Boylston St RFP Posted, Will Bring Updated Design Guidelines to Boylston St

Dec 23, 2013

The BRA, in partnership with Boston's Department of Public Works, recently posted an RFP to develop new design guidelines for Boylston Street. The RFP, which has a deadline of January 22, 2014, asks submitting teams to deliver a conceptual design plan for the public sidewalk, sidewalk design standards, and a long-term capital project implementation strategy for the identified area.  

Boylston Street is a major commercial spine for Boston and is heavily used by pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles, and MBTA buses. The RFP, which extends between Fenway and Arlington Streets, covers a ten-block area which includes the Boston Public Library, historic Copley Square and Trinity Church, Old South Church, Hynes Convention Center, and over 2 million square feet of development. The area also includes the Boston Marathon Finish Line.

The new RFP will build off of a Boylston Street Master Plan which was completed by the City of Boston's Department of Public Works in 1991. The 1991 Plan emphasizes design guidelines and sidewalk materials for the public rights of way along Boylston Street. The scope of the new RFP will revisit the Master Plan and will require respondents to incorporate Boston's new Complete Streets guidelines into the final design. The use of Complete Streets guidelines will ensure that the final design is accessible, functional, aesthetically pleasing, and environmentally sustainable.

The BRA will manage the distribution of the RFP, selection of the consultant team, and host the community process that will inform the final design standards. The work will result in a 25% approved design plan, which will then be handed over to the City of Boston's Department of Public Works for implementation. Construction of the project is anticipated to be completed over a ten year period.

Questions about the RFP can be directed to Jill Ochs Zick, Landscape Architect, at (617) 918-4354.