$1M for Square ‘Super’ Crossing

The Harvard Square Improvement Project has received a $1 million grant from a state development fund to be used primarily for improvements at the “super crosswalk” between Out of Town News and the Coop.

The improvement project has already received nearly $6 million from the city, a $1.3 million pledge from the University, and $300,000 from local property owners, according to city spokeswoman Ini Tomeu.

The project will upgrade sidewalks, plazas, bicycle facilities, street lights, street surfaces, and the storm water system in the Square.

In a Nov. 14 letter to a state transportation official, City Manager Robert W. Healy wrote that “the design [for the project] is already at 100%, but due to a $1 million funding gap we are not able to move forward.”

With the newly-announced funding, that gap is filled. The funds, which come from the state Transit Oriented Development (TOD) program, will go primarily toward improvements at the intersection of Mass Ave. and JFK and Brattle streets. The walkway connecting Out of Town and the Coop—which an Improvement Project report has dubbed “the super crosswalk”—will be widened, with additional curb ramps and new pedestrian signals installed, according to Tomeu.

The improvement project is supported by the Harvard Square Business Association and is the result of a report commissioned by property owners—”Polishing the Trophy”—published in 1998. Construction began this past May.

“We are very happy about the grant,” said Denise A. Jillson, a member of the business association. “Everything helps. We would love to see more bicycles and more places to park those bicycles.”

The TOD bond initiative, authorized in 2000 by the Massachusetts legislature, is planning to distribute $5.9 million dollars this year, said Abbey S. Tennis, a program administrator. Last year, in its first round of funding, the program distributed $5 million and will give out a total of $30 million over a decade. The grants will be used for “everything from sidewalk improvements, to the creation of parks, to adding artwork and lighting to underpasses to make them safer,” said Tennis.

The state money will become available to the project beginning in July.