Community members said they were encouraged about the direction of the Reid Overpass redesign presented by Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) at an Aug. 6 meeting in Cambridgeport. MassDOT showed its two finalists for the intersection, where the BU Bridge meets Memorial Drive, connecting Cambridge to Boston. The rotary below the existing overpass often leads to traffic backups that affect Cambridgeport.

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“It’s a complex area and there are many priorities that all need to be addressed,” Rebecca Bowie, president of the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association (CNA), said about the redesign via email. “Depending on the day, we might be pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, on the 47 bus, and/or stuck in our homes because of traffic backups.”

She added that people in the neighborhood often talk about their fears of getting to the hospital or being reached by first responders if an emergency happens when the rotary backs traffic into Cambridgeport’s street.

The intersection is a significant one in Cambridge. Over 15,000 cars use the overpass everyday, according to city data, and around 15 percent of those drivers are going at least 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. 

MassDOT’s proposed options offer a choice between redesigning and rebuilding the current overpass, which was built in 1940, or removing it entirely. Removing the overpass would create an at-grade plan with two to three lanes in every direction, entering and exiting the intersection, as well as multiple turning lanes. The second proposal would rebuild the overpass and implement lights and turning lanes to guide traffic underneath. Both plans will remove the existing rotary.

Redesigning the overpass is the preference of Ken Carlson, an advocate from Boston University Bridge Safety Alliance, who said “it is fewer lanes for vulnerable road users to cross, and it keeps the east-west traffic moving.”

The at-grade intersection, he said, would be “just a lot of asphalt, a lot of lanes for pedestrians and cyclists to cross, and it just eats up a lot of space, so most of us pretty much dismissed the at-grade intersection alternative as MassDOT proposed it.”

Cambridge Bike Safety advocate Chris Cassa said the majority of community members at Thursday’s meeting agreed. “People were saying they really were worried about the number of lanes, and they thought that would be so uncomfortable or dangerous for people who have to wait to cross the street or when they’re crossing.” 

But Peter Furth, a professor of engineering at Northeastern, is a fan of the at-grade intersection. “A simple at-grade intersection is feasible. There’s enough space for it. It can handle all the traffic that you have. The pedestrian crossings will be okay, just like they are at any other signalized intersection.”

MassDOT praised for engagement

MassDOT released an initial group of six proposals for the redesign at a Jan. 6 meeting this year, following concern about the condition of the overpass from Cambridgeport residents and city officials. 

Furth called the first six designs “highway centric.” Carlson said that at the January meeting, “[MassDOT]  proceeded to show four entirely car-centric, very unsafe projects or alternatives for vulnerable road users.” 

After hearing feedback on the designs, MassDOT held a workshop for advocates from interested groups, including the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), CNA and local bicycle advocacy groups, on April 13. 

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Bowie said MassDOT’s approach “feels meaningfully different from other community engagement work that happens after plans are too far along to change, and I appreciate the progress we are seeing.”

Carlson said he hopes MassDOT continues to be receptive to feedback and will make changes quickly. . “We want MassDOT to be open and be forward-thinking and progressive, and get away from the car‑centric past.” 

Furth warned that “utter confusion” among the agencies in the area around the intersection — MassDOT, DCR, and Cambridge and Boston’s respective transportation departments all are involved — has created jurisdictional questions.  

Bowie hopes that “some of the challenges of the rotary could be mitigated by MassDOT and [Cambridge Department of Transportation] planning together.”

MassDOT did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

After Thursday’s meeting, some questions remain about the proposed plans. Cassa and Carlson, among others, supported reducing the number and width of lanes on the proposed overpass to lower speeds. Furth also said the intersection design, which includes the timing of lights and implementing traffic infrastructure, will be an important part of a safe project. 

Cassa said the death of John Corcoran, who was hit by a car while biking in the intersection in 2024, has also increased community-wide concerns about safety. “I think everyone in the room recognized the tragedy of the incident with John Corcoran’s death and really wanted to work toward an intersection that would be safer for everyone walking and biking crossing the street.” 

He said he hopes the redesign ensures that “people are going a more reasonable speed for the type of complex dangerous intersection this is.”

“It shouldn’t be like a highway,” Furth said. But he remains confident that “whatever MassDOT comes up with, we’re going to be very happy.” 

MassDOT’s website pointed to the next step being selecting the preferred design concept, after which there will be a formal design process that will include more opportunities for public comment and the potential for refining the design.

Chloe Taft  is reporting this summer for Cambridge Day as part of a partnership with the Georgetown University journalism program.

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