By Dan Murphy
The Boston Transportation Department has announced that planned safety improvements to Beacon Street will commence this fall and provided a timeframe for the project.
Over the next few months, the design team will conduct outreach and seek to engage people on the street. They will solicit feedback on the proposed improvements and educate people about the 25 mph speed-limit on Beacon Street, as well as yielding to people crossing the street and obeying traffic signals and turning restrictions at red lights.
Parking enforcement officers will also be on hand to keep the street clear of double-parking during peak hours and make changes to parking regulations to better accommodate deliveries and residential parking needs.
This year, traffic signals and controllers are slated to be updated and pavement markings removed and restriped in phases.
Next year, utility work is expected to disrupt regular use of the street, and the city will gather information on crashes, speeds and user delays and consider making minor alterations to the design and signal functions.
Potential adjustments include reducing the waiting time for pedestrians crossing at Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester and Herfeord streets to “half-cycles,” city officials said.
In 2019, the Public Works Department is scheduled to repave the street, and there will also be the opportunity to make other adjustments to the design.
Finally, in 2020, the city will collect data for a three-year evaluation on crashes, speeds and user-delays.