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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 a project feedback summary in August 2026 that included the plans below. We've continued to hear feedback regarding access and safety of the loading zone and are reviewing changes to its layout. The project plans below will undergo one additional round of changes and feedback.

Design Changes Under Consideration:

Providing a loading zone for the nearby daycare that does not require dropoffs to cross the bike lane.
Removal of the short section of separated bike lane on Beech St that is shown.
Further modifications to the size of the plaza area to accommodate these changes.

See below for the draft plans. These plans will be revised. Check the rest of the website for more information.

Plan for Beech Street in the City of Cambridge

Click here for a better view .

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.

Revised Engagement Schedule and Plans

City staff shared a project feedback summary in August 2026. We also shared what we thought were the final project plans at the time.

We've continued to hear feedback regarding access and safety of the loading zone and are reviewing changes to its layout.

Design Changes Under Consideration:

Providing a loading zone for the nearby daycare that does not require drop offs to cross the bike lane.
Removal of the short section of separated bike lane for Beech St.
Further fine tuning the use of the plaza space.

How to Provide Feedback:

We want your feedback on the latest plans and these additional design changes under consideration.

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

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.