Traffic Department Announces Projects on Hampshire Street, Main Street, and Aberdeen Avenue

The Cambridge Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department will begin outreach on three quick-build separated bicycle lane projects between the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023.

• The Hampshire Street Safety Improvement Project will connect Inman Square to the Port and Kendall Square. We’ll install quick-build separated bike lanes along Hampshire Street between Inman Square and Broadway. Sign up for email updates here or learn more at www.cambridgema.gov/HampshireStSafety.
• The Main Street Safety Improvement Project will connect the Port and Kendall Square to Central Square. We’ll install quick-build separated bike lanes along Main Street from Lafayette Square (near Central Square) to Vassar Street (near MIT). Sign up for email updates here.
• As part of the Mt. Auburn Street at Aberdeen Avenue Intersection Improvement Project, we will install quick-build separated bike lanes on the left side of Aberdeen Avenue between Huron Street and Mt. Auburn Street. The project also involves traffic signal phasing changes to improve safety for all users and increase reliability for transit riders. The signal change portion of the project may involve some construction, but there shouldn’t be significant parking changes in the area. Sign up for email updates here.

These projects will help the City meet the requirements of the Cycling Safety Ordinance, which mandates that Cambridge install 25 miles of separated bike lanes by 2026. Separated bicycle lanes increase comfort for people biking by using buffers and vertical separation such as flex posts, curbs, and/or parked vehicles to separate them from vehicle traffic.

The City’s goal is to encourage more people to bike and increase safety by building a network of these separated lanes, connecting important destinations throughout Cambridge. Safer, more comfortable bike infrastructure helps us get closer to “Vision Zero” -- our commitment to eliminating transportation-related deaths and serious injuries while increasing healthy, equitable mobility for all.

Quick-build projects do not require construction: we do not plan to dig into the ground or make changes to the width or shape of the road. Instead, the City uses paint, flex-posts, new signage, traffic signal upgrades, and changes to signal timing. These methods allow us to make changes to our streets more rapidly and to make adjustments even after a design is installed. The Mt. Auburn/Aberdeen project will include construction related to signal changes, but the bike lanes will be quick-build.

For each of these projects, the City will host community meetings to explain changes, gather feedback on safety concerns and how people currently use the street, and present design options for the streets. Sign up for the email lists above or subscribe to the City’s daily emails to receive updates on each project.

Meetings for the Hampshire Street Safety Improvement Project will begin in November, with a community open house on November 7 and a virtual community meeting on November 15. Look out for more information on the Main Street and Aberdeen Avenue projects in the coming months. 

Questions? Email the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department at tpt@cambridgema.gov.