By Adam Swift
Students, pedestrians, and motorists could soon feel safer traveling near the Beachmont Elementary School, thanks to the Safe Routes to School program.
Thanks to a mix of state and federal funds, the city is designing traffic safety improvements near the school as part of the program.
At a public hearing on the design plans last week, MassDOT (the state transportation department), and city officials provided an update on the design plans for the project and the timeline for implementation. The final design of the project is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with construction beginning in the summer of 2027 and taking about one construction season, according to MassDOT officials.
The project aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle access around the Beachmont School, improve safety for all users, and provide ADA-compliant curb ramps and sidewalks in the vicinity of the school, according to project manager Greg Lucas of the engineering firm Tighe & Bond.
“The project is located at the Beachmont Veterans Memorial School and the surrounding neighborhood along Everard Street, Belle Isle Avenue, and Crescent Avenue,” said Lucas. “The work is focused on sections of sidewalk, curb ramp and crosswalk improvements in the streets surrounding the school. Due to Safe Routes to School project funding requirements, the project does not touch or impact the state highway layout of Bennington Street.”
Improvements to the intersection of Bennington Street and Everard Street are being addressed through a separate MassDOT project, Lucas added.
Lucas provided a brief overview of the existing conditions of the streets around the school, which includes areas with inconsistent curbing, steep cross slopes, missing warning panels at existing curb ramps, and pedestrian crossings with inconsistent or missing markings.
In addition, Lucas said the crosswalk at the intersection of Crescent and Winthrop avenues is excessively long at 120 feet.
Under the Safe Routes to School program, which the city previously used for a project at the Garfield Elementary School, Lucas said pedestrian facilities should match applicable accessibility requirements and provide the minimum accessible clear paths of travel.
“Ramps and crosswalks should be present where there’s a desire for pedestrians to cross,” said Lucas. “Our proposed project is intended to rebuild and improve the project area so that walking, biking, and school access conditions are safer, clearer, and more consistent.”
Overall, an effort has been made to retain existing roadway operations and limit impacts to on-street parking in the project area.
The preferred alternative option for the project on Everard Street includes a proposed 10-foot wide shared-use path along the street in front of the school, with the path transitioning back to the sidewalk at Cottage Street.
“The eastern school driveway opening will be narrowed and a cub bump out will be provided across Everard Street,” said Lucas. “The existing vehicle operations at Everard Street will be maintained. The only on-street parking loss as part of the design will be two spaces at Frederick’s Park near the intersection with Cottage Street.
Along Belle Isle Avenue, street parking will continue to be permitted on both sides of the road.
“Sidewalks will be reconstructed at the existing widths with new granite curbs and new pedestrian curb ramps being provided,” said Lucas. “New signage and new pavement markings will also be provided.”
A new crossing will be constructed across Everard Street at the intersection with Belle Isle Avenue, along with a new center line added on the avenue to help align vehicles properly at the intersection, he added.
“The proposed work on Crescent Avenue was limited to curb ramp pedestrian crossing improvements,” said Lucas, with two additional crossing locations being added across Crescent Avenue.
The long crosswalk at the intersection of Crescent and Winthrop avenues will include a median island to provide additional pedestrian safety.
The project design calls for 10 permanent easements and 12 temporary easements across 15 properties, according to MassDOT officials. However, the majority of the easements are on existing sidewalks and curbings and the easements are required to improve those areas. Once the design nears completion later this year, city officials will contact property owners about those easements.