The City of Worcester, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), has undertaken a project to study and redesign Chandler Street (Route 122) between Main Street and Park Avenue. Today, Chandler Street sees a combination of high speeds mixed with congested intersections, frequent vehicular crashes, and a lack of modern accommodations for those cycling, using micro-mobility devices, taking public transit or walking, all of which was underscored by attendees at a public meeting held for this project in Summer 2021. This project aims to make the Chandler Street corridor a safer and more inviting place to live, visit, travel and do business.
Based on what we have learned from community input and technical analysis, the project team proposes a redesign of Chandler Street that helps lower vehicle speeds, reduce pedestrian crossing distances and generally improves safety for all users. Implementation of a two-way left turning lane will help maintain mobility for private vehicles, delivery trucks and WRTA buses. Additionally, repurposing a travel lane and parking spaces allows the introduction of:
The City of Worcester hosted a public meeting on November 16, 2023 at Worcester Common Ground King Community Center. This meeting focused on review of existing conditions and opportunities in the corridor, and included presentation of the current corridor improvement concept. Following this meeting, the project team will develop detailed plans for presentation at the 25 Percent Design Public Hearing in Spring 2024.
Members of the public are invited to submit comments and questions electronically via the following feedback form. Alternatively, you may email comments/questions to chandlerstreet@worcesterma.gov.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you would like to be contacted regarding your comment, be sure to leave your email address with your comment/question:
While the project is under construction, some on-street parking spaces along the corridor will be temporarily out of service. Access to off-street parking lots will be maintained, and any necessary disruptions will be coordinated with the property owners and communicated in advance.
As part of the redesign of the street, on-street parking will be evaluated in a comprehensive corridor-wide basis to determine where parking is needed and how it can be best managed. Some areas where on-street parking exists today may be eliminated due to space constraints or underutilization.
Improving safety for all modes of travel and all users of Chandler Street is a primary goal of the project. This can be done by reducing conflicts between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, managing travel speeds, and improving accommodations for all users. Some of the techniques that will be considered during the design of the project include:
Separating the project into two phases will allow funding to be secured to start work sooner. Given the scope and scale of the project, constructing it into two phases will also help limit the area of construction impacts that occur at any given time.
Yes. Access for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians will be maintained throughout the corridor for the duration of this project. Construction will be staged to ensure safe movement of all users of the corridor during construction. We anticipate that any roadway closures and detours will be limited to short durations (overnight & weekends).
Yes, the project will include new sidewalks with street furniture and urban-scale landscaping including street trees. The road diet process and incorporation of complete streets measures will likely add additional public spaces and place-making opportunities.
