Malden gets $1.98M for Broadway design; construction remains ahead

Malden has received a $1.98 million transportation award to advance the redesign of Broadway, but the money will pay for design and preliminary work rather than the full reconstruction.

The award announced July 8 includes $1.584 million in federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, funds and a $396,000 MassDOT match. The city says the grant is intended to move the Broadway Reconstruction project forward while Malden continues pursuing separate funding for construction.

What the Broadway project could include

The proposed project covers approximately 1.7 miles of Broadway, also known as Route 99, from the Everett city line to the Melrose city line. The corridor is within Malden, although it connects two neighboring communities.

Proposed elements include new sidewalks, 19 crosswalks, buffered bike lanes, traffic-calming measures, new bus stops, turning lanes, traffic-signal changes, stormwater-capacity improvements, street trees, wayfinding, accessible curb ramps and pedestrian signals.

The City of Malden announcement also describes six proposed turn lanes and a new signalized intersection at Taylor and Grover streets. Those features remain part of the proposed design and should not be treated as completed or guaranteed improvements.

For people who walk, bike or use buses, the project is intended to address gaps in sidewalks, crossings, accessibility and transit access. Drivers and nearby businesses could eventually see changes to turning movements, signal timing, driveway access and lane configuration. The city has described safety, traffic operations and economic development as goals, but the final effects will depend on design and construction decisions still ahead.

Where the project stands

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization lists the project under ID 613244 and identifies it as 25 percent design. The MPO gives it a readiness policy year of federal fiscal year 2031. That designation is a planning milestone, not a promise that construction will begin in 2031.

The MPO document lists a total federal participating cost of about $31.6 million. Separately, a draft MassDOT FY2027-31 capital plan lists $35.14 million for the project in fiscal years 2028 through 2031. Because that plan is a draft programming document, the figure is not adopted construction spending, a final project cost or a confirmed start date.

What residents and businesses should watch

The next important steps are continued design work, public and agency review, additional approvals, decisions on construction funding and a confirmed schedule. The city’s Broadway Route 99 project page describes the reconstruction as part of a multiyear process informed by earlier corridor studies, zoning work and public outreach.

Until those steps are completed, residents should view the grant as new money to move the project forward—not as a notice that Broadway construction is about to begin. Future updates will matter most when they identify changes to the proposed scope, access arrangements, funding commitments or the timing of construction.

Sources

• City of Malden grant announcement
• Boston Region MPO project description
• MassDOT draft capital plan