Dorchester Side Streets Get $11.1M Safety Overhaul
Homeowners on Woodrow Avenue and connecting streets should expect sidewalk, drainage, and intersection work through the coming months.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Home Renovation
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Boston's Streets Team has begun construction on the $11.1 million Jones Avenue Street Improvement project in Dorchester, which targets Woodrow Avenue and connecting side streets. The work adds sidewalks, paving, intersection redesigns, tree plantings, lighting, and speed humps.
Why it matters
Neighbors on Woodrow Avenue sought safety fixes because cars often speed through the area, and residents reported car accidents at the Jones Avenue intersection. For Boston homeowners and renters near these streets, the project means months of sidewalk and drainage work outside the front door and a changed traffic pattern on nearby blocks.
The $11.1 million project covers Woodrow Avenue, Jones Avenue, Ballou Avenue, Dumas Street, Mascot Street, Willowwood Street, and Jacob Street. Jones Avenue bump outs will shorten pedestrian crossings by as much as one-third to one-quarter.
The players
Boston Streets Team
The city unit that designs and builds neighborhood street safety improvements, including the Neighborhood Slow Streets program.
Woodrow Avenue Neighborhood Association
A Dorchester resident group founded in 2016 that pushed for traffic-calming changes on Woodrow Avenue.
The details
Crews have begun full-depth sidewalk replacement on Ballou Avenue, with sidewalks being dug up to be rebuilt and drainage problems being addressed on Ballou Avenue and Willowwood Street. Curb lines at Jones Avenue intersections will be physically changed to add bump outs, and the intersections at Jones and Ballou and at Willowwood and Dumas will be reconfigured with a focus on safety. The project builds on temporary quick-build work done in 2019 under the Neighborhood Slow Streets program, with permanent designs started in 2022.
Timeline
2016: Johnson-Letonia founded the Woodrow Avenue Neighborhood Association.
2019: Temporary quick-build work was completed under Neighborhood Slow Streets.
2022: Permanent design work for the project began.
Late October 2026: Neighbors celebrated the start of construction, and the public works project began on the side-street grid.
The Home Front
The project extends Boston's Neighborhood Slow Streets approach, first tested with temporary quick-build measures in 2019, into permanent construction. For homes on these side streets, it marks a shift from trial traffic calming to lasting sidewalk and intersection changes.
If you live on or near Woodrow Avenue or the connecting streets, expect sidewalk work, drainage crews, and temporary access changes in the coming months. Keep a record of any driveway or foundation issues you notice before and during construction, and hire a licensed contractor for any repair touching a driveway apron or utility line.
The takeaway
Neighborhood traffic projects like this one reshape sidewalks and curbs for years, so homeowners on affected streets should photograph their property and driveways now. Keep the project contact information from the city handy in case questions come up during construction.
Further reading
For more on neighborhood-scale fixes like this, explore Home Renovation coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Dorchester Reporter.
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