By Chip Gaysunas
Due to Belmont’s central location in the greater Boston area, its streets experience significant cut-through traffic and congestion daily. Many of Belmont’s streets date to the 1800s and were not designed to handle the speed, weight, and volume of vehicles currently using them. Unfortunately, motorists cutting through Belmont rarely consider the impact their speed and distracted driving can have on pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists.
Streets leading to and through Belmont Center, Waverley Square, and Cushing Square typically see the highest daily traffic volume. However, streets serving schools, parks, and other town amenities also experience significant daily traffic volume. For example, Concord Avenue provides daily access to thousands of motorists traveling to destinations north and south of the MBTA Commuter Rail bridge. It is also the primary travel corridor for those looking to access public amenities,near the center: Belmont Middle School/High School, Harris Field, Belmont Sportsplex and Skip Viglirolo Ice Rink, Underwood Pool, Belmont Public Library, and US Post Office.
Belmont residents understand the issues in their neighborhoods and share an interest in improving safety on roadways, crosswalks, and sidewalks across the town; however, each situation is unique and solutions that might make sense for one street may negatively impact the next or lead to other unintended consequences. With limited funds available for transportation-related projects, the town tries to focus resources in those areas where meaningful improvements in safety and accessibility can be expected.
Belmont’s Transportation Advisory Committee
Belmont’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) is charged “to make recommendations to the Select Board for improving the safety of public ways in Belmont for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.” The TAC has nine resident volunteer members appointed by the Select Board and acting under the direction of the town engineer, who is an ex officio, nonvoting member.
As a TAC member, I’ve worked with Belmont residents, the town engineer, Select Board members, and officers from the Belmont Police Department on a wide range of transportation issues These issues range from relatively simple parking and signage issues to more complex issues related to cut-through traffic, congestion, and vehicle speed and volume.
The TAC and town officials have designed and adopted traffic calming and crosswalk safety improvement policies, which guide residents on steps they can take to voice their concerns. Adoption of these policies was an important step forward for the town; however, these policies will need to be revisited as new information and technologies become available.
For example, the 85% percentile speed, a widely accepted measure of motor vehicle speed and a key criterion for evaluating speed on Belmont’s streets, is considered effective for establishing highway speeds. However, it has limitations which may not fully address motor vehicle speed in heavily intersected residential neighborhoods and numerous pedestrians and cyclists.
The TAC has benefited from working with town engineers who understand the importance of prioritizing safety on Belmont’s streets and who have deep experience with transportation issues in Belmont and other Massachusetts communities. Wayne Chouinard, Belmont’s town engineer, brings years of experience from his work with Arlington and has proposed changes including setting aside time for public input at each TAC meeting and establishing TAC working groups to complement Belmont’s Engineering Department.
TAC focus areas for 2026 and beyond
Belmont Center Overlay
The town and Select Board are committed to supporting commercial development in Belmont. The recently adopted zoning overlay districts in Belmont Center (the MBTA Communities Act overlay adopted in November 2024 and the two business-oriented overlays adopted in March 2026) would likely entail significant parking and traffic impacts. In 2025, the town commissioned studies addressing these potential parking and traffic impacts. The results of the studies were presented in a joint public meeting of the TAC, the Select Board, and the Planning Board in October 2025; however, significant questions remain around the impact of future development on traffic and parking.
MBTA rail bridge and underpass
The transportation engineering firm BSC Group has been working with the town and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), through the state’s Local Bottleneck Reduction Program, to study improvements, including installing traffic signals, at the intersections of Common Street, Concord Avenue, Leonard Street, and Channing Road on either side of the MBTA Commuter Rail bridge. Updates on the status of potential improvements are anticipated this year.
Concord avenue and neighboring Streets
Concord Avenue is a primary arterial roadway within and through Belmont. As a result, the corridor experiences significant daily traffic volume, with several problematic intersections. Area residents have expressed concern with increased vehicle volume, especially at the intersection of lower Goden and Concord Avenue. With the town’s new rink and library facilities bringing players and families to this area, traffic volume and congestion on Concord Avenue and neighboring streets is anticipated to increase.
Improvements to pedestrian crossings along Concord Avenue, including at the new library and the post office, are planned for 2026, with grant funding under the MassDOT’s Complete Streets Funding Program.
Grove and Huron
Grove Street is a high-volume north/south corridor between Belmont Street and the roundabout at Washington Street and Blanchard Road. It borders Grove Street Park and intersects Huron Avenue (Cambridge). The town has been working with transportation consultants from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., (VHB), to design improvements along this corridor, including installing traffic signals at the intersection at Grove and Huron. VHB’s 75% design plan for this corridor was presented to the public at the December 2025 TAC meeting.
Mill, Concord, and Winter
Mill Street, Concord Avenue, and Winter Street are primary arterials for motorists and cyclists traveling to and through Belmont. These intersections have been studied for years, but to date, limited progress has been made on implementing changes due in part to the lack of adequate buffers between these streets and the northeast edge of the Rock Meadow Conservation Area.
White Street
White Street is a primary north/south corridor between Waverley Avenue in Watertown and Trapelo Road in Belmont. Butler Elementary School, at the intersection of White Street and Sycamore Street, draws more than three hundred students daily from the neighborhood. Despite the installation of traffic-calming measures along this corridor, residents express continued concerns about traffic volume and speed.
The TAC provides a forum for residents to raise concerns about transportation-related issues in their neighborhoods. TAC meetings are open to the public, and residents are encouraged to attend. Most TAC meeting agendas now provide an opportunity for public input. TAC meeting minutes and links to the town’s traffic calming and crosswalk safety improvement policies can be found here.
Chip Gaysunas is the vice chair of Belmont’s Transportation Advisory Committee.
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