When the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) began improvements to Needham Street, Newton was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ruthanne Fuller was entering her third year as mayor.
Over half a decade later, the project—which includes raised bike lanes, sidewalk fixes, street widening, and bus stop improvements—is still in progress and is estimated to be $4.3 million over the original budget, according to MassDOT.
“We’ve only been open so long as the construction’s been going,” said Olivia Taylor, an employee at Visual Comfort & Co. on Needham Street. “It’s sort of all we’ve known, unfortunately.”…