The city is now seeking approval for proposed sidewalk improvements at Beacon and Park Streets.
The project area includes the sidewalks on both sides of Beacon Street in front of the State House, according to the Boston Public Works Department, including the area directly abutting the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial on the Boston Common, as well as a portion of the Freedom Trail.
Existing conditions at Beacon and Park streets include narrow sidewalks with high-pedestrian volumes, while proposed improvements at that location include wider sidewalks, more room for pedestrians and “shorter, safer sidewalks,” according to the PWD, while proposed conditions there include a wider crosswalk to the State House; a raised crosswalk at Bowdoin Street; and a lane configuration that “limits vehicle crossover and conflicts.”
Proposed materials for the project, which is in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), as well as the Massachusetts Access Board (MAAB), include wire-cut brick for the sidewalks; a cast-iron steel detectable warning panel near the intersection of Park and Beacon streets; and thermoplastic in both the poured concrete sidewalk abutting the Boston Common on the Freedom Trail and in the roadway pavement at the crosswalk to the State House.
Zach Wassmouth of the PWD said the number of travel lanes on Beacon Street wouldn’t change due to the project, which “has a very aggressive timeline,” at the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission’s April 15 online meeting. Chris Coakley, public information officer for the PWD, said the city is currently in the process of approving three approvals for the project from the Architectural Commission, the Boston Landmarks Commission and the city’s Public Improvements Commission, respectively