City aims to beautify and unclog Dot Ave.
$12m makeover will target 3 intersections, upgrade amenities
It takes less than two minutes to walk from Glover's Corner along Dorchester Avenue to Alan Saks's business two blocks away. But because patrons at Dorchester Tire Service are typically driving, getting there from the busy intersection can sometimes take up to 20 minutes, as cars crawl past grimy storefronts and broken sidewalks.
"You've got a five-way intersection, and nobody knows where to go," Saks said. "It backs up traffic terribly."
Dorchester Avenue, which is Main Street to Boston's biggest neighborhood, is a melange of family-owned firms with long histories, as well as start-ups run by ambitious entrepreneurs.
But traffic, blight, and a lack of streetside amenities are holding back its potential, merchants say.
Now Dot Ave. is getting $12 million worth of upgrades intended to enliven the boulevard and improve its character, while improving traffic flow. City officials hope the new traffic lights, streetlights, benches, trees, and more will accelerate a budding Dorchester renaissance. The improvements target three key intersections: Andrew Square, Glover's Corner, and Fields Corner.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino - speaking yesterday before a neighborhood merchants group, the Dorchester Board of Trade - trumpeted the plans, along with other city investments in Dorchester, including $6.5 million to repair the stage and façade of Strand Theater, $2.5 million to replace windows at the John W. McCormack School, and $1 million for renovations at Marshall Community Center.
The biggest item is the recently announced streetscape and traffic improvement plan for Dorchester Avenue.
Like many urban corridors in New England, Dorchester Avenue has a centuries-old history as cowpath and trolleyway long before pedestrians had to tangle with buses and cars to cross the street.
The corridor provides a remarkably straight path from the inner suburb of Milton to downtown Boston. And the thoroughfare is home to dozens of business owners who are proud to reside in Dorchester and work on its namesake boulevard.
"There are people that never leave the avenue and get everything they need," Saks said.
On the west side of Dorchester Avenue at congested Fields Corner sits the Blarney Stone, a trendy eatery with a manicured patio dining area to the side, fixed up with the city's help.
On the east side of the street, inside a tiny storefront, the young co-owner of an urban clothing store, 2-Step The Urban Edge, munched on takeout food on a couch. The retail area looks to be as much after-school hangout as commercial enterprise.
Adam Hayes, the 26-year-old co-owner of the clothing store, said he opened the business to keep himself out of trouble and provide other young people with jobs.
The location has been good, he said, especially with the large number of students who stop by after school.
He doesn't mind the standstill traffic so much, Hayes said. "It has a good effect. If the traffic holds up right there, they can see right through the store."
But other merchants said that traffic has been a major problem.
"Lots of people complain," said Aurelio Abreu, who owns International Computer Solutions at Glover's Corner, centered at the twisted intersection of Freeport Street and Dorchester Avenue.
He said the city should at least install a clearer traffic signal at the intersection. Yesterday, flashing red and yellow lights seemed to confound drivers who anxiously crept into the intersection.
"Traffic is a terrible problem on Dorchester Avenue," said Blarney Stone co-owner Dave Cawley. "Everybody knows to stay away from Dorchester Avenue" during the morning and afternoon rush hours, he said.
Council President Maureen Feeney, who represents Dorchester, said that previous efforts to fix Dorchester Avenue have not remedied the basic traffic problems. She said residents and merchants have been clamoring for improvements for at least 20 years.
In an interview after yesterday's luncheon, she called the latest plan "very exciting because these are mechanical changes."
"Historically, we have put up some trees or put up some lighting," she said. But this time, "the mechanics of traffic and pedestrian activity is going to change," Feeney said.
Besides improving interchanges, the street work is meant to provide safer passage for bicyclists, said Jeremy Rosenberger of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, co-manager of the Dorchester Avenue project.
"There recently has been movement toward bikes going from Milton to downtown," he said. "It's a relatively straight shot from the suburbs into the city."
Cawley said that Dorchester Avenue is "slowly getting better," but that unkempt storefronts still detract from the corridor.
"It's not the prettiest of streets to drive down," Cawley said yesterday. "It's not very easy on the eyes."
John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com.
