Worcester Mill Street Project: Public Hearing Date Set

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester residents will get a chance to preview and comment on plans to refresh Mill Street, a four-lane road known by residents as "The Speedway."

Officials from the Worcester Department of Transportation (DTM) and Mobility and District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj will lead the July 31 meeting, which will preview plans for the road following a resurfacing project that's going on now.

Worcester officials have offered plans to pare down the road to one lane in each direction, and add bike lanes buffered by parking spots.

The Mill Street project touched off a political fight in District 5, with council candidate Jose Rivera seeking to put the project on hold until after a public hearing on any changes apart from resurfacing.

The Mill Street project is one of several projects DTM is undertaking, including along Stafford Street — where a young girl died last year after getting hit by a speeding driver — Burncoat Street and Grove Street. The department is also working on a project near Crompton Park.

The Mill Street hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on July 31 at the Mill Swan School, 337 Mill St.