Boston To Close Busy Street For 10 Days To Test Copley Square Program

BOSTON — Starting Tuesday, Boston will be shutting down a major street in one of the busiest neighborhoods to test a trial run expansion of Copley Square into a pedestrian plaza space.

From June 7 to June 17, Dartmouth Street in Boston's Bay Bay will be closed to traffic from Copley Square Park to the Boston Public Library. The street serves as a lead connector from Copley to Beacon Street and even Storrow Drive.

City officials warn that this move will likely change travel patterns through the Back Bay, and delays can be expected.

Known as Copley Connect, the pilot program will transform Dartmouth Street into an open-air marketplace, similar to SoWa in the South End, bringing in performances, food trucks, block parties, cafe seating, and yoga classes.

This pop-up plaza was designed and coordinated by Goode Landscape Studio, in conjunction with the Boston Planning and Development Agency. The city says its goal is to have Copley Square thrive while continuing to host the many visitors that it does in the wake of the pandemic

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says during the time the street is blocked off, city officials will work to see how the space can be used if it were to be part of an expansion from Copley and how it would affect surrounding streets.

"City streets and roadways represent a huge portion of public land, and we're eager to host these events opening up several major streets to the community for summer fun," Wu said in a statement. "These events will showcase our neighborhoods and help reshape what's possible as we fuel our city's social and economic recovery."

Some of the events listed during the takeover include:

• Sunday, June 12 at 10 a.m.: Mobile Makers Pop-up
• Sunday, June 12 at 3:30 p.m.: Family Zumba
• Thursday, June 16 at 6 p.m.: Donna Summer Disco Party
• Friday, June 17 at 3:30 p.m.: Juneteenth Chalk Art
• June 10, 14, and 17 at 11 a.m.: Farmers Market