JOHN FITCH HIGHWAY

In 2020, the City of Fitchburg received funding to redesign the John Fitch Highway with the priority of reducing flooding due to its location in the floodplain of Baker Brook. The funding for the project came from Massachusett’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs MVP Action Grant Program. The project redesign will cover about one mile of the John Fitch Highway. Key challenges of the current conditions of the site includes a high percentage of impervious surface, very fast-moving traffic, and no crosswalks making pedestrian mobility a challenge. Very little tree cover or other vegetation exacerbates issues of flooding as well as creating an urban heat island effect. Based on the winners of the ‘Envision John Fitch Highway Artwork Challenge Submissions’, the community would like to see safer pedestrian crossings and ADA accessibility, bike lanes, street trees, a community garden, park, green infrastructure and public art. The broader goals of the City of Fitchburg for this project include providing equitable mobility and access, building a safer pedestrian and biking experience, increasing canopy cover, promoting business, decreasing flood impacts, and preparing for climate change.


The project is currently in the planning and community input stages of development, but it is the hope of the city that this will serve as the first design intervention of many to create a safer, greener, and more resilient corridor for the town.


redesign 2020 - ongoing
1 linear mi 
469 feet above sea level