Lafayette Square (the intersection of Main Street, Columbia Street, and Mass Ave) has been transformed into a redesigned intersection and pedestrian plaza. In addition, Mass Ave between Lafayette Square and Memorial Drive got much-needed improvements, including full-depth reconstruction of the roadway and new sidewalks.

Click here to view plan for the entire South Mass Ave Project (Main Street to Memorial Drive). Please note: this is a large pdf.

These improvements were initiated by the City of Cambridge to improve the function and safety of the corridor for all modes— pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles— and provide new surfacing of the roadway and sidewalks, which were significantly deteriorated. The project has the following goals:

• Make the intersection easy for all users to navigate.
• Provide safe pedestrian crossings.
• Improve accessibility and safety for cyclists.
• Make the square more attractive and create a new community plaza.
• Create a design that acknowledges the square's historic street patterns.
• Minimize impacts on parking and loading.
  

Major funding for this project as well as primary construction management was provided by the Massachusetts Highway Department. The City of Cambridge provided partial funding for the project and additional construction oversight. Mass Highway’s contractor for this project is Bridges (formerly the ROADS Corporation) of North Billerica.

Major construction started in early 2005, and was completed in summer 2008.

Please contact Rebecca Fuentes at (617) 349-6948/ rfuentes@cambridgema.gov for more information about this project.

To learn more about the Lafayette Square/ South Mass Ave planning and design process, please visit the Community Development Department website at http://www.cambridgema.gov/~CDD/et/infra/lsq/lsq.html, or contact Bill Deignan at (617) 349-4632/ wdeignan@cambridgema.gov.