About the Project
The Town of Arlington is pleased to announce that Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. has been hired to provide design, engineering, and public engagement services for the Mass Ave/Appleton Safety & Accessibility Corridor Project and the Chestnut Street Safety Project. The Town issued a request for proposals (RFP) for both projects in December 2021 and received proposals from four different companies. Based on Stantec’s project approach and scope of services, and how they ranked on the RFP criteria, Town staff determined that the proposals provided by Stantec for both Mass Ave/Appleton and Chestnut Street were the most advantageous to the Town. Oversight for both projects will be a cross-departmental effort between the Town Manager’s Office, Department of Public Works, and Department of Planning and Community Development, and will include consultation with the Arlington Police Department.

“We were very impressed with the comprehensive and thoughtful nature of Stantec’s proposal for both projects and the thorough public engagement proposed to ensure both projects have strong public support,” said Adam Chapdelaine, Arlington Town Manager. “Both Mass Ave/Appleton and Chestnut Street are critical transportation projects for Arlington to make travel safer and more accessible for all users. We look forward to working with the community and Stantec to create the long-term changes needed for these areas.”

Mass Ave / Appleton Street
Over the course of 2021 the Town developed short-term safety improvements to the Mass Ave/Appleton Street/Appleton Place intersection through the work of the Mass Ave/Appleton Design Review Committee. Many of the short-term safety improvements, which were in response to the fatal vehicle crash that killed Charlie Proctor in 2020, were implemented in November 2021. Long-term safety and accessibility improvements will be developed through a redefined corridor project along Mass Ave between Richardson Ave and Quinn Road. The scope of Stantec’s work also includes traffic analysis of the nearby neighborhoods and to understand the impact of roadway changes on Ottoson Middle School arrival and dismissal patterns. Stantec will design, engineer, and conduct public engagement for this project to make it ready for construction in approximately one year. A stakeholder meeting for the Mass Ave/Appleton project is expected to take place in late April or early May, and a public meeting is expected in May or June.

Click here to view an enlarged project schedule for this project.

Chestnut Street Safety Project
The Chestnut Street Safety Project is a critical project to make safety changes to Chestnut Street in Arlington Center in response to the vehicle crash killing Ann Desrosiers in 2019. Stantec’s work will include developing construction plans for Chestnut Street between Chestnut Terrace and Medford Street to implement changes recommended by the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) in 2021 that were subsequently approved by the Select Board. Stantec will also conduct public engagement and develop preliminary design plans for changes to the intersections of Chestnut Street with Mystic Street and Medford Street, which were recommended for study in TAC’s memo to the Board. Town staff worked with Stantec earlier this year to submit a MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces grant application for construction funding for Chestnut Street, and a determination on an award is expected by the end of April.

The total cost of the contract with Stantec is $440,402.82, split between the two projects. The Mass Ave/Appleton Street Safety & Accessibility Corridor Project contract is worth $320,905.10, while the Chestnut Street Safety Improvements contract is worth $119,497.72. The contract is being paid for with funds from a combination of existing Town resources, including the mobility and accessibility improvements funded through the Town’s capital plan as part of the 2019 override.

Stantec’s proposals can be found below:

• Mass Ave/Appleton Safety & Accessibility Corridor Project Stantec Proposal
• Chestnut Street Safety Project Stantec Proposal

For questions about either project, please contact Daniel Amstutz, Senior Transportation Planner, at 781-316-3093 or damstutz@town.arlington.ma.us.