The City of Worcester, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), is launching a project to redesign Chandler Street between Main Street and Park Avenue. Chandler Street is a vital artery connecting neighborhoods with schools, businesses and healthcare services.
Chandler Street is also one of the highest crash cluster locations in Massachusetts. The current conditions on this section of Chandler Street present safety challenges for everyone using the street whether they are driving, cycling, walking or traveling in a wheelchair. This project aims to comprehensively address these concerns to make the corridor a safer place to live, visit and do business by improving access and travel accommodations for everyone who uses Chandler Street. The proposed changes will help reduce speeding, upgrade streetscapes, improve connections for cyclists and pedestrians, improve accessibility and ADA accommodations and coordinate traffic signals to improve traffic flow.
The new design for Chandler Street will be developed, with public input, over the course of 2021. The project will be constructed in two phases. Phase I will extend from Main Street to Queen Street. Phase II will extend from Queen Street to Park Avenue. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2025.
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:
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:
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.
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).
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, 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.
