Somerville Gets Funding For Street Safety Project

SOMERVILLE, MA — The city has been awarded $500,000 from Gov. Maura Healey and her administration to fund a redesign and construction project of an important roadway, Mayor Jake Wilson announced.

The plans for Somerville’s Western Pearl Street Project include reconstructing all the sidewalks along Pearl Street from Medford Street to McGrath Highway, along with approximately 20 feet into intersecting streets, repaving the street from sidewalk curb to sidewalk curb, adding accessible curb ramps to all existing crosswalks, installing safety improvements such as raised crosswalks and intersection extensions, identifying locations for new trees, replacing tree stumps, expanding the tree wells to support tree longevity, installing protected bicycle facilities, maximizing visibility at each intersection to increase the visibility for people driving turning or moving through the intersections, and exploring opportunities for new crossings.

The goal of the project is to improve safety and accessibility for drivers, walkers, bikers, and those on public transportation.

Wilson expressed his gratitude to state leadership for investing in the city.

“What makes this project truly special is that it was built from the ground up with our community. Residents, businesses, and neighbors told us what they needed from this street, and this design delivers that,” Wilson said. “From protected bike lanes to safer crossings to better bus stops, Western Pearl Street will be a model for what 21st-century street design looks like, and we couldn't be more excited to make that vision a reality.”

According to the city, the design process incorporated community input from surveys, email responses, open houses, small-business and community events, and other channels.

The Complete Streets Funding Program provides grants of up to $1 million to qualifying communities to make improvements that are meant to enhance safety for drivers and pedestrians alike.

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