The sidewalk along northwest corner of the Brookline St./Dedham St. intersection is currently unpassable, due to the large construction project to rebuild the stretch of Dedham St. that includes the Brookline St., Carlson Ave., and Nahanton St. intersections. But, there is no protected pedestrian alternative. You stumble along in the dirt or you walk in the road — at your peril.
It should simply be standard procedure that any time a stretch of sidewalk is under construction that a protected path be created, even if it means installing Jersey barriers to create a safe walkway in the street. At this particular intersection, the opening is over 75 feet wide: plenty of space for the two travel lanes, a pedestrian path, and some sort of barrier. Even if there weren’t, the Department of Public Works needs to create space for pedestrians, even if it means narrowing the intersection to one lane and detouring vehicle traffic.
As the video illustrates, the dug-up sidewalk without a safe alternative created a risk for at least the weekend. The risk is not just that someone might get hurt. Perhaps as importantly, the failure to provide a safe passage acts to discourage people from walking in their neighborhood.
I couldn’t agree more. Also, the City has not properly monitored this work site. I go by this intersection multiple times a day. It has become a hodgepodge of unfilled and filled patches with stones everywhere. Also equipment is left that blocks the visual ability to make a left turn onto Dedham St. coming from Nahanton. Hopefully, City officials will read this and take the appropriate action(s).
Every work site in the City of Cambridge has to file a pedestrian, and bicycle as well as motor vehicle traffic accommodation plan for every stage of their work. The plans are reviewed every day by the Public Works site inspector, and he or she has the power to shut down the site if the plan isn’t followed. These plans are also ADA compliant.
There’s no reason Newton can’t do the same. When Public Works redid the sidewalks on Comm Ave last year, the sidewalks were impassible for weeks. Signs said “sidewalk closed, use other side”, pointing across the street to the median without a crosswalk.
We can do better.
Wow, that’s our corner! Thanks for posting this! And there’s a 52 bus stop there (on the Dedham St. side of the corner), so it’s not as if there’s no pedestrian traffic there.
In fairness I’d also point out that prior to construction there was a tunnel of overhanging shrubbery that made it almost impossible for anyone over the height of 5 feet to pass – https://goo.gl/maps/2LsbXrnXPAr
While we’re on this topic, could DPW please also take a look at finally adding sidewalks along Nahanton St. toward Needham? With the possible exception of the Upper Falls, it’s almost impossible to safely cross the Charles River and 128 between Needham and Newton as a pedestrian or cyclist. Especially since:
1) The Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting Members of Needham have consistently acted like a bunch of dotards with respect to extending the Upper Falls Greenway across the Charles and 128, and
2) MassDOT came up with a ridiculous design for the recently-completed reconstruction of the Needham-Dedham bridge over Long Ditch, which called for only ONE sidewalk, and then they proceeded to put it on the wrong side of the bridge, across a 50-mph street from the DCR’s Blue Heron Trail and connected to absolutely no other sidewalks whatsoever.
I walk a lot from Needham to Boston, and I’d say that the only moderately safe choice for pedestrians is via the muddy paths of Cutler Park and the Needham Line MBTA rail bridge to Millennium Park, which requires a railroad track crossing – obviously, not a great option.
Needham and Newton have turned 128 and the Charles River into a five-mile long Grand Canyon for pedestrians and cyclists. If the N² initiative is to succeed, the two towns need to connect Kendrick and Nahanton with sidewalks and REAL cycling infrastructure, as well as the Upper Falls Greenway to Needham Heights, ASAP.
The week just prior to April school vacation, DPW performed much needed emergency sidewalk repairs to the main walking route to Bowen, with absolutely no accommodations for pedestrians. Granite curbing was left balanced on its side. The area was eventually tied off with tape, so kids weren’t even supposed to walk through the dirt, but instead left to walk in the street. Police patrols showed up only after complaints from residents. This stuff needs to be part of the plan. It also might have made more sense to time the work during school vacation, but I’m sure the scheduling isn’t that simple.
https://twitter.com/apeller/status/984414101031063553
Quick follow up on @Michael’s point regarding the shrubbery – There are examples like this throughout the City of sidewalks that have been dangerously narrowed due to shrubs and hedges overgrowing their original positions. I had heard somewhere that this is a 311-able issue and that Inspectional Services would respond with a notice to the homeowner. Has anyone had experience with this?
In the cross-municipal reporting app SeeClickFix, the category is “Brush/Bushes obstructing sidewalk”.
Yes, we had this situation for years along a sidewalk on our street, which is a Burr walk-to-school route. The homeowner repeatedly allowed the 8-10 foot tall hedges to encroach several feet into and over the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to walk single file or in the street. And no, this was not a hardship issue. Reporting it to the city was successful in that eventually the hedges would be cut back, either by the homeowner or the city (if the homeowner did not comply), but each time it was a long, drawn out process (weeks to months.) But at least the 311 app made it easier to report. In any case, the issue was only solved for good when the house was sold.
Yes. Log encroachment to 311.
Thanks, @Tricia
We need better management of these road construction projects throughout the City. I live on Nahanton Street and the neighbors have not been kept apprised of what has been almost daily road work construction (for the last 5 months) with detours and traffic back-ups. Just over a year ago, Dedham St. was repaved and now it is being dug up. There needs to be coordination between the Utility Companies and the City. This has been a mismanaged project.
Last year during the summer and fall, drivers coming southbound down Winchester Street, approaching Nahanton Street, originally had separate lanes for left turns and right turns. After Winchester Street was hot-in-place recycled and microsurfaced last summer and fall, and after the road was restriped, the person or people who restriped Winchester Street did not make separate lanes for left turns and right turns from Winchester onto Nahanton. Because there is only one shared lane for both left and right turns at the end of Winchester Street, drivers turning right onto Nahanton Street often drive in the bike lane, and drivers turning left onto Nahanton Street can possibly cross the double yellow line. I would actually like to see Winchester Street have 2 southbound lanes between the 4-way STOP signs at Rachel Road/Goddard Street, and the lights at Nahanton Street because that section of Winchester Street can have congested traffic.