Businesses along Massachusetts Avenue are worried that work next year to add bike and bus lanes will impede customer access, outdoor seating and parking.
The project will establish separated bicycle lanes and dedicated bus lanes along Mass. Ave. from Waterhouse Street to Alewife Brook Parkway as part of the city’s work to install 25 miles of bike lanes. The city plans to seek bids for the next phase of construction early next year, with work expected to begin in the spring, said Emily Boyle, senior engineer with the Department of Public Works. The exact work schedule will depend on the contractor.
While some businesses see the project’s long-term benefit, they are concerned construction could hurt their bottom lines.
Ayham Haddad, owner of Mahalab Bakery near Porter Square, said the bakery relies on customers who travel from outside of the neighborhood, many of whom drive. Reduced parking and the loss of outdoor seating during construction could pose threats to his business, he said.
“For many businesses like mine, we [have] small margins,” Haddad said. “Six months of lower business, that means we probably will need to shut down. That’s the reality for us.”
A calmer, safer roadway
The first phase of the bike lane work will cover the stretch from Waterhouse Street to Roseland Street, roughly between Harvard and Porter squares, said Andreas Wolfe, Cambridge’s street design project manager.
A separate contract, which began in 2024 and is expected to finish in May 2027, covers median removal and utility work in that area, including sewer lining and the removal of MBTA catenary poles.
“It’ll be a much calmer, safer roadway,” Wolfe said. “And it will be much more accommodating of all users … We’ve retained many of the parking and loading areas that existed before the construction started, while balancing the needs of people biking [and] walking.”
But business owners and managers along the corridor say they still have questions about how construction will affect their customers.
“The city did not put a solid plan, except what they’re gonna do with the bike lanes,” Haddad said. “They did not put a solid plan for how that’s going to affect the businesses.”
Short-term pain, long-term gain
Josh Cook, marketing director for Porter Square Books, said “clear, honest communication” from the city will be important for businesses to prepare.
“If they’re going to have to block our door for three days for some reason, it won’t be great,” Cook said. “But if we have a week or two to prepare, we can make the best of that.”
In the long term, “anything that makes our city and our neighborhood and our area more accessible for public transportation and biking is going to be good for us,” Cook said.
Boyle said the city plans to notify businesses through door-to-door outreach, including flyers, and aims to post notices about construction on the project website at least two weeks in advance. Officials also plan to hold office hours before construction begins so businesses can learn how the work will affect their specific storefronts.
Many restaurants, spas, bakeries and other small businesses between Porter and Harvard squares have outdoor seating that for safety reasons may need to be removed during construction, Boyle said.
Kati Rose, a sales lead at Paper Source near Porter Square, said she worries about how construction could affect pedestrians with disabilities. Rose described seeing construction projects elsewhere in Cambridge disrupt sidewalk access and create steep slopes, sometimes making it difficult for people with disabilities to leave their homes.
“I understand that the construction needs to happen,” Rose said. “But it seems like disabled people are the very last thought, if ever, for just about everything.”
Boyle said an accessible pedestrian route with visible directions will remain available at all times. She said the work could require pedestrian detours, although because it is partial construction sidewalks should not be overly affected.
Parking reduced, temporarily
Temporary no-parking areas will also be needed throughout construction, Boyle said.
Mary Ting Hyatt, owner of Bagelsaurus, said customers often rely on metered parking, which is already limited along the corridor. She worries construction will make parking even harder to find. “Anything [the city] can do to help with parking for us would be appreciated,” Ting Hyatt said. “Parking’s a big issue, even when there is no construction.”
The locations and timing of temporary parking restrictions will depend on the work being done, Boyle said. Contractors are required to post signs 48 hours in advance.
“Obviously, not everything can be accommodated, so some of it is a compromise,” Boyle said. “We have been trying to work really diligently, trying to make sure people are as least inconvenienced as possible.”
This story is part of a partnership between Cambridge Day and the Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom program.
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