Dedham, Boston Launch Action Plan For Highway Corridor

Press release from the Town of Dedham:

December 21, 2020

The Town of Dedham and City of Boston have launched a community process to assess transportation and safety needs along the VFW Parkway/Providence Highway corridor.

The project will evaluate how to meet the travel and safety needs of all users, including motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, local residents and area businesses. As part of the launch, the municipalities are asking residents and businesses to take a survey on what should be addressed.

The action plan, made possible through funding secured by Sen. Michael Rush and Rep. Paul McMurtry, will concentrate on the roadway between the intersection of Spring Street and VFW Parkway in West Roxbury and the Marine Rotary at Washington Street in Dedham. Designed primarily as a higher-speed vehicle corridor, the area has almost no accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists or transit riders.

The study will develop short- and long-term recommendations for improving safe access to shops, schools, nearby neighborhoods, transit and recreational areas—including the Charles River and Mother Brook, which are adjacent to the VFW Parkway and Providence Highway, but have few connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

“This study is the first step in developing a new vision for the VFW Parkway and Providence Highway in Dedham and West Roxbury,” said Sen. Rush.

“I’m pleased to join Sen. Rush to fund and facilitate a discussion on transforming a major gateway into Dedham, combining safe accessible routes for pedestrians and vehicles, while also highlighting the incredible beauty and natural resources along the Charles River,” said Rep. McMurtry.

“We must implement comprehensive, multimodal improvements in our communities if we want to address traffic congestion, climate change and the safety needs of all users,” said City of Boston Chief of Streets Chris Osgood.

"Our goal is create a vision for this corridor that will resonate with the community,” said Dedham Town Manager Leon Goodwin. “Public input and community engagement will be essential to create a successful plan for improvements.”

Dedham and Boston have launched the study by asking residents, businesses and other users of the corridor to take a survey and provide their vision for the corridor and what problems they would like to have addressed. The information from the survey will be used to determine which potential improvements will be evaluated in the action plan, anticipated to be completed in summer 2021.

Local residents, business owners and other stakeholders are encouraged to complete this survey at www.mapc.ma/VFWProvidenceStudySurvey.

A map of the corridor and other background information can be found at www.mapc.org/dedham-boston-corridor-plan.

The Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) will lead the transportation analysis. CTPS will work with an advisory committee to identify corridor issues and pinpoint locations for improvement; collect, gather, and analyze data; and recommend improvements. The committee includes representatives from Dedham, Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and others.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is leading outreach and community engagement for the study. MAPC is also currently leading the Designing Dedham 2030 master planning process.

For more information please contact:

• Dedham Planning Director Jeremy Rosenberger, 781- 751-9241
• Jack Duggan, Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s West Roxbury Liaison, 617-635-4818
• MAPC Senior Transportation Planner Travis Pollack, 617-933-0793

This press release was produced by the Town of Dedham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.