In the auditorium of Bunker Hill Community College on a cold February night about three years ago, the team from Encore (then Wynn) Boston Harbor unveiled some short-term traffic commitments to the Charlestown community.
One of the key short-term traffic improvements that night was activating and re-building Spice Street and D Street as a way of keeping Cambridge Street drivers out of Sullivan Square if they simply wanted to head eastbound.
It was an idea long overdue for the cluttered square, and that change is now being constructed this week.
Encore Boston Harbor continues to work at breakneck speed this summer on its short-term, off-site traffic commitments in Sullivan Square, and the Spice/D Street connector is ready to become reality.
“The entire idea behind that, and many other improvements we suggested, was to keep as many people out of the Square as possible,” said Greg John of Encore Boston Harbor. “There are a lot of drivers who don’t even need to go through Sullivan Square who have to in the current configuration. The idea for Spice Street was to get drivers going towards downtown out of the Square before they got there, which cuts down the overall traffic volumes coming into the Square.”
Spice Street and D Street will be completely rebuilt starting this week. There will be a new drainage system, new sidewalks, new curbing and a newly paved street.
Drivers coming from Cambridge Street and headed towards downtown will be encouraged to use the new connector once it is completed.