Bike Protections Added To McGrath Highway Safety Changes

SOMERVILLE, MA — MassDOT has committed to additional protections for bicyclists as part of the road diet and resurfacing project on McGrath Highway.

In a letter shared by State Rep. Mike Connolly, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver agreed to physically separate bike lanes from traffic lanes following advocacy from Connolly and other local legislators.

"The flex posts typically used to provide separation, although effective, do represent a maintenance issue," Gulliver wrote. "Because the project area already has a wide buffered area between the bike path and the travel lanes I have asked our staff to use the corridor to pilot some alternative separation treatments to flex posts."

MassDOT expects to install the separators in fall 2022 and will work to establish the locations and parameters of the pilot prior to installation. The separators will remain in place from Nov. 15 to April 15 – the start and end of snow and ice season. There will be a buffer for cyclists that ranges from 2-7 feet along the corridor during the winter.

The McGrath Highway project includes a lane reduction to create the space necessary for the bike lanes, with the main goal of reducing speeds through the corridor.