Cambridge city officials are pursuing the permanent closing off of a block just off of Harvard Square to traffic.
Cambridge Transportation Commissioner Brooke McKenna is in the process of devising a plan for making Lower Bow Street from Plympton to Dewolfe Streets a pedestrian-only block, according to a Sept. 11 communication with the the city manager.
The city would still have the option to reopen the block to traffic if and when this is deemed necessary, she said.
The block has been closed for construction for several years “without causing significant impacts on the safety or functionality of the surrounding traffic patterns,” McKenna wrote.
“This has demonstrated that from a traffic perspective, this location is an excellent opportunity for pedestrianization. In addition, during COVID, the adjacent restaurants, with front doors on Mt. Auburn Street, had robust outdoor dining on Bow Street with great success.”
McKenna said she’s discussed the idea with stakeholders such as the Harvard Square Business Association and Harvard University, and that “there is general agreement to move in this direction.”
The current plan is to begin the pedestrianization of the block in the spring to align with the start of the outdoor dining season, McKenna said. The biggest thing that still needs to be decided is how best to block off this section of Lower Bow Street.
“Between now and then, we will continue conversations and planning, including convening an even wider group of local stakeholders to discuss the details of how we will move forward,” McKenna wrote.