The reboot of the long-awaited MassDOT project to remove the McCarthy Overpass from McGrath Highway and reconstruct the road as a multimodal boulevard is finally happening!
The project will replace the overpass with an at-grade urban boulevard approximately 1.5 miles long, extending from Broadway to Rufo Road (in Cambridge). The boulevard will include protected new pedestrian and bicycle facilities and a connection to the Somerville Community Path at the East Somerville GLX stop. It’ll also include trees!
Here is the preliminary design MassDOT presented at their McGrath Boulevard public meeting held on Tuesday 13 February.
You can comment on this draft plan by sending email to: massdotmajorprojects@dot.state.ma.us
This year MassDOT is advancing the project to the 25% design process. According to the timeline in the presentation, construction would begin in 2028.
Funding for the McGrath Boulevard project (#607981) will start in 2027, and is programmed in the Boston MPO’s FFYs 2024-2028 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).
Here’s StreetsBlog Mass take on the meeting and the presentation.
Refresher: the Grounding McGrath study of 2011.