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Council accepts preferred design for Battery Street: west‑side, two‑way separated bikeway recommended
Summary
After a multi‑year planning process and public outreach, the council approved the project advisory committee’s selection of a revised Alternative 2 as the preferred approach to redesign Battery Street; the plan centers a west‑side, two‑way separated bike facility, improved crossings, and street ecology while preserving most South End parking.
The council voted April 14 to accept the Battery Street scoping study advisory committee’s recommended preferred alternative for redesigning Battery Street between Maple and Sherman streets. The selected design centers a west‑side, two‑way separated bicycle facility elevated to sidewalk grade, widened pedestrian space, improved crossings and enhanced streetscaping to manage stormwater and improve public space.
Drew Gingras, VHB consultant, presented the study and summarized the public engagement and technical work. The study examined two primary corridor concepts and a blended revised Alternative 2; the revised Alternative 2 retains most on‑street parking in the South End while providing a continuous, physically separated north‑south bicycle facility and upgraded pedestrian crossings at key intersections, including College Street. The advisory committee, the DPW Commission and the Transportation, Energy and Utilities committee all recommended the revised Alternative 2.
Councilors asked technical questions about pedestrian accessibility, especially at steep crossings near the waterfront, and about whether the two‑way bicycle facility would extend the full corridor length; presenters said the two‑way facility would be continuous and that accessibility improvements would be addressed in preliminary engineering and design phases. The preferred alternative also aimed to limit traffic delays while improving safety for all users.
Councilor Barlow moved the selection of revised Alternative 2 as the preferred alternative and asked DPW to review curb cuts across the corridor as the design advances; the council approved the motion. Staff said the next phase is preliminary design and engineering, followed by funding and project delivery steps.
