Description

This whole section on the Main Street side of this building is a nightmare.

There is a serious drainage problem and/or a constant water leak in this area, to the effect that during all but the hottest dry weather there are always puddles along the curb/bike lane.

This may contributing to another major problem, which is that large parts of the sidewalk are highly uneven and irregular with the paving. This makes the section a nuisance to pass through on foot, and potentially highly problematic for those who might be in wheelchairs or have strollers. You have large puddles from the road side, plus the sidewalk is adjacent to a loading dock for the building, so you often have trucks blocking passage or making it difficult to avoid sidewalk defects.

All of the above is made even worse in the winter time as the standing water starts to freeze over.

Most pedestrian traffic from Cambridge to Boston going over the Longfellow Bridge is likely passing this way, given that the other side of the bridge is closed to all traffic. These problems have existed here for years, but now that the bridge traffic needs to go this way there is little chance to avoid the area.