Work begins on traffic-calming re-do of Centre Street in West Roxbury

A contractor hired by BTD has begun tearing up pedestrian crossings along Centre Street in West Roxbury as the first phase of a project that will reconfigure the road from four car travel lanes to two, with new center turning lanes, pedestrian crossings and dedicated bike lanes along the sidewalks, protected from traffic by parked cars.

New configuration between Corey and Maple (pink, purple and blue are parking spaces, with bike lanes next to the curb):

City officials say the work will make the neighborhood's main shopping street safer for not just pedestrians and bicyclists but for motorists as well. They say this is in part by slowing speeders, in part by reducing the chances of bicyclists and motorcyclists getting hit and of pedestrians getting flattened in "double threat" crashes - where one driver stops to allow a pedestrian cross only to watch in horror as somebody in the other lane slams into the person. Motorists will also find it easier to make left turns, city planners say.

Opponents, who have sprinkled the neighborhood with orange-and-yellow protest signs, say they resent a bunch of outsiders, some even from Cambridge, and some with evil intent for bucolic West Roxbury by telling them what's best for their neighborhood and saying maybe if bicyclists obeyed traffic signals, they wouldn't have so much to worry about.

For the next two to three weeks, workers from DeRoma Construction, who have already torn up and marked - in neon pink - crossings between roughly Holy Name Rotary and Lagrange Street - will ensure all the crosswalks and ramps are ADA compliant. Next, the city says:

Once completed, contractors will begin milling and resurfacing the road from Bellevue St. to Belgrade Ave. and marking lanes for the updated configuration.

The latest specs for the new configuration include four-foot wide bike lanes next to the curb with three-foot buffer strips separating them from parking lanes, a dedicated left-turn lane from Belgrade Avenue onto Centre and converting a number of parking spaces along Centre from two- or four-hour spots to "short term parking spaces for pickup/dropoff, delivery, and loading operations" - for example, in front of the take-out places around the corner from Belgrade Avenue and Manthorne Street (more details on the parking changes).

Also, pedestrian signals will no longer require push activation. Instead, pedestrians will get "Walk" signals to go with green lights for cross streets - but with "leading pedestrian intervals" so that walkers get a head start. The one exception will be at Lagrange Street, where pedestrians will still need to push a crossing button.

The Walsh administration first proposed a similar project in 2019 following the death of a woman walking across Centre at the intersection show in the top photo, but withdrew the plans after a group of outraged West Roxbury residents began a campaign that included anonymous mailings to West Roxbury and Roslindale residents about "the bicycle lobby" conspiring to "ruin our neighborhood."

The Wu administration revived the basic idea earlier this year as part of a citywide effort to make major roads safer.

In July, opponents and proponents held dueling rallies several blocks apart on Centre. One opponent unfurled a large "Don't Tread on Me" flag.

Project overview and updates from BTD.