Maintaining and improving our community’s roadways and sidewalks is key to supporting quality of life in Somerville. These essential pieces of infrastructure enable people to move about the city–connecting them to civic life in Somerville, transporting them to school, work, playgrounds and parks, to visit friends and family, and more.
Since 2015, the City has taken a data-driven approach to support the street and sidewalk selection process. Through a multi-stage analysis, the City is able to effectively prioritize safety, accessibility, and equity, while delivering cost-effective results. More information about this approach is included throughout the sections below.
Looking for information on currently ongoing work in your neighborhood? Learn more below under Active Work.
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We’ve created a map to help show which streets have been paved recently, which streets are up next, and which streets we’re planning to pave within the next five years.
How It Works
Timeline - The color of each line indicates either when a street was recently paved or when we expect it to be paved.
Type of Project - The type of line indicates what type of street paving was or will be performed on a given street.
More detailed descriptions of the various paving project types are included in the section below.
Click through above to view the full map in a separate window. Use the tools at the top of the full map to toggle the legend on/off and filter by timeline or project type.
Project Types and Current PlanAnnual pavement and sidewalk reconstruction projects are categorized by project type within our annual plans.
Below you’ll find a description of each project type and the streets/sidewalks currently planned for improvement and under contractor.
Complete Street and Intersection Projects
Complete Street projects consist of the wholesale reconstruction of major travel corridors to improve safety and accessibility for all users of the road. Complete street projects are typically undertaken after subsurface utility improvements have been made to avoid the need for substantial excavation on newly reconstructed streets.
Targeted intersection projects focus on locations that have higher vehicle volumes, are located on streets that experience a high number of crashes, and are near public transit. The City also looks at locations that represent a significant gap in the pedestrian network or have frequently been cited by community members in street outreach, 311 service requests and constituent emails.
| Remaining 2024-25 Streets | |||
| Street | From | To | Scope |
| Washington St. | Washington Terr. | Rossmore St. | Intersection Improvement |
| Bow St. | At Walnut St. | Intersection Improvement | |
| Tufts St. | Washington St. | Cross St. | Complete Street |
| 2026-27 Streets Planned | |||
| Street | From | To | Scope |
| Pearl Street | Medford St. | McGrath Hwy | Complete Street |
Full Street (Sidewalk, Intersection, and Curb to Curb Repaving) Projects
Full street projects include the replacement of sidewalks and pavement of the entire street from one curb to the other.
During a full street project, the sidewalk is removed and replaced as is, unlike in a Complete Streets Project, where the curb line might change. In a full street project, minor changes to the grade of the sidewalk will be made to meet ADA slope requirements. Additionally, any preexisting pinch points (sidewalk 3’ or less) next to tree wells will be evaluated for a curb bump out, in which case the curb line will change in a stand alone location.
Intersection work within a full street project will bring Accessible Curb Ramps (ACR) up to ADA compliance through the adjustment of sidewalk grades, and sometimes curb line changes.
| 2024-25 Streets Remaining | |||
| Street | From | To | Scope |
| Perry St. | Washington St. | Marion St. | Full Street |
| 2026-27 Streets Planned | |||
| Street | From | To | Scope |
| Holyoke Road | Elm Street | Elm Street | Full street |
| Aldersey Street | Vinal Avenue | Walnut Street | Full Street |
| Grandview Avenue | Vinal Avenue | Walnut Street | Full Street |
| Prescott Street | Highland Avenue | Summer Street | Sidewalk Replacement |
| Howe Street | Marshall Street | School Street | Sidewalk Replacement |
| Rush Street | Broadway | End of Street | Sidewalk Replacement |
Partial Paving Projects
Partial paving projects involve reconstructing local roads that have been identified as having poor pavement conditions, but accessible sidewalks in good condition.
When only the pavement condition is poor, the travel lane of the roadway is paved. This enables us to increase the total number of streets we are able to pave.
| 2026-27 Streets Planned | |||
| Street | From | To | Scope |
| Putnam Street | Highland Avenue | Summer Street | Partial Pave |
| Quincy Street | Summer Street | Somerville Avenue | Partial Pave |
| Church Street | Summer Street | Somerville Avenue | Partial Pave |
| James Street | Radcliffe Road | Pearl Street | Partial Pave |
| Wesley Street | Otis Street | Pearl Street | Partial Pave |
| MacArthur Street | Broadway | Bonair Street | Partial Pave |
| Granite Street | Somerville Avenue | Osgood Street | Partial Pave |
| Loring Street | Osgood Street | Somerville Avenue | Partial Pave |
| Knapp Street | School Street | Granite Street | Partial Pave |
| Carlton Street | Lake Street | Somerville Avenue | Partial Pave |
| Hawkins Street | Washington Street | Somerville Avenue | Partial Pave |
Selecting Streets and Sidewalks for Reconstruction
Somerville uses a multi-phase, data-driven process to evaluate needs and select streets and sidewalks for reconstruction. The factors considered in this process include the current condition of the road, the function of the road (whether it is a principal artery or local road, etc.), the average daily traffic, Somerville’s bicycle network plan and more. The result of this process is a Network Priority Ranking (NPR) for each roadway in the City.
Whereas in the past, sidewalk reconstruction was driven solely by roadway prioritization, the City now employs a similar, independent approach for sidewalk management that prioritizes ADA accessibility and locations along priority routes for pedestrians, such as those near schools, library, transit, and healthcare facilities among others. The pedestrian priority routes are given a Route Classification Priority ranking of 1 to 4, 4 being the highest priority pedestrian route. The result of this process is called a Sidewalk Priority Index (SPI), and is calculated with a combination of both the physical condition of the sidewalk or the Sidewalk Condition Index (SCI), and RCP.
Once this initial prioritization has been completed by the Engineering Division, annual construction plans are assembled through coordination with other relevant City staff to encourage greater efficiency and collaboration as we pursue our many City goals related to the public right of way.
A more detailed description of this prioritization process is included within the FY2024-2025 Pavement and Sidewalk Management Program Memo.
Addressing Isolated Issues
Because the street/sidewalk reconstruction process considers the average condition of the entire street length, isolated failures, such as a single broken sidewalk panel, may be missed.
To address such instances, the City assesses 311 notifications, ADA complaints, and the annual sidewalk condition surveys to inform site-specific repairs where necessary.
The FY2024-25 program budget totals $7,680,881, and is derived from three sources:
- $1,219,113 from the Massachusetts Chapter 90 program for roadway repairs,
- $5,561,768 from City bond for street resurfacing, sidewalk improvements and ADA ramps and improvements, and
- $900,000 from City General Fund as approved in FY24 City Budget.
Active Work
Remaining 24-25 work underway includes:
- Tufts Street - Sidewalk reconstruction currently underway. Visit somervillema.gov/tuftsstreet for more.
- Intersection Improvements - Washington Street at Merriam Street and Bow Street at Walnut Street
Don't see what you're looking for? Visit somervillema.gov/construction for a comprehensive list of work underway across the city.
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