If you commute into Boston, there’s a big project being discussed you should know about. It’s called the Lynnway Multimodal Corridor Project, and the MBTA hosted a meeting at Abbot Library on Sept. 17 to hear feedback and answer questions.
Marblehead Select Board Chair Dan Fox and member Erin Noonan came to the meeting to share their worries about the traffic impact on Marblehead residents driving into Boston.
“My main concern is for the residents of Marblehead who commute to Boston, and we want to ensure that their voices are heard as plans move forward,” Fox said. “Recent announcements regarding improvements to the Lynnway have raised legitimate concerns about how these changes will affect their commute and their quality of life. We need to make sure that all communities affected by this project have their voices heard.”
Noonan added, “One of the current proposals includes a dedicated bus lane, which would reduce car and truck travel lanes from three to two. I spoke with the project manager today to stress that the Lynnway is a state highway and a vital lifeline for Marblehead, Swampscott, Nahant and East Lynn residents commuting to jobs, hospitals and Boston. I urged them to use up-to-date traffic data and fully consider the needs of all stakeholders — especially the overwhelming majority of users who are motorists.”
The timeline for the project states that this fall is set aside for “concept development” and “collecting public feedback.”
At the meeting, Noonan said she learned that the project manager will have a conceptual design to present for public feedback later this fall.
“He hopes to be able to conduct the public input sessions by Thanksgiving,” she said. “I encouraged him to have strong outreach to Marblehead, Swampscott and Nahant, including evening sessions.”
Detailed engineering for the project will be done between 2026 and 2027, and construction is set for 2027 through 2030.
Noonan said there may be ways to improve the road without creating a traffic nightmare.
“Improving safety and multimodal access is important, but it must not come at the expense of the Lynnway’s essential role as an arterial route relied upon by thousands every day,” she said. “Currently, the Lynnway has poorly coordinated traffic signals. Drivers and buses alike are routinely forced to stop at multiple intersections in a row, creating unnecessary queuing, idling and pollution.”
She added, “Modern signal coordination and Transit Signal Priority are proven solutions to improve bus reliability already used in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville — and they don’t require removing lanes.”
Learn more about the project at mbta.com/lynnway.
