April 18, 2010

The East Arlington Livable Streets (EALS) Coalition has reviewed the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) District 4 Interoffice Memo regarding comments on the 25% design of the Mass Ave Corridor plan. MassDOT’s criticisms of the Corridor plan are not uncommon for federal/state-funded roadway projects and many towns and cities are required to resubmit their 25% plans before final approval. We are pleased that most of the primary elements of the plan will likely remain, including:

• Three-lane configuration (two eastbound and one westbound) with left-turn lanes
• Sidewalk bump outs to reduce pedestrian crossing distance
• Five-foot bike lanes in each direction
• Teel/Thorndike traffic light
• New crosswalk locations
• Wider sidewalks in some locations

 Besides these components, MassDOT has cited other deficiencies in the Town of Arlington’s 25% plan that will need to be addressed as part of the resubmittal. MassDOT expressed concern about “degraded intersection service levels,” with most of the detailed commentary focused on congestion that could result during morning rush hour where the existing light at Linwood Street and a proposed signal at Bates Road are located in close proximity. We remain completely committed to maintaining the existing signal at Linwood because it provides a safe pedestrian and bike connection to Spy Pond Park and the Minuteman Trail. While the proposed new signal at Bates appears to be logical from a traffic engineering perspective, we remain neutral on its inclusion in the plan and are open to either keeping it or removing it from the revised 25% submission.

 The memo also states that the consultant’s traffic data was flawed because of a discrepancy between “observed peak hour turning movements and machine counts” performed in fall 2008 and spring 2009, and the 10-year traffic forecast rather than the more typical period of 20 years. These are absolutely valid criticisms of the engineer’s methodologies but growth projections for Arlington and Lexington—even over a 20-year period—are minimal and unlikely to change the traffic dynamic significantly. The discrepancy of peak-hour turning movement is tied mostly to the design of the Lake Street intersection and can be ameliorated with a longer left-turn lane onto Lake Street.

 The other area of significant concern for MassDOT is the six foot-wide flush median proposed for the stretch of Mass Ave between Cleveland Street and Boulevard Road, near Alewife Brook. The design intent of the flush median is to provide some space for west-bound cars to move out of the flow of traffic when waiting to make a left turn onto side streets and driveways. MassDOT has raised concerns about the legality of providing this flush median but has not ruled it out. We believe this flush median is a good way to provide for left turns along this portion of the corridor and will continue to advocate for its inclusion in the design. 

 Much of the remaining comments can be easily remedied in the Town’s subsequent 25% submittal, or, are focused on detailed elements of the design such as catch basin locations and sidewalk construction details. We are confident that the design engineers will resolve these issues and discrepancies to move the project forward.

 The EALS Coalition remains committed to advocating for a plan that offers the highest-level increase in safety for ALL users: motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and bus riders.  We look forward to an improved plan from the consulting engineers, the Town and the Mass Ave Review Committee that resolves the elements pinpointed by MassDOT, gains additional community support, and is backed up by solid traffic engineering.