City schedules virtual meeting to discuss plans for proposed Dartmouth Street bike lane
By Dan Murphy
The city has scheduled a virtual meeting for Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss imminent changes coming to Dartmouth Street, amid plans for a proposed bike lane between Copley Square and the Dartmouth Street footbridge on the Charles River Esplanade.
Per its Dartmouth Street Safety and Mobility Project, the city intends create a new two-way, separated bike lane via Dartmouth Street in concert with the repaving of Dartmouth Street between Back Street and Commonwealth Avenue. Some ramps in the project area will be rebuilt this year, according to the city, while others will require engineering plans and therefore be rebuilt in a future construction season.
Other ‘quick-build’ safety improvements will be implemented at the intersection of Dartmouth and Stuart streets to coincide with the planned repaving of Stuart Street between Huntington Avenue and Dartmouth Street, which is funded for 2024, according to the city, while additional work will also include new pavement markings and signage, as well as adjustments in signal timing.
The city has committed to announcing a start date for construction, and to release a detailed work plan, “one or two weeks in advance,” according to the city’s project webpage.
Next year, National Grid intends to replace gas mains beneath Back Bay streets, including one on Dartmouth Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Boylston Street. After this work wraps up, the city will then repave Dartmouth Street between Commonwealth Avenue and Boylston Street and finish installing the bike lane.
According to the city, the Dartmouth Street Safety and Mobility Project was informed by Go Boston 2030 – Boston’s citywide transportation plan, which identified Dartmouth Street as a possible location for a bike corridor – as well as from community feedback solicited at last year’s Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane project, which also pointed to Dartmouth Street as a potential location for a bike lane.
Visit https://www.boston.gov/departments/transportation/dartmouth-street-safety-and-mobility-project for more information on the Dartmouth Street Safety and Mobility Project, including how to register for the Sept. 11 virtual meeting.