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Design work underway for School Street community-path crossing; city expects draft designs before public discussion
Summary
City engineering told the committee it has hired a consultant and is about one-third through design work for the Community Path crossing at School Street; staff said designs will be refined for MassDOT review and expected to be ready for public discussion in October, and the project will be coordinated with Lowell Street work.
Resident Ben Ornstein told the committee he installed a convex mirror at the School Street corner of the Community Path to improve sightlines and that neighbors have been actively pressing the city to fix the intersection.
“I took it upon myself to install a convex mirror at the corner so folks could see, before they took that turn,” Ornstein said, describing multiple residents who supported a permanent fix.
Director Bill Sawick (Engineering) briefed the committee that the School Street crossing is a long-standing safety concern dating to the Green Line extension and that design changes will require coordination with multiple jurisdictions, including the MBTA and MassDOT. Sawick said the city hired a consultant to perform due diligence and design work and is “about a third of the way through the design process.” He added that the team had anticipated draft designs would be ready in October and requested the chair hold the item in committee until plans can be shared publicly.
Sawick also said the School Street work is being designed jointly with a related Lowell Street crossing project because the two crossings present similar constructability and regulatory considerations; he advised the committee that public discussion would follow when designs are mature and MassDOT consultations are underway.
The committee kept the item in committee and asked staff to return with draft designs when available.
