State plans to overhaul the Arborway in Boston, remove rotary

BOSTON — The Arborway is home to nature. The Arboretum along the road is no stranger to ponds and amphibians, so it’s fitting that crossing the street feels like a game of Frogger. The state has taken notice and has a proposal to overhaul the entire thoroughfare.

Neighbors hope for changes

“You are definitely taking your life in your own hands trying to cross this road. There are a lot of crashes right here because you have four lanes going into one,” said Ed Narenkivicius, a dog walker who’s lived here for 25 years. “The current model isn’t working, so hoping for anything with common sense.”

Out of the 13 intersections on the Arborway, only two are signaled, which means at 11 of them, pedestrians have to wait for the cars to stop to cross. With multiple lanes, people can be waiting a while or choose to risk it to run across.

“I don’t use a crosswalk that doesn’t have a signal, and the ones up here are just flashing yellow. I wait until cars stop,” said Narenkivicius.

“It is challenging at times. We have to dodge cars from time to time or wait,” said Heidi Blake, another neighbor out walking her dog. “As a driver, I have seen cars run into one another, and very dodgy entrances and exits.”

Blake is onto something. She’s lived here for 10 years, and studies back up her fears. Over the last five years, there have been more than 100 sideswipe crashes at both Murray and Kelley Circle.

“You can see the sideswipe crashes are clustered and concentrated near the entrances and exits to the circle,” said Project Manager Teren Wong while showcasing data during a public meeting online.

Two traffic circles removed

In response, the state is working to overhaul the entire Arborway by doing away with both circles altogether. Bike and pedestrian lanes will be added, as well as reducing the number of pedestrian crossings. The ones that remain will be signaled. The proposal increases green space as well.

Many of the people we spoke with were in favor change, but skeptical of the current design. During the public meeting this week, one Pondside neighborhood resident worried the new design will make it difficult to access his street.

“You’ve got to think about this seriously, and you’ve got to resolve it because this is not going to stand,” the resident said.

The proposal is still being tweaked. They hope to have it finalized by 2026.