Upcoming Safety Improvements for Harvard Square

Safety improvements for people walking and biking will be implemented within the next few weeks.

As a part of the City’s Vision Zero rapid response protocols, staff conducted a preliminary site visit after the fatal crash that occurred last week in Harvard Square. During the site visit, staff identified parts of the existing plans for the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza project that can be modified and implemented as quick-build improvements beginning next week. Quick-build plans include changes to the roadway that can be made with pavement markings, flex posts, signs, and signal timing changes. All work is weather dependent.

View a larger version of the plan.

On Massachusetts Avenue, around the plaza, the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department will reduce the number of general travel lanes from two to one and install a mix of separated and buffered bike lanes. These new bike facilities will improve safety by increasing separation between people biking and people driving, and reducing the number of general travel lanes that people have to cross when using crosswalks.

Acknowledging that an event like the fatal crash is a tragedy for the individual’s friends and family, as well as the Cambridge community as a whole, the City is sharing information about resources for support. Riverside Community Care’s Riverside Trauma Center is available by calling 888-851-2451 or visiting riversidetraumacenter.org. Additionally, MassSupport Network is available by calling 888-215-4920 or visiting masssupport.org.

The Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza project team will provide more details on the schedule for the construction project in the early fall. The Department of Public Works is in the process of hiring a contractor. Bids from interested contractors are due in mid-September.

You may sign up to get email updates about the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza project. If you have specific questions about the quick-build implementation, you may contact Brooke McKenna at bmckenna@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4723 (voice), or via 711 (relay). If you have questions about the Harvard Square Kiosk and Plaza project, you may contact Daniel Wolf at dwolf@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4618 (voice), or via 711 (relay).