Rte. 9 Pedestrian, Bicycle Crossing Project Approved

Brookline is looking into making Route 9 a more pedestrian and bicyclist-friendly area. Getting across Route 9 is no easy task and the Board of Selectmen is hoping to make it less dangerous.

The Department of Public Works and the Department of Community Planning and Development are working on the Washington Street/Route 9 Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossing Project, which would enhance and improve multi-use pathways from Olmsted Park to the Riverway.

This project came to life when the Emerald Necklace Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing group first proposed their preliminary recommendations to the Board of Selectmen on November 27, 2012.

The objectives of this project are to increase the connection between the Emerald Necklace Parks, improve the ability for bikers and pedestrians to get across Route 9 at Washington Street and make the area more attractive and livable.

“This has been something the town has wanted to remedy for a long time now,” Director of Parks and Open Spaces Erin Gallentine said. “We had over a year-long process of public meetings. We had a great participation with Boston Parks, Boston Transportation, the Department of Conservation and Recreation. We have the right partners on board.”

The adjustments would affect Pond Avenue, across Washington Street and down River Road.

Todd Kirrane, Brookline's transportation director, told the Board of Selectmen that the area of River Road on the Brookline Avenue side was considered for a new on/off ramp because of the inefficient long crosswalk in this area. “The very long crosswalk at the end of River Road meant more time for pedestrians to have issues or conflicts with vehicles,” Kirrane said. “We observed that a lot of cars make quick sweeps on to River Road, making it unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists.”

Kirrane suggested the town approve a T-ing Off the intersection of River Road and Brookline Avenue, which would shorten the distance bikers and pedestrians have to go to cross Route 9. This would force vehicles to come to a complete stop before making the turn.

“The goal here is to create a safe path for bikers and pedestrians to get across Route 9, to River Road and down to Brookline Avenue or vice versa,” Kirrane said. “Our goal is also not to add more congestion at this intersection.”

The approximate cost to construct the current road to a two-lane road with a seven foot parking lane on each side and an 11-foot shared use pathway would be about $625,000.

“When we met with the local businesses, we discussed the trade offs between being able to create more of a buffer between the pathway and the road in order to create green space,” Kirrane said. “They were open to further discussions to determine if they were willing to lose a few parking spaces to beautify the area.” 

The shared pathways would not be marked to designate where bicycles and pedestrians would walk, much like the layout of the Esplanade in Boston.

The other objective is to make realignments on Pond Avenue to make that area safer for pedestrians and drivers alike. The idea would put a raised crosswalk for pedestrians and bikers, which would put an island in.

In order to ensure safe crossing, Kirrane said that they would have to adjust the signal on Washington Street. “We propose that we realign the system here with a pedestrian activated push button on the traffic signal,” Kirrane said. “Unlike the pedestrian actuated signals, which instantly changes the light signal, this would place a call into the phasing.”

“In order to make sure that the traffic didn’t back up into the South Huntington or Brookline Avenue area, we wanted to make sure we had enough cueing space,” Kirrane said.

The Board of Selectmen approved the pedestrian-activated crossing at Washington Street and the limited improvements to Pond Avenue and the Riverway Access at River Road.