Open Streets program to begin in June
On select days, 5 city roads will close to traffic
Five streets across Boston will temporarily close to vehicular traffic and open to pedestrians on specific dates starting in June, Mayor Michelle Wu announced at a press conference Tuesday alongside other community leaders.
The Boston Open Streets program, which piloted last summer in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester and drew tens of thousands of visitors, according to city officials, is expanding this year from three to five Open Streets events to include the neighborhoods of Allston-Brighton and East Boston.
From 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on select Saturdays and Sundays from June to October, more than a mile stretch of streets across each of the five neighborhoods will belong to walkers, bikers, and skaters, transforming car-heavy thoroughfares into walkable community gathering places.
“I still remember very vividly the sounds that happen when you take away the buzz and hum of car traffic and replace it with kids laughing and the pitter-patter of their feet running down the street,” Wu said at the press conference. “The sounds of people getting to know each other, sharing and telling their own stories, and supporting their local small businesses that are part of that neighborhood fabric.”
Programming will be tailored to each neighborhood, Wu said, but residents can expect Open Streets events to feature “food trucks, art installations, performances, and fun and games for residents of all ages and generations.”
“With over 800 miles of roadway, our streets are more than places to just get from A to B — these are our largest shared spaces,” said Jascha FranklinHodge, Boston’s chief of streets. “They are where we can come together to spend time with our family and our friends, to meet new neighbors, to enjoy a safe, fun environment for walking, biking, or recreation.”
Open Street events will also highlight small businesses and focus on increasing diverse suppliers and vendors, according to Segun Idowu, Boston’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion.
“As these events are bringing together literally thousands of Bostonians, this is also supporting our small businesses who need the support the most,” Idowu said. “In just the three events that we had last year ... all of [the small businesses] experienced an increase in sales, between 10 and 50 percent on average.”
This year’s Open Streets dates and locations include June 25 on Centre Street, Jamaica Plain; July 15 on Blue Hill Avenue, Roxbury; Aug. 19 on Brighton and Harvard avenues, Allston-Brighton; Sept. 17 on Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester; and Oct. 15 on Meridian Street, East Boston. More information can be found on the city’s Open Streets webpage.
Wu also announced dates for the city’s Open Newbury Street event series Tuesday, an annual program piloted by Boston’s transportation department in 2016 in which the Back Bay shopping district’s main road goes car-free.
Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting July 2 and running until Oct. 15, seven blocks of Newbury Street will fill with vendor tents, allowing pedestrians to wander the full width of the street and buy products and clothes, watch street performers, and enjoy outdoor dining.
The city will more than double the number of Open Newbury Street event dates, increasing from six Sundays in 2022 to 16 in 2023.
“No need to look at a calendar, it’s just going to be there for you,” Franklin-Hodge said.
Detailed information on traffic and parking restrictions as well as MBTA and bus route changes will become available on boston.gov/openstreets as event dates approach.