It wasn’t a full “mi scusi” from Newton’s mayor in the wake of LineGate, but she did admit that the city “missed the mark in communicating” about the decision to remove the red, white, and green street lines ahead of this week’s Italian festival.

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has been facing heat from residents after the city in the middle of the night ordered workers to paint the road lines on Nonantum’s Adams Street yellow.

The red, white and green of the Italian flag had served as the center line there for decades. After the city removed the red, white and green lines, the St. Mary of Carmen Society called it “a slap in the face.”

Fuller addressed the controversy on Monday, just a couple days before the start of the 90th annual Italian-American festival in Nonantum, known as “Festa.”

“We gave great consideration over many months to the striping of Adams Street,” Fuller wrote in a community update. “We took the action thoughtfully, especially as we know how important the Italian center line is to people who love the Italian-American heritage of this special village. This part of Newton is steeped in history and Italian cultural pride. The tricolor center line has been an important and meaningful tradition.”

Before the city painted the reflective yellow center lines, Fuller said the city gave the OK for Festa volunteers to repaint the tricolors on Adams Street — moved over by 12″ or 18″ next to the double yellow center lines.

The mayor stressed that the decision for yellow lines on the two-way street was for public safety.

“Our 2024 citywide analysis of traffic volume, vehicle speeds compared to speed limits, crash occurrence and severity, crash rate and pedestrian data resulted in Adams Street being placed as the City’s #1 priority for traffic calming,” the mayor wrote. “The volume of traffic here, coupled with the road width being greater than 20 feet, requires double yellow center lines per federal and state regulations; this is mandatory, not optional.”

This section of Adams Street had been the only busy road without double yellow center lines in this section of Newton, she added.

“We certainly could have done better with communication,” Fuller wrote. “While we had met with Festa leaders for many months and explained the need for the double yellow center lines, we missed the mark in communicating more broadly with more residents and City Councilors.

“This can be a win-win: improve public safety and keep tradition — reflective yellow center lines with the green-white-red next to the yellow,” she added.

An Italian flag hangs in the window of DePasquale’s Sausage shop as a car passes by. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)

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The city is allowing red and green paint between the white lines in crosswalks on Adams Street between Watertown and Washington streets.

Fire hydrants can be painted green, white and red (the top of the fire hydrant cannot be painted white) in the district.

“Let’s have both the reflective yellow safety pavement markings and lift up Nonantum’s Italian roots with green, white and red lines next to them,” the mayor wrote. “The Festa volunteers can repaint the Italian flag colored lines next to the City’s yellow ones before the start of Festa. (FYI: The yellow center lines were painted on the night of June 26. All long line painting all year long in the City of Newton is done overnight; that’s customary.) Let’s make Adams Street safer as we celebrate our Italian heritage.”

The St. Mary of Carmen Society did not immediately respond to comment on Monday.

The festival runs from this Wednesday to Sunday at Newton’s Pellegrini Park at 11 Hawthorn St.

A photo of the red, white and green stripes that once lined Adams Street in the Nonantum neighborhood in Newton. (Photo courtesy Nonantum Neighborhood Association)