City Seeking Input on Broadway Improvements

The city is improving Broadway from City Hall to Williams Street, based in part on the input of Chelsea residents.

Re-imagining Broadway is a planning effort led by the City of Chelsea to develop strategies to improve access, safety, and mobility for all users of downtown Chelsea. This project is more than a traffic and circulation analysis and redesign for Downtown Chelsea; it also considers how that redesign will support businesses, residents, shoppers, workers, students, and all other travelers, according to city officials.

“This is a continuation of the effort of Reimagine Broadway and this is going to include major reconstruction of Broadway from Fay Square near City Hall all the way to the courthouse,” said City Manager Thomas Ambrosino. “It is a federal highway project, so there is going to be a required 25 percent public meeting, probably coming up in the next six months or so. That is the meeting where we will officially get people’s comments on the proposed design, but this is just an effort to informally see what people are thinking.”

Ambrosino said the plans have been in the works for several years and there has already been substantial input from the public and the City Council.

“We’re just trying to get a little bit more in advance of the federally required public hearing and that always occurs at 25 percent design,” said Ambrosino.

The project is being designed in conjunction with the MassDOT, much like the recent Upper Broadway project from City Hall to the Revere line, according to Ambrosino.

Residents can visit the website at tinyurl.com/362spnhp to tell the city what they imagine Broadway could be.

According to MssDOT, work includes the permanent addition of the Downtown Broadway Bus/Bike Lane Pilot, and the completion of these projects will carry out the 2018 City of Chelsea Re-imagining Broadway Plan.

Some of the other proposed improvements include the addition of bike boxes at signalized intersections to increase safety and visibility for cyclists, and the installation of flashing pedestrian beacons. Intersections that do not have a traffic signal will see the installation of overhead flashing beacons in addition to stop signs to improve the visual warnings for drivers.

Planned improvements also include widened bus stops and sidewalks.

The project will be advertised for contractors in mid-2024 and is slated for completion in 2026, according to MassDOT.

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