About the project
Project background
The Route 28 corridor has a history of crashes, leading to public safety concerns raised by the Milton community. To address this issue, MassDOT conducted a Road Safety Audit (RSA) and hired a consultant to conduct a Corridor Study. The RSA and the Corridor Study found that the roadway has a lot of congestion from both neighbors using this as an arterial and cut-through traffic at peak periods. Travel speeds are high when there is less congestion during off-peak periods. Residents and businesses have difficulties entering and exiting driveways from the roadway.
A road diet pilot was selected as an appropriate solution because of the corridor’s crash history, ongoing safety concerns, and community advocacy. The goals of the pilot are to reduce fatalities and serious injuries, speeds, and conflict points along Route 28. The pilot allows MassDOT to provide immediate changes to the roadway and utilize the results to aid in long-term planning efforts for full corridor reconstruction.
Pilot design
Today, the Route 28 corridor has four travel lanes, minimal shoulders and sidewalks, and no bicycle facilities. The pilot design will provide two travel lanes with wider shoulders and introduce both two-way left-turn lanes (TWLTL) and painted medians with flex posts. The roadway design will differ along the segments of the roadway to respond to the needs of the surrounding land-use.
Existing cross-section on Route 28
Painted medians with flexible delineator posts mounted on raised curbing will be installed along the segments of Route 28 where access needs are reduced and alternative routes are available.
Two-way left-turn lanes will be installed along sections of Route 28 with higher land-use density and greater access needs.
Next steps
The pilot will be in place from October 2025 through Spring 2026. At this point, MassDOT will evaluate the project based on the four pillars of the Road Diet Pilot: improves safety, maintains operations, maintains or strengthens access, and easy implementation. There will be opportunities for the public to provide feedback to the project team while the Pilot is active.
Local examples
Tactical medians
Route 6 in Harwich, MA
Route 60 in Medford, MA
Route 3A Road Diet in Hingham, MA
Two-way left-turn lanes
Route 28 in Reading, MA
Route 114 in Middleton, MA
Route 114 in Danvers, MA