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Boylston Street Better Bike And Bus Lane (Back Bay)

We are transforming this iconic Back Bay boulevard to prioritize people walking, improve service for 13,000 daily bus riders, manage curb access, and enhance safety for people on bikes.

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June 2024 construction update

We're excited to announce that construction on the Boylston Street Better Bus and Bike Lane project will start Sunday night, June 9th. Work will begin at Massachusetts Avenue and progress eastward towards Arlington Street until the project is completed.

Construction Details
  • Parking restrictions will be in place to accommodate the work, when needed. Please follow all posted signage.
  • Sidewalks will remain open to pedestrians.
  • Boston Police details have been requested to support traffic management for the nighttime work.
Construction Schedule
  • Striping, thermoplastic markings and flexpost installation will take place during overnight hours (11:00pm - 6:00am), weather permitting.
  • Long line thermoplastic markings will be installed first, followed by specialized markings and colored surfaces later.
  • Signal work and sign installation will take place during the day. 
  • We expect the entire project to be completed in about three weeks. 
Curb Regulations

Curb regulations will be updated to better serve businesses, reduce double parking, and manage high-volume pickup/drop-off activity. Signage reflecting these changes will be added as striping completes.

Thank you for your patience

We appreciate your patience during construction. As with any significant street change, we anticipate an adjustment period as users adapt to the new configuration. We will deploy parking enforcement resources as needed.

 

 

Organizing Boylston Street for all users

pedestrian crossing

bus stops

Park your bike

  1. We put pedestrians first. Boylston Street is at the core of a walkable, thriving, mixed residential and commercial district with great public spaces. We will shorten crossing distances, increasing safety. Where needed, we'll use traffic signals to separate pedestrians from turning vehicles. 
  2. Over 13,000 daily passengers use MBTA bus routes that run on Boylston Street for part of their route. Our planned bus lane on Boylston Street will improve reliability not just for Back Bay-bound riders, but for everyone who relies on these routes.
  3. Many people already bike on Boylston Street for everyday reasons like shopping, going to school, or commuting to work. They must contend with a busy street without a bike lane. As a result, several blocks of Boylston Street are high-crash corridors for people biking. We will make Boylston Street safer and more comfortable by adding separated bike lanes.
  4. We aim to keep vehicle traffic moving, safely. We will keep two general travel lanes on most of Boylston Street and add turning lanes where needed. 
  5. We will introduce new curb regulations to serve businesses, reduce double parking, and manage high-volume pickup/drop-off activity.
EVERYONE IN BOSTON DESERVES SAFE STREETS

The Boylston Street project is part of a bold plan for transforming Boston's streets to better serve people walking, rolling, and riding bikes. Over the next three years, we will expand our bike network so that 50% of residents will be a 3-minute walk from a safe and connected bike route.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR PLAN

Talk with us

Events

There are no related events available at this time!

Design

We have illustrated the final design plans for Boylston Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Street.

View the roll plan (PDF 8 MB)

Design details

MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE TO HEREFORD STREET
  • We're adding a separated bike lane going eastbound (towards Arlington Street) to the south side of the street.
  • We're keeping two travel lanes for motor vehicles in each direction.
  • We're keeping parking against the northern curb.
HEREFORD STREET TO RING ROAD
  • After Hereford Street, the bike lane moves to the north curb. Bicyclists will continue eastbound with Boylston Street traffic, then wait in the designated turn box at Dalton Street. On the next signal phase, they can proceed across Boylston Street to continue eastbound on the north side.
  • We're keeping two eastbound travel lanes for motor vehicles.
  • We're keeping parking on both sides of the street. On the northern side, the parking along the bike lane next to a striped buffer with flexible delineators.
RING ROAD TO DARTMOUTH STREET
  • At Ring Road, we will add a peak-time bus lane adjacent to parked cars on the southern curb. The bus lane will be in effect from 4 to 7 p.m. The bus lane moves next to the curb by the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library.
  • We're retaining accessible parking and curbside access to the Johnson Building of the Boston Public Library.
DARTMOUTH STREET TO ARLINGTON STREET
  • The bus lane runs along the southern curb, replacing on-street parking.
  • We're keeping two eastbound travel lanes for motor vehicles and providing a left turn pocket for vehicles turning onto Berkeley Street.
  • We're retaining parking adjacent to the bike lane to serving commercial uses on the north side of the street. 
  • The bus lane ends in advance of the temporary construction set-up at Arlington Street. Two travel lanes continue to Arlington Street.
  • When the construction is complete, the bus lane and separated bike lane will continue to Arlington Street.

Curb Regulations

As part of our work, we will introduce new curb regulations on Boylston Street. Our goals are to:

  • Better serve businesses
  • Reduce double parking
  • Manage high-volume pickup/drop-off activity.

We created this plan based in part on your feedback. We spoke with businesses along Boylston Street in the summer of 2023.

View the curb regulation plan (PDF 3.2 MB)

Past Updates

Updates

We will start construction of the Boylston Street bus and bike lane project in the coming weeks. Construction crews will notify abutters with flyers and post signs prior to work starting.

Following the completion of the bus and bike lane installation, construction crews will rebuild the sidewalk on the north side of Boylston Street, between Dartmouth Street and Clarendon Street.

Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other factors. Please pay attention to posted signage. Thank you for your patience and cooperation during construction!

On Thursday, May 2, 2024, we hosted a virtual public meeting to share an update on projects in the Back Bay neighborhood. The meeting was publicized on our project websites, via email to subscribers to the Boylston Street, Berkeley Street and Connect Downtown lists, and on Streets Cabinet social media channels. Additionally, Neighborhood Services and elected leaders publicized the meeting to local stakeholders.

Projects
Design completed - Construction update
  • Boylston Street Bus and Bike Lane
  • Berkeley Street Better Bike Lane - Modified
  • Clarendon Street Bus Lane
In Design
  • Beacon Street and Arlington Street - Modified
  • Dartmouth Street Better Bike Lane - New
  • Dartmouth/Stuart Safety Improvements - New

View the presentation (PDF)

Watch the meeting (YouTube video)

Watch the upcoming construction breakout group (YouTube video)

We hosted a series of in-person, outdoor events to meet with neighbors and passersby. 

  • Tuesday, May 23, 5-7 p.m. at the intersection of Berkeley Street and Tremont Street
  • Wednesday, May 24, noon - 2 pm. at the intersection of Boylston Street and Berkeley Street
  • Thursday, May 25, 8-10 a.m. at the intersection of Boylston Street and Gloucester Street
  • Saturday, May 27, 2-4 p.m. at the intersection of Berkeley Street and Commonwealth Avenue

Download the flyer

In May 2023, we shared a conceptual design plan for Boylston Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Arlington Street. We updated it with new details in July 2023. The conceptual design plan is archived here. For the final design plans, please see the design section above.

View the concept design plans (PDF)

In February 2023, we announced the project to residents and users of the corridor. We mailed postcards to over 2,250 households on Boylston and adjacent blocks. Later in February, we posted flyers on light poles, bikes, and cars on Boylston Street between Mass. Ave. and Arlington Street. We also sent an email to the project mailing list. 

Postcard

Flyer

To build on her commitment to create safe streets for all modes of transportation, Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) announced a 9.4 mile expansion of bike lanes providing key connections within the City’s existing bike network. To do this, Boston is expanding Bluebikes to accommodate rising demand, designing traffic-calmed streets by building speed humps and raised crosswalks, and hiring more staff to aid in the design process.

The announcement was covered by local news outlets.

READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE

Mayor Michelle Wu in a school gymnasium delivering a press conference about bike network expansion; she is flanked by cabinet staff and community organizers.

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