Remember the McGrath Boulevard project? It’s still in the works!

MassDOT is slated to resurface McGrath Highway soon and remove one lane of traffic in each direction as a road diet to repurpose the lanes as buffered bike lanes. In parallel, MassDOT is also advancing the McGrath Boulevard project to 25% design. Recap: The McGrath Boulevard project will remove the McCarthy Overpass section of McGrath Highway and replace it with a street-level multimodal boulevard. The conceptual design was the result of MassDOT's consensus-driven process with the Somerville community and other regional stakeholders between 2015-2018. When the project reaches 25% design, MassDOT will initiate public outreach and opportunities for community feedback. View the official project page. The McGrath Boulevard project (#607981) is identified in the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Destination 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan in the FFY 2025-2030 timeframe. 

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Highway justice for people: Mystic & McGrath rally Wednesday, May 26

JOIN:Congresswoman Ayanna PressleyState Reps Christine Barber, Mike ConnollyMayor Joe CurtatoneCity Councillors Matt McLaughlin (Ward 1), Jesse Clingan (Ward 4)...to demand that MassDOT prioritize the safety of people over the speed of cars. Tell MassDOT to: Accelerate McGrath/Mystic Ave. improvementsCreate Blakeley Ave. crosswalk NOWEnact traffic calming measures nowErect sound barriers along Rte. I-93 to reduce noise pollution RALLY 6pmMeet at the corner of McGrath Hwy. and Broadway at the former gas station lot (empty lot across from Foss Park). Attendees must follow Somerville's Covid-19 mask and social distancing policy. Organized by Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets (somervillesafestreets@gmail.com)

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McGrath overpass is probably coming down and here are the latest plans

At a public meeting in late May, the State shared the latest thinking on bringing down the McGrath Highway overpass and replacing it with something more friendly. Download the presentation to see details on current construction, the traffic study, current planning on ped, bike, and transit modes, and much more. Also check out the official MassDOT project website and a quick project fact sheet.

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Stop MassDOT from repairing Somerville’s McCarthy overpass

A Somerville Journal guest column
It seems like the same old story for our city. The state continues delaying the long-promised Green Line but pushes unwanted repair of the McCarthy overpass ahead of completing the planning study to remove the overpass despite strong opposition from community. We still have one small hope of removing this overpass – a public hearing is scheduled for next Thursday.

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STEP letter on McGrath overpass repair and de-elevation

Sent to the Board of Directors of MassDOT
As residents of Somerville advocating for good transportation for our city and the region, we are writing to express our dismay over the rush to repair the McCarthy Overpass on the McGrath Highway. It was with frustration and incredulity that we just recently heard of the decision by MassDOT to rush to repair the Overpass despite the strong objections of residents of Somerville and Cambridge. The fact that there was no public involvement with the community with Mass DOT about the impact of the repairs on travel in the area is completely unacceptable especially when compared to the significant community engagement that took place when the same roadway was closed for repairs at the Museum of Science and for the traffic restrictions due to repairs on the Longfellow Bridge.

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Op-ed on McGrath Highway and the Green Line

Boston Globe: "A hope of renewal for Somerville" "At best, the old elevated McGrath highway will hem in any economic activity following the Green Line extension, creating a barrier that impedes new business from spreading to a section of town badly in need of it. At worst, by severing neighborhoods and stifling physical connections, the McGrath could severely dampen the potential of a classic transit-oriented development opportunity."

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