Washington Street Pilot Shared Use Path

Segment

Washington Street Pilot Shared Use Path

Under Construction

Construction began in May 2025. The two way shared used path is open for pedestrians and cyclists as of July 2025. The plan is to complete the work by the end of August.

Note at the start and stop of the path, the path has an adjacent sidewalk and the path is a two-way bike lane. Most of the path has no adjacent sidewalk, and is marked as a shared use path.

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Washington Street Pilot construction begins

Spring 2025

Construction begins on the Washington Street Pilot, and is estimated to complete in Fall 2025.

Washington Street Pilot design begins

July 2023

The city of Newton begins public feedback as part of the design process on the Washington street Pilot, bringing safety, accessibility and beautification improvements from Chestnut Street in West Newton to Lowell Avenue in Newtonville.

Washington Street bike lane painted, then immediately removed

Fall 2020

Newton sets aside $400k for Washington Street Vision design work, however, the funds are repurposed to repave the street in the old 4 lanes of vehicular travel configuration. As a small consolation prize for safe streets advocates, the city's Department of Public Works replaced one of the street's parking lanes with a single painted bike lane along the highway embankment (there remained no bike lane in the opposite direction).

The paint was barely dry before the city announced that the new bike lane would be removed.

Washington Street Vision Plan adopted

December 16, 2019

The Newton City Council adopts the Washington Street Vision Plan. Central to the plan is reconfiguring Washington Street for safety of all users.

Washington Street Subregional Priority Roadway Study in Newton

2015

The 2015 Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization prepared the Washington Street Subregional Priority Roadway Study in Newton. It identified and analyzed a number of safety, mobility, and access problems of various transportation modes, including walking and bicycling, and proposed short- and long term improvements for the entire corridor and for specific locations. It suggests bike lanes but not a shared use path.

West Newton Village Area Plan

2011

The 2011 West Newton Village Area Plan, developed by graduate students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in collaboration with the City of Newton, presented a vision for the West Newton section of the Washington Street corridor, emphasizing community character and improved transit options. It includes a bike & pedestrian shared use path on Washington Street (page 132):

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Washington Street Pilot Shared Use Path

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