Group describes more BU Bridge changes coming for rider and walker safety and to decrease traffic

A little less than two months after bicyclist John Corcoran was killed on Memorial Drive approaching the Boston University Bridge, the sidewalks to and from the bridge are under construction for widening. At a public meeting Thursday, the BU Bridge Safety Alliance announced another set of changes to improve safety for pedestrians and other users and ideally relieve traffic congestion.

The meeting included officials from the state departments of transportation and Conservation and Recreation, the MBTA and the cities of Boston and Cambridge, all of whom have been working with the Safety Alliance to design and build safety improvements for not just the bridge, but the entries and exits to the bridge on Commonwealth Avenue and Memorial Drive.

While the Safety Alliance formed in 2023 with the goal of creating protected bike lanes on the bridge with flex posts, a proposal it’s still pushing forward, the immediate changes will improve traffic signals, crosswalks and sidewalks for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The most substantial change involves the right-hand turn lane from the BU Bridge to Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, which will get a green light separate from the green light of pedestrians and cyclists so cars will not fight pedestrians trying to go straight. The bike lane will also be moved against the curb; it’s currently enclosed by traffic.

“They’ll all get their separate turns,” said John Monacelli, principal transportation engineer with the City of Boston. “We won’t have them interact at the same time.”

This fall, the lanes on the bridge will also change to two right-turn lanes and one lane going straight. Monacelli said the city will use its cameras at the intersections to monitor the changes’ impacts and make adjustments as needed.

Pedestrian signal timings on the Cambridge side of the bridge will also be coordinated so pedestrians are not stranded in the middle of their crossing waiting for the next signal.

Further down the line, the Alliance advocated for new signal equipment to be placed in the rotary on Memorial Drive to improve visibility and for lane designations to change coming off the bridge so one lane will turn only right and one lane will only continue straight.

Local legislators praised the changes and efforts of the Safety Alliance, including state Sen. Will Brownsberger and state Rep. Mike Connolly.

“The folks that are running the show now are some of the best, that are really listening and doing the best they can,” Brownsberger said. “I want people to know that as we enter the difficult conversation of how we keep moving toward a better place.”

Several residents and local advocates chimed in after the presentation to lend their support and offer suggestions on further improving the corridor.

Brendan Kearney, executive director of Walk Massachusetts, said he’d like to see increased separation for bike and pedestrian ways further east on Memorial Drive past the Boston University Boathouse, despite it being narrower.

A student from Boston University’s Urbanism Club advocated for the bike lane and signal improvements to continue eastward, from the BU Bridge to Kendall Square.

Galen Mook, executive director of MassBike, said he’s a university alumnus who appreciates the progress made since the late aughts.

“How far we have come to get to this point is very impressive,” Mook said. “We are talking about accessibility, we’re talking about safety for everybody who is out there.”

While the DCR continues to make progress widening paths on each side of the rotary, a representative said they’re evaluating the sidewalks along Magazine Beach further west and the potential to resurface and widen the sidewalks there as well.

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