Beacon Street (Arlington Street to Mass. Ave)
This fall, we will repave Beacon Street, create a safer intersection at Beacon Street and Berkeley Street, and close a key gap in the bike network.
We made design changes to Beacon Street, between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue, to improve safety for everyone. Our project goals were to:
- manage vehicle speeds
- reduce the number and severity of crashes, and
- increase walking comfort.
Now, we plan to build on those changes made in 2018. The intersection of Berkeley Street and Beacon Street remains challenging for all users. And, there is a gap in the bike network between Arlington Street and Berkeley Street.
Construction Update
Construction Update (As of October 25, 2024)
- Paving will begin Monday, October 28 through Thursday October 31.
- Pavement markings will be installed as soon as the week of November 10 following the completion of paving work. To ensure timely completion, overnight work should be expected.
- Signs, pre-cast concrete curbs, and flexposts will be installed after the markings are complete.
- Traffic signal reprogramming will occur as soon as contractor scheduling allows.
- Colored surface treatments will be installed weather permitting. Any remaining details will be installed next construction season.
Events
EventsThere are no related events available at this time!
TIMELINE
Beacon Street is funded for repaving and curb ramp reconstruction in 2024. We plan to begin curb ramp work in September, followed by repaving and restriping later in the fall.
JULY - SEPTEMBER 2024: COMMUNITY OUTREACH
We launched community engagement in Spring 2023. We hosted pop-up events, virtual office hours, a virtual public meeting, and meetings with abutters, institutions, and resident groups. We incorporated most of the feedback we received from nearby residents and institutions, making major changes to the design as a result.
This fall, we will focus on letting stakeholders know about the upcoming work and answering questions. You can sign up for a 15-minute video chat or phone call with a project team member during our virtual office hours.
SEPTEMBER 2024: CURB RAMP WORK
Construction crews will begin work to rebuild curb ramps on Beacon Street that don’t meet accessibility standards. Work will happen during daylight hours and will have minimal impact on vehicle traffic. Construction schedules are subject to change based on weather.
FALL 2024: REPAVING AND DESIGN CHANGES
Please note that construction schedules are subject to change based on weather and other factors. We’ll announce a construction start date and detailed work plan 1 - 2 weeks in advance.
- Repave Beacon Street between Mugar Way and Massachusetts Avenue.
- Install pavement markings, signage, and signal timing. We will re-install the separated bike lane west of Berkeley Street, and install design changes between Mugar Way and Berkeley Street.
- Any finishing details not completed during the 2024 construction season will be completed in 2025.
DESIGN DETAILS
SAFER, MORE PREDICTABLE DRIVER BEHAVIOR
We aim to address unsafe driver behavior through design changes at the Beacon/Berkeley intersection.
- The right lane on Beacon Street will be for both through and right turns. This should discourage illegal right turns on red.
- All cars on Beacon Street will go at the same time. We will remove the separate phases for through and right turns.
- Pedestrians will have their own time to cross safely in all directions during an “exclusive pedestrian phase.”
STATE-OF-GOOD REPAIR
We'll repave the road on Beacon Street between Mugar Way and Massachusetts Avenue. We'll also rebuild curb ramps that don’t meet accessibility standards. The new curb ramps will have red cast-iron detectable warning panels.
CONNECTED BICYCLE NETWORK
We will add a new separated bike lane on the south side of Beacon Street from west from Mugar Way to Berkeley Street.
At Berkeley Street, bicyclists will cross to the north side of Beacon Street when it's safe.
After the street is repaved, we will put back the existing separated bike lane on the north side of Beacon Street west of Berkeley Street.
MAINTAINING CURB ACCESS FOR RESIDENTS AND INSTITUTIONS
We will keep parking on both sides of Beacon Street between Mugar Way and Berkeley Street, and on the east side of Berkeley Street north of Commonwealth Avenue. Metered parking will stay the same on the north side of Beacon Street. This responds to feedback we heard from residents and institutional abutters.
KEEPING TRAFFIC MOVING, SAFELY
To make Beacon Street safer and keep parking on both sides, there will be two lanes instead of three between Mugar Way and Berkeley Street. We followed standard traffic modeling practices to inform this decision. While traffic queues might be a little longer during peak times, we do not anticipate increased traffic delay during the majority of the day. We will adjust the signals to help keep it moving as much as possible. Our approach is meant to make Beacon Street safer at all hours while keeping peak hour queues within an acceptable range.
PROJECT MAP
COMMON QUESTIONS
FAQIn 2022, Mayor Wu announced a plan to expand the citywide bicycle network and introduce other neighborhood traffic calming. The new design for Beacon Street builds on that plan and responds to feedback from community conversations in 2023 for the Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane project. Our initial design for that project included a new bike lane on the north side of Beacon Street between Mugar Way and Berkeley Street.
Pedestrians will benefit from this project in several ways.
- We will rebuild curb ramps that don’t meet current accessibility standards.
- We will make signal timing changes at the Beacon/Berkeley intersection meant to improve driver compliance and reduce pedestrian safety risks.
- Narrower travel lanes will encourage slower driving speeds and make crossing distances shorter.
- The repaved road surface will make crosswalks smoother.
We launched community engagement for the Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane project in Spring 2023. Those conversations influenced our upcoming work on Beacon Street. We hosted pop-up events, virtual office hours, a virtual public meeting, and meetings with abutters, institutions, and resident groups. We incorporated most of the feedback we got from local stakeholders, making major changes to the design as a result.
This fall, we will focus on letting stakeholders know about the upcoming work and answering questions. You can sign up for a 15-minute video chat or phone call with a project team member during our virtual office hours.
Curb ramps and landing areas will be concrete with red cast iron detectable warning panels. We will preserve existing brick areas around the ramps. This approach complies with Back Bay Historic District guidelines, which in all matters are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards.
Many drivers use the Beacon/Berkeley intersection to get to Storrow Drive. While we can't fix all traffic problems in the area with one project, we can make Beacon Street safer. We will change the road to have two lanes instead of three between Mugar Way and Berkeley Street. This will keep parking on both sides.
We used traffic modeling to inform this decision. Our modeling shows that the design changes will result in a minor increase in 95th percentile queue lengths during peak traffic times. This is considered an acceptable margin within traffic engineering standards.
You can review our traffic model and see more details and diagrams in the Final Design Report.
We’re committed to using the most accurate data to make our plans. Our traffic model is based on data from Fall 2022. We checked this data by looking at traffic in nearby places from 2019 to 2024. We used Streetlight data, which is aggregated data about real traffic patterns from smartphones, to verify our approach. You can read more about our analysis in the Final Design Report.
We found that traffic in the area has been relatively stable since Fall 2021. There was a small increase in traffic approaching the Beacon/Berkeley intersection between Fall 2022 and Fall 2024. This small change is normal, so we’re confident that data from Fall 2022 is accurate for our traffic model.
Previous project updates
UpdatesWe provided an update on upcoming design changes for Beacon Street between Arlington Street and Berkeley Street. We detailed how the revised design addresses many of the concerns raised by stakeholders while also advancing citywide safety and mobility goals.
We shared a concept design report in Summer 2024. We posted it on the project website.
On Thursday, May 2, 2024, we hosted a virtual public meeting to share an update on projects in the Back Bay neighborhood. The meeting was publicized on our project websites, via email to subscribers to the Boylston Street, Berkeley Street and Connect Downtown lists, and on Streets Cabinet social media channels. Additionally, Neighborhood Services and elected leaders publicized the meeting to local stakeholders.
Projects
Design completed - Construction update
- Boylston Street Bus and Bike Lane
- Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane - Modified
- Clarendon Street Bus Lane
In Design
- Beacon Street and Arlington Street - Modified
- Dartmouth Street Better Bike Lane - New
- Dartmouth/Stuart Safety Improvements - New
We share the data inputs and results of our traffic analysis to support the redesign of the Beacon Street/Berkeley Street intersection in Back Bay.
How we design traffic signals:
- Gather traffic data to understand current conditions.
- Use traffic modeling software to test different designs.
- Our goal is to find a balance between safety, access, and keeping traffic moving smoothly for everyone.
During the day, we will paint the new configuration with a longer-lasting material. We anticipate needing several days to complete the painting. Please look for posted signs to understand any parking restrictions associated with our work.
We will install flex posts to provide better guidance on parking locations. Please remember to park to the left of the buffer area.
We are working with our contractor to re-time the traffic signals this spring. We will give people walking a head-start before drivers are allowed to turn. We are also adjusting the signals so that the WALK light comes on automatically at almost every crosswalk.
SIGNSAdditional signage changes will come this spring as well. We will be adding turn restrictions for drivers at red lights and signs to remind everyone to look out for one another.
We begin implementing our plans during the winter of 2017-2018.
Pavement markings
- Expect work on Wednesday, December 20, through Friday, December 22. Parking will be restricted on the even side of Beacon Street.
- Crews will be working during daytime hours (7 a.m. - 3 p.m.) to implement the road diet from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue. Posted signs will include upcoming dates for work and fliers will be distributed in the neighborhood.
- We are focused on installing the "long lines" that will shift the parking lane to a new location. When they have completed a block, they will place cones in the buffer area. Please park to the left of the cones.
SIGNS
- We are scheduling crews to install additional signage over the winter months. Expect minor parking restrictions.
SIGNALS
- To include the pedestrian head-start at each intersection, we need new signal controllers and different signal faces. We have ordered the new equipment. We will install it as it arrives.
- At Beacon/Dartmouth, the signal changes require pavement marking changes on Dartmouth. We plan to install those pavement markings in the spring. We will change the signal shortly after that.
We hosted a drop-in meeting on October 2, 2017. More than 100 attendees reviewed the plans in detail and asked questions to the full design team. You can view the meeting materials below.
We summarized key data collected for the project. This includes the number of people walking and driving, traffic volume, and speeding drivers.
Existing and proposed signal sequences poster (PDF)We plan to have the WALK light appear automatically in most locations, while giving pedestrians a six-second head start.
View the pavement markings and curbside uses for Beacon Street. If you have proposals for curbside changes, email them to visionzero@boston.gov.
Outreach, education, and next steps poster (PDF)With the new design, we’re planning more outreach. We'll also continue to collect data.
Review Meeting Materials
- Presentation (PDF)
- Design Alternatives Poster (PDF) This poster reviews the four design options that we considered, and gives a summary of our thought process.
- Concept Design - Alternative 1 (PDF) This document shows the concept design broken out block by block. We've included information about proposed changes at each intersection.
Give your feedback
- Give us your feedback on the proposed design. We are collecting comments by email through June 30, 2017. E-mail your comments to us at visionzero@boston.gov. Please include your zip code and neighborhood.
- Take our bicycle connections survey. We want to know how you think we should connect the Beacon Street design to the rest of Boston's bike network.
We’ve put together a list of potential project objectives and a list of tools / interventions that can be used to reach the objectives.
We need to know your priorities so we can explore the right types of changes. Read through the potential objectives and tools / interventions and then share your priorities for Beacon St.
The Boston Transportation Department held a community meeting to discuss transportation safety improvements for Beacon Street. We collected ideas from people who walk, bike, and drive along Beacon Street to shape the project’s objectives and identify the design interventions that should be considered.
The Boston Transportation Department and the Boston Police Department attended a special meeting called by the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay to discuss pedestrian safety and ways to reduce speeds on Beacon Street.
Speed feedback signs give motorists instant feedback on how fast they are going and flash when a driver exceeds the speed limit.