,
- Matthew Mazzotta was chosen as the artist to be commissioned for the project. He met with the Advisory Committee and also participated in public meetings to talk to neighbors while formulating his ideas for the project
- The project, entitled Breaking Bread, may be viewed here. The location of this project within Cronin Park may be viewed here.
Public Input Process
Public input process for the surface redesign ran from January 2010 through June 2011 and included eight Advisory Committee meetings, five neighborhood walks , and six public meetings.
Five concept alternatives were developed to identify the full range of potential options for Western Avenue, and extensive community feedback was taken into consideration. See the Community Design Process booklet, June 2010 (5.4 MB).
The following evaluation criteria was developed by city staff and the advisory committee to guide the design process:
- Traffic calming effect/vehicle speed reduction
- Pedestrian crossing safety
- Expanded sidewalk space
- Bicycle facility safety and comfort
- Bus operations and efficiency
- Rush hour vehicle capacity
- Parking availability
- Snow clearance and street cleaning
- Emergency vehicle access
- Construction cost
- Community support
In October 2010, a final conceptual design was selected. See the Conceptual
Design Selection Booklet, October 2010. This file is in PDF
format and requires use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
View a PDF of some Perspective Renderings.
Click on the following images to see sample drawings
Community Walks
These informal walks were led by city staff with occasional outside guests. The walks provided opportunities for neighbors to learn more about the project, and provide input to city staff. The walks were free and open to the public. Each walk started near Central Square, went down Western Avenue to the Charles River, and back.
View
some photos of past walks.
Past
Walks
- Proposed Conceptual Design Walk: Thursday October 28, 2010, 5:30 P. M. Meet at Andala Café. Click here for map. Led by Jeff Rosenblum, Project Manager for Western Avenue surface design, Community Development Department.
- Concepts Walk: Sunday June 27, 2010, 4:00 P. M. Meet at Andala Café. Click here for map. Led by Jeff Rosenblum, Project Manager for Western Avenue surface design, Community Development Department.
- Project Overview Walk: Monday April 5, 2010, 6:00 P. M. to 7:30 P. M. Meet at Andala Café. Click here for map. Led by Jeff Rosenblum, Project Manager for Western Avenue surface design, Community Development Department
- Human Centered Design Walk: Monday April 12, 2010,6:00 P. M. to 7:30 P. M. Meet at Au Bon Pain. Click here for map. Led by Chris Hart, Institute for Human Centered Design and Michael Muehe, Executive Director, Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
- Traffic, Signals, and Stop Signs Walk: Monday April 26, 2010, 6:00 P. M. to 7:30 P. M. Meet at Andala Café. Click here for map. Led by Jeff Parenti, City Traffic Engineer.
Resources
These files are in PDF format and require use of the free Adobe Acrobat viewer.
- Final Conceptual Design
- Perspective Renderings
- Conceptual Design Selection booklet, October 2010 (1.4 MB)
- Community Design Booklet, June 2010 (5.4 MB)
- View the transportation section of the Cambridge Growth Policy, 2007 update.
- View the Cambridge Climate Protection Plan.
- View the Riverside Neighborhood Map.
- View a map of Western Avenue non-residential uses.
- View the Cambridge Zoning Map.
- Viewthe Cambridge Bicycle Facilities Map.
- View a map of Western Avenue. View the following detailed maps:
- View a map of Bus Routes in Central Square
- View the results of the Travel Time Study
- View a map showing Vehicle Traffic Volumes
- View the results of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Study
- View a map showing Queues During Peak Hours
- View the results of the Parking Occupancy Study
- View a map showing Existing Trees Along the Corridor
- View a map showing the River Street and Western Avenue Bridges
For More Information
For more information about the Western Avenue Reconstruction project call Jeff Rosenblum, jrosenblum@cambridgema.gov, at 617/349-4615. The Community Development Department TTY line is 617/349-4621.
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