Bridgewater Central Square Streetscape

In partnership with Nitsch Engineering and Speck/Dempsey, Utile led the conceptual design and public engagement process to reimagine Bridgewater’s Central Square. This process marks an inflection point for the complex street configuration of the Square, which has seen a series of studies and visions over the last decade which have not advanced to construction. Working closely with the Town to navigate stakeholder and public engagement, the Utile team proposed a novel solution for the Square which would improve safety for all users, expand pedestrian and public space, bring family-friendly bikeways through the Square, and improve operations for drivers. 

Like many of our historic Main Streets, Central Square’s once vibrant walkable character was steadily degraded through the later 20th century as it lost local appeal and became a conduit for regional vehicle traffic. Recognizing this tension, our team proposed tested solutions to slow vehicle speeds and reclaim street space for pedestrians, setting the stage for future development in the Square – converting one-way streets to two-way operation, a modern roundabout at a dangerous skewed intersection, and tightening highway-style street geometry. The design vision for the Square reflected the sentiment of 100s of public comments received throughout the visioning process, ultimately receiving public approval to advance the design to construction documents as the next phase of work.