Share Western Pearl Street Reconstruction on FacebookShare Western Pearl Street Reconstruction on TwitterShare Western Pearl Street Reconstruction on LinkedinEmail Western Pearl Street Reconstruction link
As part of the City’s Pavement and Sidewalk Management program, the Cityplans to reconstruct sidewalks and repave Pearl Street from McGrath Highway to Medford Street.Since 2015, the City has taken a data driven approach to analyze street and sidewalk quality and prioritize locations rooted in equity, safety, and accessibility for this program. With the opportunity to reconstruct the street, the City aims to increase safety, improve accessibility, incorporate more sustainability, and create a more comfortable street. We aim to do this by:
Reconstructing all the sidewalks along Pearl Street from Medford Street to McGrath Highway,Continue reading
As part of the City’s Pavement and Sidewalk Management program, the Cityplans to reconstruct sidewalks and repave Pearl Street from McGrath Highway to Medford Street.Since 2015, the City has taken a data driven approach to analyze street and sidewalk quality and prioritize locations rooted in equity, safety, and accessibility for this program. With the opportunity to reconstruct the street, the City aims to increase safety, improve accessibility, incorporate more sustainability, and create a more comfortable street. We aim to do this by:
Reconstructing all the sidewalks along Pearl Street from Medford Street to McGrath Highway, along with approximately 20 feet into intersecting streets
Repaving the street from sidewalk curb to sidewalk curb
Adding accessible curb ramps to all existing crosswalks
Exploring opportunities for new crossings in addition to installing safety improvements like raised crosswalks/intersection or curb extensions
Identifying locations for new trees, replacing tree stumps, and considering tree bump outs or expanding the tree wells to support tree longevity
Installing protected bicycle facilities
Incorporating “Clear Corners” at each intersection to increase the visibility for people driving turning or moving through the intersections
This segment of Pearl Street is designatedfor two-way protected bicycle facilities in the Somerville Bicycle Network Plan and codified in the Safe Streets Ordinance. Pearl Street is narrow enough that implementing two-way protected bike lanes would require removing all existing parking on the street.This narrow width could also limit the ability to shorten crossing distances with curb extensions, expand the sidewalk to provide more space for people walking and rolling, and provide curb access for activities like deliveries or some residential parking.
With these potential significant trade-offs, we want to facilitate a robust community engagement process to better understand the community’s needs for the street andexplore options. These options may include providing one direction of protected bike facility on Pearl Street and using a different neighborhood street to serve the other direction. Another option may be to consider one-way motor vehicle travel on Pearl Street in order to achieve other community goals for the street.
From October through November 2024, we aim to gather your feedback on transportation safety concerns you have for the street and your priorities for the future. Over the winter, we will work on a concept design shaped by the feedback we heard in addition to analysis of data we aim to collect such as vehicle speed, vehicle volume, and parking utilization. In Spring 2025, we aim to publish a concept design and conduct another round of community engagement. Over the summer, we will work to refine the design to bring an updated version in Fall 2025 for more community input. We will then work to finalize the design to prepare for construction between 2026 and 2027.
To learn more about the project and keep up to date, please check out the information below and the materials in the toolbar.
Information in other languages
Si necesita ayuda en su idioma, comuníquese con nosotros a través de somervillema.gov/ContactSomerviva o llame al 311 (617-666-3311)
Caso precise de assistência em seu idioma, entre em contato conosco por meio deste formulário online: somervillema.gov/ContactSomerviva ou ligue para 311 (617-666-3311)
Si ou bezwen asistans nan lang ou a, kontakte nou nan somervillema.gov/ContactSomerviva oswa rele 311 (617-666-3311)
यदि आफ्नो भाषामा सहायता चाहिन्छ भने कृपया सम्पर्क गर्नुहोस: www.somervillema.gov/ContactSomerviva गर्नुहोस् वा यो ३११ (६१७-६६६-३३११) / 311 (617-666-3311)
Share Safety Concerns Survey Deadline Extended and New Virtual Office Hour Added on FacebookShare Safety Concerns Survey Deadline Extended and New Virtual Office Hour Added on TwitterShare Safety Concerns Survey Deadline Extended and New Virtual Office Hour Added on LinkedinEmail Safety Concerns Survey Deadline Extended and New Virtual Office Hour Added link
We are extending the deadline for the Western Pearl Street Safety Concerns Survey to Wednesday, November 20.
You can check out the video recordingand presentation slides from the October 9 community meeting for more details about the project.
We will also be hosting a virtual office hour on Tuesday, November 19, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Come join to ask your questions or give feedback to the project team. Community members can log into the zoom webinar at any time during the event.
Share Share Your Feedback to Help Shape the Western Pearl Reconstruction Project on FacebookShare Share Your Feedback to Help Shape the Western Pearl Reconstruction Project on TwitterShare Share Your Feedback to Help Shape the Western Pearl Reconstruction Project on LinkedinEmail Share Your Feedback to Help Shape the Western Pearl Reconstruction Project link
On Wednesday, October 9, from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., we hosted our first community meeting on Zoom. Thank you to all who were able to join. During the meeting, we shared background on the project, related plans and ordinances, community engagement strategies, and potential design direction options. We also heard input and questions from community members regarding safety challenges and possible solutions.
We want to continue to hear from you! There are multiple ways to share your input to help us learn more about your transportation safety concerns and gather feedback on design elements we should include in the project.
Come join us at an upcoming street outreach pop-up to talk to staff in-person, share your ideas, and ask questions. We will be at the intersection of Medford Street and Pearl Street on Tuesday, October 15 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (inclement weather date: October 30).
Add your comments to ouronline Public Input Map. Writing your comments on this map will let us know what you see as issues and opportunities in the project area. Use pins to highlight locations that you think it is important for us to prioritize for changes or improvements, as well as locations that are currently working well. Once you add a pin, you can also include comments and images to highlight specific priorities or concerns.
You can also join the Somerville Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee (PTAC) and Somerville Bicycle Advisory Committee (SBAC) for a community walk on Pearl Street on Monday, October 21 at 6 p.m. Meet committee members at the intersection of Medford Street and Pearl Street. PTAC and SBAC will be walking along Western Pearl Street to generate community feedback that will help shape the City's designs. Staff members from the Mobility Division will be at the walk to receive this feedback and answer questions.
Check out ourFrequently Asked Questions to learn more about the project. We will be adding more questions and answers throughout the development of the project as we gather more questions from community members.
Share Join Us for the First Community Meeting on October 9 at 6:00 p.m. on FacebookShare Join Us for the First Community Meeting on October 9 at 6:00 p.m. on TwitterShare Join Us for the First Community Meeting on October 9 at 6:00 p.m. on LinkedinEmail Join Us for the First Community Meeting on October 9 at 6:00 p.m. link
Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, Ward 1 Councilor Matt McLaughlin, and City Staff invite you to a community meeting to discuss the Western Pearl Street Reconstruction project.
Or dial the following number and enter the Webinar ID and Passcode: +1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 893 1888 7041
Passcode: 586390
Come hear an overview of the project, learn more about the opportunities in reconstruction projects, and share your questions and feedback.
Following the community meeting, we will launch an online survey to gather community input and host a street outreach pop-up on October 15 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Medford Street and Pearl Street. (Inclement weather date: October 30).
Community Meeting #1 Flyers
WP Meeting 1 Flyer - English.pdf (1.69 MB) (pdf)
