MBTA plans to redesign Lynnway for improved bus service and walkability, while Northern Strand Trail extension project in Lynn aims to connect downtown to waterfront with upgraded infrastructure. Construction underway with goals of enhancing transit access and pedestrian safety. Total project completion expected by 2027.
Solomon Foundation render
A rendering of the new sidewalk and bike path.
Nearly three years after winning a $20 million federal grant, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) hosted its first public forum on June 11, 2025, for a proposed transit-focused redesign of the Lynnway, a major highway that slices across the city of Lynn's waterfront district.
A six- to seven-lane highway owned by the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Lynnway extends from the Rumney Marshes at the city's southern boundary to Nahant Beach and is currently a loud, polluted barrier that divides downtown Lynn from its waterfront, according to StreetsblogMASS.
Although the Lynnway is lined with car dealerships, junkyards and strip malls, Lynn municipal officials have ambitious plans to transform the area into a walkable mixed-use district that can capitalize on its proximity to the city's waterfront.
In its 2021 federal grant application, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the MBTA proposed to redesign the Lynnway by sacrificing some of its existing lanes to make room for "center-running bus lanes with transit signal priority, a shared use path along the eastern edge of the Lynnway, improved bus stops and improved pedestrian crossings."
But there was no mention of dedicated transit lanes or bike paths in any of the materials on view at the June 11 open house.
"We're focusing today on existing conditions outreach, making sure we're starting from square one to get feedback on what might go into the concept design," Phillip Cherry, an MBTA senior project manager, told StreetsblogMASS. "This is the first time we've had any kind of public forum for this project."
Northern Strand to Get Protected Path Through Downtown Lynn
Across town, construction is already under way at another project site on the Northern Strand Trail extension project, where crews are building a new curb-separated, on-street trail through Lynn that will include upgraded bus stops, traffic calming measures and crosswalk improvements.
According to StreetsblogMASS, the trail currently ends next to a hectic traffic circle on Western Avenue, about a mile west of the city's downtown.
The construction will eventually extend the Northern Strand on city streets to connect the trail to the city's waterfront at Nahant Beach.
Work began on the project nearly a year ago, and most of the trail's length is still an active construction site. However, many of the new curbs that will divide the trail from adjacent motor vehicle traffic have already been installed to give a sense of what the path will eventually look like.
At several locations, workers are also installing new platforms for the 426, 429 and 455 MBTA bus routes that also use the trail across the city.
Similar to bus stops that recently went in on Washington Street in East Somerville, Mass., these platforms will let MBTA buses stop without pulling in and out of traffic, while also providing a wide buffer between motorized traffic and the adjacent bike path.
In addition to the trail itself, the project also includes:
• building numerous traffic-calming and beautification improvements for the rest of Market Street; and
• the construction of two big median islands to give pedestrians easier crossings at the wide intersection of Market, State and Oxford streets.
In addition, new shade trees to soon be planted as well.
At the southern end of Market Street, the on-street trail will traverse a wooded park before joining the Lynnway next to Lynn Heritage State Park, StreetsblogMASS reported.
The easternmost leg of the project runs along the Lynnway from Market Street to the traffic rotary at the entrance to Nahant Beach. Along this segment, the construction has carved up one of the Lynnway's six lanes to make room for the new trail on the waterfront edge of the roadway. Crews also removed thousands of sq. ft. of unnecessary asphalt to create new stormwater-absorption gardens between the highway and the trail.
Construction on this portion of the Northern Strand Trail is mostly complete, and several people on bikes were seen using the new path to ride to the beach on the evening of June 11.
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