Much-Needed Traffic Upgrades Planned for Needham Street

Construction to improve traffic along parts of Needham Street and Highland Avenue could begin as early as 2018, according to the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce.

Funds to upgrade the busy stretch of road were approved by the Boston Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization on July 30.

The vote to approve the funds means the project could get started by 2018.

“Businesses and residents have been waiting decades for a solution to the traffic nightmares along Needham Street and Highland Avenue,” Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce President Grieg Reibman said in an online statement.

Those working on the project’s designs still have much to smooth over, but previously proposed plans indicate the work would take place between Webster Street in Needham to Route 9 on Newton, a two-mile stretch. 

The plan calls for the widening of Needham Street and Highland Avenue. The widening of the sidewalks along the streets, the creation of bike lanes and installation crossing signals are planned as well.