A 2-mile stretch of Route 123 connecting downtown Brockton to Abington is headed for a major overhaul, with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation advancing a $33 million plan to add buffered bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and upgraded crossings along a corridor with significant safety concerns for people outside cars. The project runs between Lyman Street in Brockton and Ashland Street in Abington, covering ground known locally as Center Street on the Brockton side and Brockton Avenue once it crosses into Abington.
A Years-Long Push Finally Takes Shape
According to Streetsblog Massachusetts, MassDOT first initiated the Route 123 project back in 2020, but concept design work didn't begin in earnest until March 2024. The project is now at the 25-percent design stage, with Chappell Engineering involved in developing the plans. MassDOT and Chappell have coordinated with the cities of Brockton and Abington, their public works departments, emergency services, utility companies, and members of the public throughout the process, the outlet reports.
The corridor's problems are well documented in the design process itself. The intersection of Quincy Street and Route 123 ranks among the top 200 crash locations in Massachusetts, and MassDOT has classified some of the corridor's intersection geometry as inadequate for vehicular turning movements, per the same outlet. The Route 123 corridor as a whole lacks continuous, accessible pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, a gap the redesign is meant to close.
What The New Design Looks Like
The proposed cross-section calls for two 11-foot travel lanes flanked by two 2-foot bike buffers and two 5-foot bike lanes, along with two 5.5-foot sidewalks. Six-inch vertical curbs would separate those sidewalks from the travel lanes. MassDOT considered a shared-use path alternative and other roadway configurations, but the outlet notes that a shared path would have required a wider footprint with significant property impacts, steering designers toward the buffered bike lane approach instead.
Several intersections along the route are slated for specific fixes. The Quincy Street intersection would get modern traffic signals, new crosswalks, and left-turn lanes, while the Walmart entrance nearby would receive similar signal, crosswalk, and turn-lane updates. The Gladstone Street intersection is set for a new crosswalk and geometry improvements, and crosswalks near Brockton Hospital would get new flashing lights. Near East Middle School, the project plans to install rectangular rapid flashing beacons for pedestrian crossings.
Over in Abington, the Martin, Mill, and Green Streets intersection would be reconfigured entirely. Mill and Green Streets would connect to Route 123 through a conventional four-legged intersection, while Martin Street would be converted into a dead-end with emergency-vehicle access only. Keith Lincoln said the selected design better balances bicycle use on both sides of the road, according to Streetsblog Massachusetts.
Construction Timeline Stretches Toward 2029
Construction is planned in two phases. Phase one, which includes roadway widening and sidewalk construction, is expected to last three years, with work scheduled for 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and both Route 123 travel lanes kept open for most of that stretch. Phase two, covering milling and paving, is scheduled to run two months, with traffic narrowed to one lane with alternating flow during that period.
The design timeline calls for MassDOT to review the 75-percent design in spring 2027, with 100-percent design submitted that following winter and final design submitted by spring 2028. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2029, per the outlet's reporting.
Residents And Advocates Push For More
Philippe Jean-Baptiste presented project details at a July 28 virtual meeting, according to Streetsblog Massachusetts, and said resident suggestions could still be considered as the design progresses. Iolando Spiñola told the outlet the project could meaningfully affect people who walk, bike, take transit, and drive along Route 123, and advocated for improved sidewalks, curb ramps, crossings, and pedestrian connections. Spiñola also requested a physical barrier between the roadway and bike lanes within the proposed 2-foot buffer, and recommended working with the transit authority on a shelter near the East Middle School athletic field.
Bus-stop improvements along the corridor were also part of residents' requests. Members of the Brockton Transportation Safety Coalition have voiced support for the overall project while pressing for changes, telling the outlet that sidewalks and crosswalks along the corridor are often inadequate and citing ADA accessibility needs, the area's fatal-crash history, nearby schools, and hospitals as reasons the project matters. Coalition members also said they want more physical separation for the bike lanes than what's currently proposed.
Jed Hresko questioned why the bike lanes would not be grade-separated and said the corridor should become less hostile to pedestrians and cyclists, according to the same report. Other residents called for street trees along the route for shade, comfort, and a safer, more people-oriented environment, and some specifically asked for the removal of a cinderblock wall near the Gladstone Street intersection.
A Long Road Ahead For A Busy Corridor
Route 123 has functioned for years as a key link between downtown Brockton and Abington, carrying drivers, transit riders, cyclists, and pedestrians along a stretch that advocates say was never built with all of them in mind. As design work continues, the corridor's redesign remains a work in progress — one that residents and coalition members appear determined to keep shaping as MassDOT and Chappell Engineering move toward a final plan.
Separately, the City of Brockton's official website noted overnight intersection improvements at Center Street (Route 123), Cary Street, and Lyman Street, scheduled for a Monday, September 14, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., according to the City of Brockton. The notice did not specify further project details tying the overnight work to the broader Route 123 redesign.
