As work on the Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project ceases for the winter months, there is time for students to consider the merits — and inanity — of the $8 million scheme, funded by Boston University and the Massachusetts Highway Department. The project has certainly brightened and beautified sections of Commonwealth Avenue, bringing new bricks and concrete, along with shiny street-side benches to the campus’s main thoroughfare. That the construction project is moving along on schedule and on budget is also a refreshing change for a neighborhood anchored on its East end by Kenmore Square — a quagmire of delayed construction schedules and unanticipated costs.
How exactly the Commonwealth Avenue project is accomplishing more than beautification is not yet evident. A lane of westbound traffic will be eliminated from the street, which planners claim will calm traffic problems. Pedestrians and drivers together hope this effect actually comes about. So far, guarantees of wider, more accessible sidewalks for pedestrian traffic appear to be overstated. While sidewalks are newer, and will soon be surrounded by lush foliage, how their design differs from the previous model or increases pedestrian safety is unclear.
While BU is involved in the project, it takes a backseat to the state agency managing construction. The school can only benefit from a more aesthetically pleasing campus, though it does suffer through an on-schedule, but still two-year-long project. BU should not assume that because benches and new bricks have been put down on Commonwealth Avenue that all pedestrian woes will be settled.