One of the longest, widest stretches of brick sidewalks in the North End / Waterfront neighborhood will disappear this Spring to make way for dedicated bike lanes, called cycle tracks. The area from Eastern Ave (Lewis Wharf) to Commercial Wharf will be replaced with concrete sidewalks, not brick, on the waterside of the street, according Read More…
The sidewalk bandit shown in the above video wrote in the wet concrete of the refinished sidewalks on Commercial Street in front of Union Wharf. The sidewalk was newly made as part of the North End cycle track project. The image below shows the sidewalk writing which appears to memorialize someone named “Bill Grifone”.
Update from the Mayor’s Office regarding sidewalk improvements and the installation of ADA compliant ramps along the Freedom Trail: Mayor Martin J. Walsh today highlighted the extensive improvements the City’s Department of Public Works has been making to Boston’s iconic Freedom Trail in over 60 locations from Boston Common to Bunker Hill. The planned project Read More…
This is a column of sidewalk pictures. I want to show you what a good job the City of Boston’s Public Works Department can do. I learned this several years ago when I was a member of a committee that worked to improve Cambridge Street. City employee Peter Scarpignato, now retired, was exceptional in judgment, Read More…
After last week’s complaints regarding an long empty tree stump hole on Hanover Street, we heard from City Hall through Stephen Passacantilli, Special Assistant to the Mayor. The hole has been filled in with concrete as shown in the attached photo. Thus ends the stump hole’s campaign for historic preservation status. Similar issues can be Read More…
North End Innovation is illustrated by the city’s cutting down a tree on Hanover St., corner Parmenter, leaving the stump for a while, then removing the stump, and creating a hole in the sidewalk. It is an obvious hazard to the hundreds of thousands of tourists walking the Freedom Trail, as well as to North Read More…
The following news is from City Hall, pertaining to the upgrades that are being made to the Freedom Trail markings. The new improvement will, “eliminate annual maintenance costs, and improve historic site wayfinding.” BOSTON – Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced that nearly 2,000 feet of the painted sections of the historic Freedom Trail in Charlestown, Downtown Crossing, Read More…
Go out and measure your sidewalk. Is it less than seven feet wide? Measure the distance from your building to the tree pit. Is it less than 36 inches? Have the tree roots in front of your building heaved the sidewalk? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, your tree will have Read More…
On Friday, work is back on track at the Bartlett Street “parklet” off Salem Street. Crews are installing brick-like tile sheets over the asphalt. According to neighbor Mark Bernier, it looks “fantastic” and is a big improvement to what has been a literal dumping corner of the neighborhood. After years of playing second fiddle to Read More…
About 3 years ago, I reported the sidewalk area as falling apart around the tree beds in front of Sargent’s Wharf after seeing someone take a bad fall. This week, I noticed Public Works showed up to fix the sidewalks and received a “case resolved” email referencing the initial request. So, they do keep these Read More…
Salem Street Improvements Boston Public Works Construction The Boston Public Works Department (PWD) is undertaking substantial improvements to Salem Street, from Cross Street to Charter Street. Salem Street is a vibrant and busy part of the North End which includes residential, commercial, restaurants, and tourist components. This makes Salem Street a difficult construction location at Read More…
The city’s “temporary” solution for this hole in the sidewalk on Atlantic Avenue at E. India Row is not satisfactory, according to Justin Wyner, President of the Wharf District Council. He reports the situation to Citizens Connect with this photo. This is a missing cover plugged with an inverted safety cone. It has been like Read More…