Town Officials Present Long-Range Plan for Enhancing Mobility in Busy Commercial Area of Burlington

Burlington officials have been working in collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to develop a new plan that will make it easier for visitors and residents to travel throughout town.

While the Mobility Action Plan is both high-level and long-range, said Planning Director Elizabeth Bonventre, it contains many elements that are doable. She said the plan focuses on the Middlesex Turnpike and Mall Road area, improving existing sidewalks and crosswalks and adding shared bike lanes and walking paths so that people can park once and move easily throughout the area by walking.

Bonventre said that the main idea is to give residents “a 24/7 district where people can walk to the bar, walk to a restaurant, walk up and get their groceries” and also have a quick commute to work. 

Currently, areas like Mall Road can be very traffic-heavy and “car-centric,” Bonventre said, and although sidewalks and different walking paths exist, the design is “not 100% there yet.” 

Alongside Melisa Tintocalis, Burlington’s Economic Development Director, and with help from the MAPC’s Transportation Planners, Bonventre said they walked through different areas in town like the Macy’s parking lot, historic bike paths and more, to assess what needed to be fixed and where new potential pathways could go. 

The plan was presented to the Select Board at their October 20 meeting by Tintocalis and a fellow member from the MAPC. Following the presentation, Select Board Vice-Chair, Jim Tigges, and board member, Nick Priest, brought up the idea of some form of “in-town transportation service" that would support the goals of the plan. (The B-line, which used to serve a similar purpose, shuttered several years ago.)

Board member Sarah Cawley also added that the plan would be a positive asset to the functionality of Middlesex Turnpike and Mall Road since it is “sort of the economic hub of Burlington.” Cawley said she hopes more plans are made to improve the walkability and mobility of other areas in town. Tintocalis said the MAPC is continuing to work on grants to support different aspects of the plan to turn it into a reality over time. 

Following that initial presentation, Bonventre presented the plan to the Planning Board at their November 6 meeting. Concerns that were raised from the board included cost, timeliness, safety within more remote areas of pathways, and the overall benefits for local residents. 

Planning Board Chair Brenda Rappaport suggested the Mobility Action Plan be separated into different phases in order to assess what steps can be completed now and what aspects of the plan will need to be addressed later on. With all in favor, the board voted on continuing to discuss this matter at a future joint meeting with the Select Board.

Bonventre said the feedback from the Planning Board was “very useful” and will help to separate aspects of the plan that can be taken care of pretty quickly, high priority action items, and more. 

She said this was “a joint project with the Planning Department and Economic Development Department” and they hope to continue with next steps in order to continue “creating that neighborhood and creating that vibrancy that will enhance the area economically, but also for businesses as well as retail.”