Western Pearl Street Reconstruction

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As part of the City’s Pavement and Sidewalk Management program, the City plans 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,

As part of the City’s Pavement and Sidewalk Management program, the City plans 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 designated for 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 and explore 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)   

如果您需要語言方面的協助 請撥打 311 (617-666-3311) 或於somervillema.gov/ContactSomerviva 聯絡 彩薩默: 移民事務辦公室。  

如果您需要语言方面的协助，请联系 (somervillema.gov/ContactSomerViva)或者请拨打 311（617-666-3311）。

  • Open House Rescheduled to Tuesday May 13 due to inclement weather

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    Due to the rain forecasted for both May 7 and May 8, we are rescheduling the Concept Design Open House to Tuesday, May 13 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Ed Leathers Park (98 Walnut Street).

    We are also rescheduling our street outreach pop-up originally planned for May 14 to May 19 at the intersection of Pearl Street and Medford Street from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

    We will continue to monitor the forecast and if there are any further issues, we will post an update on this project webpage. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team at transportation@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311).

  • Attend the Western Pearl Street Concept Design Options Open House, May 7!

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    Open House will Showcase Multiple Design Options for the Western Pearl Street Reconstruction Project and Provide Opportunity for Community Feedback.

    Meetings Flyers available in English | Español | Português | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | Kreyòl Ayisyen | नेपाली

    Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, Ward 1 Councilor Matt McLaughlin, and City staff invite you to an outdoor open house to discuss the proposed concept design options for Pearl Street between McGrath Highway and Medford Street.

    Date & Time: Wednesday, May 7, from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. (Rain date: Thursday, May 8)

    Location: Ed Leathers Park, 98 Walnut Street (between Walnut Street and Skilton Avenue)

    About the event: The City of Somerville is planning to reconstruct sidewalks, repave, and redesign Western Pearl Street between McGrath Highway and Medford Street to improve safety, accessibility, and sustainability. In the fall of 2024, we gathered community feedback on preferred design directions. Shaped by that input, we’ve developed two conceptual design options.

    Join us at our upcoming open house to learn about these conceptual design options for the street and share your feedback!

    The open house will feature multiple stations describing different aspects of the project. Drop-in anytime during the event to review materials and talk with project team members about your feedback and questions. Pizza will be provided.

    If inclement weather is forecasted: If rain or extreme heat is forecasted for May 7, approximately 48 hours ahead of time, we will update this webpage and share if we plan to gather on the rain date. We will also send a note to our direct email list and send a City Alert to subscribers in the nearby area. If you are not already on and want to be on our direct email list, please send your request to transportation@somervillema.gov.

    Other ways to learn more and provide feedback on the design options: We aim to provide a range of options to learn and engage in this phase of the project.

    • Recorded presentation: Within a week of the open house, we will upload a recorded presentation going through the same materials presented at the open house.
    • Design feedback survey: From May 7 through June 13, community members can share their feedback via our online survey. The survey will be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Nepali, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. If you prefer to take this survey via phone, call 311 (617-666-3311) and submit a call back request.
    • Street Outreach Pop-Up: Come talk to us on the street. We are aiming to host a pop-up at the intersection of Medford Street and Pearl Street on May 14 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. If inclement weather is forecasted, check the website approximately 48 hours ahead for event updates.
    • Virtual Office Hour: Join City staff on a Zoom webinar on May 22 anytime between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to ask your questions and share your comments directly with staff.

    Community group outreach and community events: Between May 8 and June 13, we will also be scheduling meetings with local community groups, visiting nearby small businesses, and tabling at SomerStreets Carnval.

    Questions: At anytime, please feel free to reach out to the Mobility Division with your questions and comments by email at transportation@somervillema.gov or by calling 311.

    Accessibility: Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

    Language Interpretation options: Interpretation into any language is available upon advance request (at least seven days in advance) by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somervillema.gov/ContactSomerViva or calling 311 at 617-666-3311.

  • Safety Concerns Survey Deadline Extended and New Virtual Office Hour Added

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    We are extending the deadline for the Western Pearl Street Safety Concerns Survey to Wednesday, November 20.

    If you haven’t gotten the chance to share your feedback, questions, and priorities, please take our survey. The survey is available in English, Español, Português, Kreyòl Ayisyen, नेपाली, 繁體中文, 简体中文.

    You can check out the video recording and 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.

    If you have any questions or would prefer to share your feedback by email, please reach out to transportation@somervillema.gov.

  • Share Your Feedback to Help Shape the Western Pearl Reconstruction Project

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    Information available in: Español | Português | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | Kreyòl Ayisyen | नेपाली

    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.

    Meeting Materials

    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 our online 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 our Frequently 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.

    At anytime, you can always share your ideas or questions via email to transportation@somervillema.gov or via phone at 617-666-3311. Subscribe to the Mobility Monthly Newsletter for project updates.

  • Join Us for the First Community Meeting on October 9 at 6:00 p.m.

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    Meeting flyers available in: English | Español | Português | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | Kreyòl Ayisyen | नेपाली

    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.

    Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2024

    Time: 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

    Register in Advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_s1NbOii8Q3icQ891feLQRg

    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the zoom webinar. To join via audio:

    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).

Page last updated: 05 May 2025, 04:05 PM