Waltham To Close Moody Street To Cars To Help Business Again

WALTHAM, MA —Waltham will close Moody Street once again to traffic to allow outdoor dining amid the second year of the pandemic. The closure will begin May 1 and last until the end of October.

During the height of the pandemic, Waltham was one of the first cities in the state to completely close a roadway to allow restaurants more space for outdoor dining. It was held up as an example by communities across the commonwealth as an example.

But as the city set to considering whether and when to close the main thoroughfare to cars once again to accommodate outdoor dining in an effort to support local dining, some business owners that share the road with the restaurants pushed back. They worried with no street parking, they'd lose business.

"Not everyone is going to be satisfied," said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy during a traffic commission meeting March 18.

Restaurant owners are still reeling from a year in which people don't feel comfortable dining in doors, and say last year's experiment kept them open.

In March, a subcommittee met for four hours to discuss options, including the possibility of only closing one side of the road, rather than the entire roadway. In the end, the traffic commission voted Friday to go with something similar to last year’s plan, closing Moody Street from High to Pine streets between May 1 and Oct. 31.

The commission is set to determine how to improve the plan from last year, by using speed bumps or other methods. The city's traffic engineer will also look at a new proposal to close a portion of Moody Street near Shoppers and Heidi's.

A number of Waltham residents said this is what they'd been rooting for.

"I really don’t think closing the street in a small section as had been done and proposed deters business- for me," Patch reader Sarah Clinton posted to Patch. "I love being able to wander from shop to shop, and even if I had a plan to dine outside, I would likely stop into stores around the area before and after dining."

Kaj Telenar agreed.

"The pandemic kept many people home," Telenar said. "I love the idea of being able to walk even more easily around Moody street and will be more likely to go there than in previous years."

• Previously: To Close Moody Street Or Not: That Is The Question In Waltham