Public Hearing Notice  Newton - Reconstruction of Commonwealth Ave (Route 30), From East of Auburn Street to Ash Street

A Live Virtual Design Public Hearing will be hosted on the MassDOT website below to present the design for the proposed Reconstruction of Commonwealth Ave (Route 30), From East of Auburn Street to Ash Street project in Newton, MA.

Purpose:

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed Reconstruction of Commonwealth Ave (Route 30), From East of Auburn Street to Ash Street project. All views and comments submitted in response to the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

Proposal:

The proposed project consists of improvements to Route 30 (Commonwealth Avenue) and the adjacent carriageway with the goal of improving safety, accessibility, and multimodal connectivity. The project begins at the easternmost driveway of the Boston Marriott Hotel, meeting the project limits for MassDOT Project #110980, and ends at Ash Street. For the entire project limits, a two-way separated bike lane and sidewalk will be constructed on the north side. For the segment from the hotel to Woodbine Street, this is accomplished by relocating the westbound barrel of the roadway south of the median to re-purpose the space on the north side for multimodal accommodations. East of Woodbine Street, the existing 22-foot carriageway will be converted to exclusive pedestrian and bicycle facilities. In front of Lyon’s Field, vehicular access will be maintained but there will be circulation changes as Ash Street will be reconstructed as an unsignalized T-intersection, with the approach from the carriageway to be removed. The sidewalk on the south side of Route 30 will also be reconstructed, and several crossings with Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) will be installed. Lighting and utilities in the median are expected to be retained and drainage impacts should be minor.

A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. The City of Newton is responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. The City’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be presented in the hearing.

Project inquiries, written statements and other exhibits regarding the proposed undertaking may be submitted to Carrie E. Lavallee, P.E., Acting Chief Engineer, via e-mail to MassDOTProjectManagement@dot.state.ma.us or via US Mail to Suite 6340, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Project Management, Project File No. 610674. Statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the public hearing transcript must be emailed or postmarked no later than ten (10) business days (14 calendar days) after the hearing is hosted on the MassDOT website listed below.

This hearing is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (e.g interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, live captioning, videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), TTD/TTY at (857) 266-0603, fax (857) 368-0602 or by email (MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us). Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten business days before the hearing. 

This Live Virtual Design Public Hearing or a cancellation announcement will be hosted on the internet at this website.