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Beech St at Elm St Pedestrian Safety Project

The City of Cambridge plans to redesign Beech Street near the intersection with Elm Street to make the area safer and easier to navigate for everyone. The project will shorten pedestrian crossings, simplify the intersection by creating a T-shaped layout with one travel lane in each direction, and close the southeast corner of the intersection to traffic to create space for future open space. Access to nearby driveways and streets will remain. To make these improvements possible, about six resident permit parking spaces on Beech Street near the bend will be removed.

Project Area

Aerial map of project location, differentiating the Cambridge/Somerville city limits

Project Plans

City staff shared updated plans in August 2026. Based on continued feedback since then, we will adjust the final design.

Design Changes:

The bike lane along Beech St adjacent to the plaza will be a buffered bike lane rather than a separated bike lane.
The buffered bike lane will be painted green.

This change supports the operations of a nearby business.

Stay tuned for an updated project roll plan with the new design.

Phase 1

Draft Design

Click here to view the draft design.

May 2026

Phase 2

Revised Design

Click here to view the revised design.

August 2026

Phase 3 (We are Here!)

Final Design

Final design coming soon. Check back soon for more information.

Time Estimate: Fall 2026

Get Involved!

We want to hear from you!

Recap the Pop-Up Community Meeting

The City hosted a pop-up community meeting on May 21st, 2026. This included sharing the first draft of project plans, boards about the project, and additional information from City of Somerville on their adjacent work.

View the August 2026 Project Update

The City provided an update on the project on August 18th, 2026. City staff created slides and recorded the update virtually and posted to the project website. No formal meeting took place.

This is an updated draft plan and we want your feedback. Contact the project manager or fill out the project comment form.

Stay tuned for an additional project update prior to installation.

Update on Project Plans, Construction Progress

City staff shared an updated design in August 2026. Based on continued feedback since then, we will further adjust the design.

Design Changes:

The bike lane on Beech St adjacent to the new plaza will become a buffered bike lane. The last design included a separated bike lane with an adjacent loading zone.
The buffered bike lane will be painted green.

Updated Design Feedback Report:

Stay tuned for an updated design feedback report that captures this additional phase of the project design. In addition, the design feedback report will include description of a proposal to move the plaza area to the west side of Beech Street. City staff received additional feedback suggesting this concept, but determined that it would require an irregularly shaped intersection angle of less than 90 degrees.

What To Expect

Shorter Pedestrian Crossings

The crossing distance across Beech Street will be reduced from approximately 130 feet to 60 feet, making it safer for people to cross.

New Intersection Layout

The intersection will be simplified into a T-shaped design by removing the rightmost lane on Beech Street and keeping one travel lane in each direction. Access to nearby driveways and connecting streets will remain.

Parking Impacts

About six Cambridge resident permit parking spaces on Beech Street near the bend will be removed to allow for these safety improvements.

New Public Space

The southeast corner of the intersection will be closed to traffic, creating space for a new public area in the future.

More Information

Project Emails

September 15, 2026: https://conta.cc/46VtBT5
August 31, 2026: https://conta.cc/4gl7XgG
August 18, 2026: https://conta.cc/43XuJUT

Sign up for Beech St at Elm St Updates from Cambridge!

Installation Timeline

August 2026

Island removal work begins. Should take 1-2 weeks
No major changes to travel experience.

September 2026

Cambridge work area is paved.
Pavement Markings

Late September/October 2026

Flex-Posts installed

Spring 2027

Planters or other aesthetic improvements added

Outreach and Engagement

In August 2026, the City of Cambridge provided an update on the project status

The City of Cambridge hosted a pop-up community meeting on May 21st, 2026. This included sharing the project plans, boards about the project, and additional information from City of Somerville on their adjacent work.

The City of Somerville has engaged neighbors and community members on a separate nearby project since 2024.

City of Somerville's Elm-Beacon Connector Project

This work is being coordinated with the City of Somerville as part of their Elm–Beacon Connector project. Beech Street is in Cambridge and Elm Street is in Somerville. For more information, visit Somerville’s Elm-Beacon Connector project website.

Vision Zero

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proved successful across Europe — and is now gaining momentum in major American cities. Vision Zero focuses on identifying the steps necessary to meet the goal of zero fatalities and severe injuries and creating the collaborative framework needed to meet the goal.

On March 21, 2016, the Cambridge City Council unanimously adopted Vision Zero. We continue to implement projects and policies that will help us reach our goal of zero crashes that result in serious or fatal injuries.