MassDOT issued the notice to proceed for its Pleasant Street project on September 14, 2026. When the work is finished, Route 122 through West Tatnuck will carry one travel lane in each direction. It will also have buffered bike lanes, rebuilt and new sidewalks, and more places to cross on foot. Every major design choice on the corridor centers on the moments when people stop moving with traffic: the left turn onto Mower Street, the walk across to a bus stop, the trip down to Tatnuck Square. At the east end of the corridor, the square itself is changing in a similar way.
Where the Work Runs, and What It Costs
MassDOT's project record sets the limits from the Paxton town line to the intersection of Pleasant Street and Tatnuck Brook. When MassLive previewed the design hearing in December 2025, it placed the western end at the Holden line. The agency records say Paxton, and a state environmental filing for the corridor describes the work area as "Paxton Town Line to South Olean Street."
In everyday landmarks, MassDOT's March 2025 meeting handout describes a corridor of about 1.32 miles. It starts near Sunny Hill Drive and ends just east of South Olean Street.
The money came in lower than the early talk. In December 2025, MassLive reported the proposal as "worth nearly $4 million." MassDOT now lists a construction bid price of $3,260,984. For a 1.32-mile corridor, that pays for repaving, curb ramps, sidewalks and striping. It does not pay for widening the road or moving utility poles. The design hearing notice says the project will keep the existing curb line in most places and leave the utility poles where they stand.
So the road isn't getting wider. The same pavement is being split up differently.
Why Two Lanes Become One
The handout from MassDOT's December 3, 2025 design hearing at West Tatnuck Elementary School on Mower Street answers this directly. Cutting to one lane each way means a pedestrian crosses only two active lanes of traffic. It gives drivers and walkers better sight lines to each other, and it tends to slow drivers down.
The same document argues the change helps drivers turning off the road too. A left turn would mean crossing a single lane of oncoming traffic. Better sight distance on the existing curves would give drivers more time to react. MassDOT says easier turns can keep traffic moving more evenly and avoid an "accordion-style" pattern.
Stephen Rolle, Worcester's commissioner of transportation and mobility, described the purpose in similar terms to MassLive:
"The overall aim is to improve traffic safety for all users by incorporating design changes that will reduce speeding, improve the alignment and configuration of travel lanes, establish continuous pedestrian accommodations, including provision of safe crosswalks, and utilize the excess roadway width to extend bike lanes along the full length of the corridor."
He also said bike lanes are "only one component of the project." His phrase "excess roadway width" explains the whole project. MassDOT is treating Pleasant Street as wider than its traffic requires, and is giving that width to people who walk, bike and turn.
What the Plan Changes and What It Keeps
| Feature | Under the MassDOT design |
|---|---|
| Travel lanes | One each way, 12 feet wide |
| Bike lanes | 5-foot minimum each way, with a buffer from the travel lanes |
| Sidewalks | Existing ones rebuilt, new 5-foot sidewalks where feasible |
| North-side sidewalk | Not continuous |
| Crossings | Additional pedestrian crossings, ADA curb ramps at each intersection |
| Left turns onto Upper/Lower Mower St | Still restricted 7 to 9 a.m., buses excepted |
| Bus stops | Stay in their current locations, coordinated with the WRTA |
Two rows deserve a closer look. The morning restriction at Mower Street stays because the redesign doesn't address that peak-hour conflict. MassDOT expects left turns at other hours to get safer, since drivers will see better and have fewer lanes to cross. The north side won't get a continuous sidewalk because of utility conflicts, steep slopes and right-of-way limits. That is why the new crossings matter. Anyone on the north side who wants a continuous walk will be crossing Pleasant Street to get it.
The bus stops staying where they are fits the same logic. WRTA Route 2 runs along Pleasant Street, and its timetable lists Sunny Hill Drive and Tatnuck Square as stops. The posted schedule took effect June 21, 2025, so check the WRTA for current times.
What Hasn't Been Published Yet
The public record leaves several everyday questions unanswered. As of early October 2026, these are not posted on MassDOT's project page or in any local news coverage found:
- The contractor's name. The record lists Resident Engineer Christopher Jakubiak but does not name the firm doing the work.
- Work hours, specific lane closures or detours.
- A target completion date or season.
- Whether crews will work through the winter or stop until spring.
- Exactly where the new crosswalks will go. The hearing materials promise "additional pedestrian crossings" but don't name the intersections.
The closest thing to traffic guidance is in the March 2025 concept handout. It said the road was expected to stay open during typical operations, with occasional short lane or shoulder closures, and with access to properties maintained. That handout came from the pre-design stage, so treat it as a general expectation. It is not a schedule. Questions about the project can go to MassDOT Project Management under Project File No. 610535, the same address the hearing notice listed for public comment.
At the Square, a Storefront Becomes a Place to Sit
The east end of the corridor leads to Tatnuck Square. WRTA Route 6, "West Tatnuck via Chandler St.," also stops there. The square's best-known storefront is changing in a similar way to the road.
A 2017 Worcester Sun profile says the Oliveri family opened the first Bushel N' Peck at 643 Chandler St. 37 years earlier, which puts it around 1980. A second location followed at The Summit on East Mountain Street in 1990. Perry's Tatnuck Deli later took over the building and closed in 2024. Bushel N' Peck still runs on East Mountain Street and in Grafton. Recent reports disagree on its third location: the Telegram & Gazette says Clinton, and MassLive says Charlton.
Next comes Café Eidy, from owner and executive chef David de Castro and his wife, Amber Goldberg. The restaurant is named for his mother, Eileen, whose nickname is Eidy. Its motto is "Globally inspired, Locally acquired." The Telegram & Gazette wrote that a storefront "long associated with hearty subs and salads" will soon serve foie gras and truffle pasta. The formerly maroon building has been repainted a soft yellow. Pulse Magazine's October 2026 issue says Café Eidy "is no grab-and-go" and describes a small dine-in spot.
On a deli-to-dining-room switch, the opening date is the detail people will ask about, and sources give three different answers:
- MassLive, September 17: late fall.
- Pulse, October issue: late 2026 or early 2027.
- Telegram & Gazette, from a September 22 interview: February. The paper reported that liquor license and parking-variance approvals had pushed the opening back by several months.
Reports also differ on hours. The Telegram & Gazette describes dinner throughout the week with weekend brunch, while Pulse mentions lunch and dinner. De Castro's own line to the Telegram & Gazette was "I won't open until it's right."
The Same Idea, One Street Over
Chandler Street is getting the same kind of rework. The City's Chandler Street and May Street project, near Worcester State, will rebuild about half a mile. It adds two roundabouts, shared-use paths, ADA sidewalks and crossings, lighting and bus-stop improvements. Utility work was planned for summer and fall 2026, roadway construction is expected in spring or summer 2027, and completion is set for 2029. The City's fall public meeting on final plans and the construction process is October 15, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Worcester Dual Language Magnet School, 525 Chandler St.
Farther along Chandler, Pulse reports that Melt has opened at the corner of June and Chandler streets, serving sandwiches, salads, crepes, gelato and frappes. The artisan bakeshop Crust has moved into 372 Chandler St., near Tidepool Books.
Back on Pleasant Street, Tatnuck Country Club at 1222 Pleasant St. hosts Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island's Wish Night in The Woo on October 24, 2026, at 6 p.m., with food and beverage stations, auctions and a short program.
If you own a home along Route 122 and wonder whether the new lanes, sidewalks and crossings will change what buyers look for on your street, Erin Zamarro follows these West Tatnuck projects closely and can give you a clear, local read on your home's value. Get a Free Home Valuation whenever you're ready.
