Door closed on city reopening downtown shortcut

• Posted by Worcester News May 26, 2019 - Filed in News - #downtown  #01604  #FosterStreet  - 6,685 views

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  If you were hoping city would reopen this downtown shortcut, you're out of luck

  For years it has been common to see a driver facing the prospect of a particularly nightmarish trip through Washington Square to try to beat the system by taking a shortcut through the part of Foster Street that connects with Summer Street. Equally common are the backup lights, and possible swearing, when drivers find the road dead-ends before the anticipated destination.

  That part of Foster Street was curbed over when the road was reconfigured to connect with Francis J. McGrath Blvd.

  

  The part of Foster Street that connects with Summer Street dead-ends before reaching Foster Street.

  A company, VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 7, owns the rights to half the property; the city, the other half. The City Council will consider on Tuesday City Manager Ed Augustus' request to take ownership of outstanding parcel.

  

  So close yet so far. The unused portion of Foster Street next to the Central Massachusetts Korean War Memorial.

  However, Chief Development Officer Michael Traynor, in a letter to Augustus, proposes to permanently discontinue that portion of Foster Street. "The ultimate goal of the discontinuation would be to facilitate the City’s economic development agenda through a future conveyance of the parcel to the private sector such that the land becomes taxable," Traynor writes. In short, there's no hope of reconnecting the streets to re-create the shortcut.

  Even without adopting the order, those hoping for the street to be reconnected were already out of luck. Drawings contained in the Council agenda note that the street on the Washington Square side of the railroad tracks already belongs to the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and will become part of the land for the new hotel announced in April.

  For those still hesitant about fighting Washington Square traffic, here's a reminder that the dramatically underused Bridge Street (below right) remains an option. However, the redevelopment of Mission Chapel at Summer and Bridge Streets may include commercial space, which would figure to make Bridge Street busier 

   

  Bridge Street (right) and Foster Street discontinued (left). A new hotel will rise east of the train tracks, making that part of Foster Street no more. Google Maps

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