Boston PIC Advances Five Street Projects, Sets January 30 Public Hearings

BOSTON -- January 16, 2025, Boston's Public Improvement Commission advanced five street improvement petitions at its January 16 hearing, scheduling public hearings for all items on January 30. The most significant project, a joint Transportation and Public Works Department proposal for Tremont Street and Charles Street South, would eliminate a median to install a continuous protected bike lane, reduce traffic from three lanes to one on a portion of Charles Street South, and rebuild pedestrian ramps throughout Boston Proper; Chair Yashar Franklin-Hodge ordered a feasibility study on a non-compliant ramp near a school crossing at Marginal Road before the commission proceeds. The MBTA secured an exception to the city's standard concrete sidewalk requirement for its Charlestown Yard accessibility project, which covers Arlington, Dorrance, and Beecham streets and is funded entirely by the authority for more than 1,000 employees. At 655 Dorchester Avenue in South Boston, Verizon New England, Comcast, and Astound filed a joint conduit petition supporting the Mary Ellen McCormick development; Franklin-Hodge requested at least two city shadow conduits in the build, up from the standard one, and said Comcast may seek four conduits of its own rather than the two shown on current plans.