PLAN: South Boston Dorchester Ave Transportation Plan

The plan features a suite of transit-, bicycle-, and pedestrian-focused recommendations, focused on addressing multimodal needs with a combination of infrastructure and policy recommendations.

Dorchester Avenue in South Boston is undergoing rapid change. Anchored by two MBTA Red Line stations—and surrounded by major employment centers in Back Bay, LMA, the Seaport District, and downtown—the City and community developed a vision plan for how this area will redevelop over time without losing the neighborhood elements that make it special. The Dorchester Avenue Transportation Plan is supporting access and mobility in a rapidly evolving neighborhood, transforming from auto-oriented commercial and industrial uses to a higher-density, multimodal mixed use. As future development progresses, everyone benefits from a better understanding of what transportation infrastructure is required to maintain and improve access and quality of life.

Nelson\Nygaard managed this effort through the establishment of goals and objectives, an inventory of existing conditions and opportunities; a forecast of future conditions and opportunities; and a network of immediate-term and long-term recommendations. The plan features a suite of transit-, bicycle-, and pedestrian-focused recommendations, focused on addressing multimodal needs with a combination of infrastructure and policy recommendations. The study recommended improvements and strategies that the City is pursuing—safety and connectivity improvements on Dorchester Street, lane reductions on Old Colony Avenue, and the reconfiguration of the Old Colony Avenue/Dorchester Avenue intersection. Central to this work was the creation of a plan that is interesting and creative, yet pragmatic and easily understood.