Congress Street in Fort Point
We are reconstructing Congress Street, Sleeper Street, and A Street in the Fort Point neighborhood to be safer and more vibrant for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
With the help of the Fort Point neighborhood, we are planning to improve Congress Street between Sleeper Street and Boston Wharf Road, A Street between Congress Street and Melcher Street, and Sleeper Street between Congress Street and Seaport Boulevard. We will be building streets that are safe, convenient, and comfortable for everyone, while meeting the needs of residents and businesses. This project will include:
- new, accessible sidewalks
- safer crosswalks
- street-light upgrades
- street trees and landscaping, and
- separated bike lanes
Background
After completion of the Central Artery project, “The Big Dig”, the City committed to investing in key neighborhood connector streets divided by the elevated highway including:
- Causeway Street
- Broad Street
- Summer Street, and
- Congress Street.
Congress Street is an important connection between South Station, the Fort Point neighborhood, and the South Boston Waterfront. It's the final of these four streets to be redesigned.
Through years of engagement, community members in Fort Point and Seaport advocated to expand the scope of the project to include safety improvements on Sleeper Street and A Street, north of Melcher Street. Following the tragic death of Gracie Gancheva on March 24, 2024, the neighboring communities shared a clear priority: Additional, long-term safety improvements must be implemented on Sleeper Street.
Final Design
Based on a series of public meetings, advocacy, and feedback from the community, the final design for this project prioritizes safety for all users. In particular, the project focuses on:
- minimizing conflicts at the intersections
- protecting vulnerable road users
- calming traffic, and
- implementing safer crossings.
Some of the key elements you will find in our final design include:
- Wider, more accessible sidewalks and ADA-compliant ramps
- Shorter, more visible crossings
- Separated and protected bike lanes
- Street light upgrades, additional benches, and bike racks
- Green infrastructure, including additional tree pits and landscaping
- Repaved roadways within the project area for a smoother surface
Congress Street Details
The final design for Congress Street includes:
- Wider sidewalks and reconstructed pedestrian ramps.
- Space for outdoor dining, additional tree pits, and a more comfortable pedestrian experience.
- Shorter and safer pedestrian crossings through use of curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands, and raised crosswalks across Sleeper and Farnsworth Streets.
- Bike lanes that are grade-separated from the sidewalk and have a hardened island protecting people biking from vehicle travel lanes.
- On-street parking to enable safe pick-up and drop-off of goods and people within the commercial district.
- Green infrastructure that sustainably manages stormwater and combats the urban heat island effect with additional tree canopy and landscaping with native species.
- Upgraded street furnishing and amenities such as street lighting that utilizes the Fort Point fixture to preserve the history of the neighborhood and additional bike racks and benches.
Sleeper Street Details
Following the tragic death of Gracie Gancheva on March 24, 2024, we implemented rapid response safety improvements on Sleeper Street and at the intersection with Congress Street as an interim measure. Community conversations following the pediatric fatality led to additional questions and discussion about the long-term design.
The final design for Sleeper Street will reflect the outcomes of these conversations and include:
- Significantly wider sidewalks and compliant curb ramps for accessible pedestrian travel, including for those using mobility devices or pushing strollers.
- On-street parking for resident use.
- Space for new tree pits and benches contributing to a more comfortable pedestrian experience.
- Raised crosswalks across Sleeper Street at Martin's Park and the Congress Street Intersection.
- Curb extensions to create shorter, more visible pedestrian crossings, and slow vehicles by narrowing the roadway.
- Speed humps that promote safe vehicle travel speeds of 20 mph or less.
- A new northbound contraflow bike lane and shared southbound bike lane to connect two critical corridors in the existing bike infrastructure network.
A Street Details
The newly built A Street between Congress Street and Melcher Street will include:
- Expanded and reconstructed sidewalks to provide ample space for pedestrians.
- Repaved roadway and fresh pavement markings.
- The extension of the existing separated bike lane on A Street will make a critical network connection to Congress Street to ensure a safer ride.
- Reconstructed sidewalks on sections of Melcher Street will provide additional parking spaces for the neighborhood.
Other projects on nearby streets
Boston Wharf Road
As part of a suite of mitigation contributions, the developments at Boston Wharf Road and Congress Streets, the Developer has fully reconstructed the intersection of Boston Wharf Road and Congress Street to provide physical and signalized safety improvements for all users. The roadways have been repaved and restriped, new street lighting installed, accessible pedestrian ramps rebuilt, and network traffic considerations coordinated with Congress Street corridor project and other nearby infrastructure changes.
Melcher Street
The proponents of 51 Melcher Street are building curb extensions and accessible crosswalks at the intersection of Melcher Street and A Street, building a compliant sidewalk from their building to A Street, and funding accessibility improvements for the southern sidewalk, east of site approaching Summer Street. Sections of sidewalk on Melcher Street will be reconstructed to expand curbside uses including parking.
Previous Meetings
Previous MeetingsOn February 19, 2025, we host a virtual meeting with the Seaport Neighborhood Association. In the meeting, we discussed:
- An overview of the proposed design elements for Congress Street and A Street
- The revised recommendations for Sleeper Street including:
- A one-way southbound circulation pattern
- Traffic calming elements including speed humps and raised crosswalks
- On-street parking and designated loading spaces
- A contraflow bike lane, which will create a key connection within the existing bike network
- The safety benefits of a one-way Sleeper Street, including:
- Minimizes conflicts at intersections for all users by nearly 50%
- Prioritizes pedestrians by allowing for a widened sidewalk, shorter crossings, and improved sightlines
- Eliminates uncontrolled vehicle movements across the crosswalk
On January 28, 2025, we held a meeting with the Fort Point Neighborhood Association at the Boston Children’s Museum at 308 Congress Street. In the meeting, we discussed:
- An overview of the proposed design elements for Congress Street and A Street
- The revised recommendations for Sleeper Street including:
- A one-way southbound circulation pattern
- Traffic calming elements including speed jumps and raised crosswalks
- On-street parking and designated loading spaces
- A contraflow bike lane, which will create a key connection within the existing bike network
- The safety benefits of a one-way Sleeper Street, including:
- Minimizes conflicts at intersections for all users by nearly 50%
- Prioritizes pedestrians by allowing for a widened sidewalk, shorter crossings, and improved sightlines
- Eliminates uncontrolled vehicle movements across the crosswalk
On June 5, 2023, we hosted a virtual meeting to discuss the wider sidewalks on A Street. In the meeting, we covered:
- Context for the project, including current and planned transit and biking networks
- The City's design goals for A Street
- Multiple options for allocating space between the wider sidewalks, including:
- Changing the number of travel lanes (we will pursue this option)
- Changing the direction of A Street to one-way northbound (we will not pursue this option)
- Variations on possible bike lanes on A Street
In our public meeting on November 16, 2022, we shared the final design for Congress Street.
On May 26, 2022, we hosted a public meeting. We talked about the City's approach to street design, including how we design signalized intersections, accessible sidewalks, bike facilities, and more.
We shared our preferred design for Congress Street. We plan to provide more room for people walking, create safe opportunities to cross the street, allow for some on-street curb access, build separated bike lanes, and plant new street trees.
The graphics represent an informed design, but are not final. We are gathering feedback through June 17, 2022.
Below, you can view the graphics we shared at a public meeting on May 26, 2022. These graphics are not final.
On February 28, 2022, we hosted a public meeting. We talked about the history of this project and shared how other ongoing projects and plans impact our design options.
We shared three ideas for how we could redesign Congress Street. In every option, we can provide more room for people walking, create safe opportunities to cross the street, and plant new street trees. In some, we show what is possible if we retain more parking or if we add separated bike lanes.
These concepts are not the final design, but meant to start a conversation. We are gathering feedback through March 21, 2022.
OPTION A INCLUDES:
- Raised crosswalks over the side streets
- Wider sidewalks with room for street trees and some outdoor dining
- On-street parking and deliveries
OPTION B INCLUDES:
- Raised crosswalks over the side streets
- Maximized sidewalk widths with lots of space for street trees, outdoor dining, and other street furniture
OPTION C INCLUDES:
- Raised crosswalks over the side streets
- Wider sidewalks with room for street trees and some outdoor dining
- Separated bike lanes
After our meeting, we visited Congress Street multiple times to meet with business owners and staff. We asked about their use the street for deliveries and curbside pick-up. We also accepted feedback via email or online form. We sought their input through April, 2022.
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