VHB
A proposed reconfiguration of Watertown Square from the Arsenal Street Corridor Study. Charles River Road would no longer connect to the Square and more left turns would be added in some areas.
Removing one of the roads leading into Watertown Square, splitting up the 70 and 70A into three routes and using technology to improve traffic flow are three of multiple recommendations for improving Arsenal Street in the study done for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
The final draft of the Arsenal Street Corridor Study was presented by transportation consultants from VHB at a public forum Thursday at the Watertown Library. Information was gathered for the study during six stakeholder meetings and three public meetings (including the one Thursday) dating back to September 2015.
There were a total of nine recommendations, whittled down from the 18 presented at a meeting in October 2016.
“We looked at driving, biking, walking and especially public transportation,” said Michael Clark, project coordinator for MassDOT. “The goal is to improve each one.”
Watertown Square
One major change recommended is reconfiguring Watertown Square, including removing one of the roads leading into the intersection. Laura Castelli of VHB said Charles River Road would be closed off at the intersection in the Square.
“It would allow people to go east to use Riverside Street (off North Beacon Street) to get to Charles River Road,” Casetlli said. “It would not allow people going west (on Charles River Road) to go to Watertown Square.”
To get to Watertown Square from Charles River Road heading westbound, drivers would have to use Irving Street to get to North Beacon Street. The realignment of the road would create new open space near the Watertown Square Dock that could be turned into recreation space, said Watertown Senior Planner Gideon Schreiber.
With only four roads coming into the intersection, the sequence of the traffic lights could be changed. The recommendation calls for having all the traffic from heading one direction to go at once, for example, all the traffic coming from Galen Street would go at once.
Castelli said going straight from the second from left lane would be allowed. She noted that people try to do that now, and because they cannot do that legally it causes backups with people waiting to go left. Changing the signals to do that now is not possible because vehicles turning left from Mt. Auburn Street onto Arsenal Street go at the same time and cross in front of people waiting to go straight.
The plans also shows extra left turn lanes: one from Mt. Auburn Street to Arsenal Street and one from Arsenal Street onto Galen Street. This could be done by eliminating the traffic island in the middle of those streets.
Another proposed change would be moving the stop for the 70 bus from near Church Street to a spot right on the Watertown Square Delta on Main Street.
“A lot of people transfer buses there (to the 71) but it is pretty far – you will see people running to make the bus,” Castelli said.
MBTA Buses
One of the main goals of the study was to improve bus service along the Arsenal Street Corridor. Right now there is the 70 bus from Central Square in Cambridge to Cedarwood and the 70A from Central Square to North Waltham. The different lengths of the routes mean the buses will often bunch up, leading to long periods between buses.
The report recommends splitting the 70 into three different routes, and adding some express buses, said VHB’s Caroline Ducas. One would be the current 70 route, from Cambridge to Cedarwood. The second would be a new spur route from Waltham Center to North Waltham, which is the section served by the 70A. A third would be a truncated portion of the 70, from Waltham Center to Cambridge.
“Most people using the 70A from North Waltham are going to the Red Line (in Central Square), so we would recommend an express bus,” Ducas said.
Currently there are no express buses on the 70 route.
Another recommendation for buses is to add four more shelters along Arsenal Street. Castelli said these would encourage more people to use public transit during bad weather. The existing shelters would remain.
Smart Traffic Lights
One way consultants believe that traffic can be improved along Arsenal Street is by installing two types of traffic signal technologies. One is called transit signal priority, where buses can communicate with traffic signals.
“If a bus is approaching and the light is about to change to red it will hold the light and allow the bus to go through,” Castelli said. “It allows buses to move more quickly, which may encourage more people to use the bus. Also, it would allow traffic to move more smoothly.”
The other technology is known as adaptive signal control. The controls would be installed at 10 locations along Arsenal Street between Watertown Square and Greenough Boulevard. The technology would adjust the timing of lights based on the traffic conditions.
Castelli said adaptive signal control would improve the flow of traffic and the bus reliability with it. In addition, she said, it would cut down the amount of cut through traffic on streets like Frank Street and Walnut Street.
MassDOT
An illustration from MassDOT’s Arsenal Street Corridor Study Draft Final Report showing the locations of the reports recommendations.
Other Recommendations
Like the improvements to Watertown Square on one end, the study recommends making improvements to the other end of the corridor, at Soldier’s Field Road. Clark said the City of Boston is looking at making improvements of that intersection in conjunction with a project in Allston, and a meeting and recommendations are likely this fall.
Nearby, the study looked at making changes to the Arlington Street/Arsenal Street/Coolidge Avenue intersection near Home Depot. Castelli said VHB would recommend removing Coolidge Avenue from the intersection, and connect it either it to Arlington Street or to Arsenal Street. Both would require going through environmentally sensitive areas, and one would go through private land. The advantage of using the one connecting to Arsenal Street is it would remove the traffic coming down Coolidge Avenue from the Arlington/Arsenal intersection.
A new express bus is something that should be explored linking to Commuter Rail service to South Station. The report recommends running it from Watertown Square along North Beacon Street to the new Boston Landing Commuter Rail stop in Allston (next the new Boston Bruins practice rink). A stop somewhere along the route of the express bus would be recommended, likely at North Beacon and School Street, Castelli said. The MBTA would not likely fund this, so the a sponsor or public/private partnership would be needed, she added.
The report does not recommend reducing the number of lanes of traffic on Arsenal Street, but does recommend bike lanes. The improvements would include re-striping Arsenal Street east of School Street to create bike lanes at least 4.3 feet in width and closer to 4.5 feet in most places, Castelli said. The street could not be widened in many places due to buildings being too close to the roadway.
Another bicycle improvement recommended is creating north-south links from the Watertown Community Path (Watertown Greenway) to the Charles River. The streets to be considered for the cross connections are Irving Street, Beechwood Avenue and Louise Street/Paul Street. Castelli said after the presentation that there would not be a new bike lane on Irving Street roads but bikes would share the road with vehicles. Bike lanes could be possible on Beechwood and Louise/Paul if the roads are made one way.
Who Is Responsible for the Projects
With the exception of the improvements to existing MBTA bus service, the responsibility for implementing the other recommendations would fall partially or entirely on the Town of Watertown. In all cases the town could use money from the state and/or developers to pay for the projects to help pay for the improvements, the report says.
Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon said some of the projects could be done under the proposed I-Cubed project being proposed jointly by Town officials and Athenahealth. Magoon noted that the Town Council will have a special meeting to discuss the I-Cubed proposal at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 29 at Town Hall (see more info here).
Under I-Cubed the state would provide Athenahealth with bond money to pay for the infrastructure improvements which it will do in conjunction with public entities – the Town of Watertown and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The bonds are paid back for with increased taxes that come from Athenahealth’s ongoing expansion. Projects must be near the Athenahealth property and must be completed within 3 years of approval of the I-Cubed proposal.
See the final draft of the Arsenal Street Corridor Study, background documents and notes from prior meetings at the MassDOT Arsenal Street Corridor Study webpage: http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/CurrentStudies/ArsenalStreetCorridorStudy/Documents.aspx.
We should consider a pedestrian foot bridge,in Watertown Square .it will eliminate the need for crosswalks and walk lights and, traffic will flow at a better level and handle a higher volume. It makes sense it’s an improvement and,quite frankly a necessity
I like the footbridge idea.
Also, Crossing from CVS to get to the 57 bus etc means taking your life into your hands. There are just too many lanes of traffic to cross. And if you’re a cyclist coming from Galen it’s down right deadly. As for Mt Auburn St. why not let pedestrians use the street and use the side walks for bikes. This is absurd of course but so is redesigning a street without protected bike lanes. Surely the most efficient, environmentally friendly means of transportation should be as safe as driving a car or walking. Get with it Watertown. The 21st century awaits.
They just took a Footbridge down on Route 9 Brookline Village after being up for 40 years doesn’t work it’s ugly let’s come up with a better solution like this 27 Lanes of traffic they come in to Watertown Square the solution here was not the jam a thousand units down our throats
You can’t fix this problem Watertown used to be a nice place to be no more it’s gone that’s what happens when you bring in people from other parts of the country to run your local politics
What about Walnut Street traffic on Walnut Street has tripled all day long into the night they speed down this street no police presence no signs there are a lot of families with children under 10 on the street we’re just starting to gather now and speak amongst ourselves he will see us soon we propose that you make Cypress Street from school to Walnut a one way and put a few crosswalk and a speed bump to slow this traffic down I believe you’d call it a raised crosswalk table it’s very dangerous over here for the young kids and the elderly
Watertown’s Planning Department is now trying to solve the mess they’ve allowed with all the thoughtless development. Many of us warned of this when we asked for a development moratorium 2 or 3 years ago. But that was turned down. This town is badly managed and our planning department is a pushover. Witness what a real planning group can do when it is working for the future good of a town:
Somerville Developer Enters into $112M Deal & More
Approximately $72 million – zoning, $19.2 million – covenant, and $21.2 million – other required payments and fees
$55.6 million – funding and in-kind costs toward affordable housing creation
$20.5 million – building permit fees and future phase contributions, which can be applied where most needed
$13 million – environmental sustainability measures
$5.5 million – contribution to the Green Line Extension (equates to over one-fifth of developer contributions the city is seeking from developers near planned T stops to recoup at least $25 million of the $50 million Somerville was required to contribute to the project.)
Close to $7.7 million – dedicated to infrastructure contributions for water and sewer upgrades and costs, streetscape improvements, and the redesign of Union Square Plaza
About $5 million – toward open space creation
Approximately $1.7 million – toward jobs programs to help prepare residents for the new employment opportunities created in the neighborhood
A neighborhood council composed of community members will negotiate additional community benefits and possible in-kind contributions valued at $3.7 million in a community benefits agreement. The neighborhood council will also advise the city’s community benefits committee (to be established) on funding priorities for the neighborhood.
A neighborhood council in Union Square will negotiate additional community benefits and advise on funding priorities for the neighborhood. The proposed zoning requires that 5 percent of commercial space be set aside for arts and maker spaces.
The agreement includes two additional provisions – US2 must add 66 percent more open space than originally filed in the 2016 zoning draft and 70 percent of that space must be high quality parks, playgrounds and plaza. Commercial tenants will be required to give hiring preference first to qualified residents and then qualified veterans before considering other applicants.
Beyond the $112 million, the developer will also pay approximately $9.3 million to acquire land for development from the Somerville Redevelopment Authority, effectively reimbursing the City for its land assembly costs.
http://www.somervillema.gov/news/union-sq-somerville-master-developer-signs-agreement-provide-glx-contribution-and-addl
http://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/75597
http://the103advantage.com/somerville-approves-deal-union-square-developer/
https://patch.com/massachusetts/somerville/somerville-union-square-developer-enter-112m-deal
http://somerville.wickedlocal.com/news/20170404/master-developer-us2-agrees-to-glx-contribution-and-community-benefits-for-union-square
Marcia, although I appreciate you sharing my research (as you know, I am all for the sharing of information), that I emailed to you and a handful of other residents, I would like it if you would let me know of your intent to copy it into your comments on a public site beforehand. I don’t feel that, in this instance, the information I sent fits into the context of this particular article. I would also like to point out that the achievements made in Somerville were, in part, due to very well coordinated efforts of the residents. There are many problems with Watertown’s Government, but some of the blame does fall on the residents.
Thanks Marcia. This is so true and so relevant right now as Watertown is experiencing a tidal wave of development, unlike anything this town has ever seen before. Now is the time to learn from the experiences of others, especially others nearby, like Somerville. These towns are great examples of what could potentially be done if we truly believe in planning for our town’s future. Somerville managed to get $112 million from a developer, what has Watertown gotten from the developers of all of the new apartment complexes on Arsenal and Pleasant streets? The Arsenal Project developers and Jonathan Bush now want to cap taxes on their new development. What other improvements will come to Watertown with this development? The recent approval of the I-Cubed proposal will bring in $25 million for improvements, many of which were mitigations required of Athena when the master plan was approved for their campus improvements.
Could Watertown do better? Yes, just look at what’s going on in Somerville!!
It may be helpful to look at the scale of projects in Somerville and Watertown.
In Somerville, the 2.3 million sq ft of development that Union Square Station Associates is estimated to produce equals roughly one-fifth of the total square footage of development expected around all six new Green Line T-stops. Total developer payments and contributions is estimated at $112M.
In Watertown, Athenahealths’ new buildings, when completed, will total approximately 250,000 square feet of office, retail and commercial/civic space. I-Cubed program, a partnership with Athenahealth, will bring $25 million in public infrastructure projects to the area in East Watertown around the company’s campus.
Union Square Station Associates’ mitigation is valued at $48 per square foot of redevelopment, while Athenahealth’s mitigation is valued at $100 per square foot of redevelopment.
Yes, Vinnie but what about all the other developments? I think that it is the aggregate that makes townsfolk feel that we are not getting enough benefits. An awful lot of development and all the traffic studies say minimal impact. Just as the King’s doctors have prognoses of nothing but good health.
Also, I feel it is unfair to include I-Cubed as mitigation since it a State Program and does not represent an Athena contribution per se.
Where do you get the 70a bus in North Waltham?
It goes up Lexington to Trapelo Road. See more info here https://t.mbta.com/schedules/70A/line#info-and-maps-tab
Agree that the Planning Board has rolled over on development, especially the “traffic studies” associated with development along Pleasant and Arsenal Streets.
Also, I am tired of hearing about bicycles as the solution for both traffic and residential parking. The reality is that, as we age, many of us don’t have the option to use a bicycle. The Planning Board allows developers to propose projects with unrealistic and unsustainable assumptions about bicycle usage – unless, of course, they want to attract a transient younger population. Without public local transportation tied into the MBTA, it will not be feasible for our current bicycle-riding neighbors to stay in Watertown once their daily cycling days diminish.
I’m 62, I don’t plan to stop biking anytime soon.
I know a hale and hearty fellow who biked well into his nineties.
Closing Charles River Rd is an obviously needed improvement. But adding a second left turn lane from Arsenal St towards the bridge at Galan St will not work. Traffic already backs up into the square sometimes. There is no way they can allow double the amount of cars through that turn.
Do the residents of Charles River Road know about these possible changes? Riversides St will not accommodate the potential traffic nor will Irving St. Sounds like another mess in Watertown Square. Do we have any leadership in The Town of Watertown?
This is the first time it has been brought up. There will be meetings to discuss the idea. As for the teaffic, I think the idea is to move pass through traffic to North Beacon or Arsenal and have Charles River be a local road. I have heard some residents of Charles River do not like the idea, but only second hand.
Mary, this was an idea proposed in a Mass. DOT sponsored study. It was not proposed or endorsed by the town. I suspect it might be discussed, but I would expect a lot of opposition. I myself do not favor it. But the idea was not generated by the town.
What about the PLEASANT STREET corridor?!!!!
The number of condos and apartments along Pleasant Street has soared in the last several year with more condos coming.
Folks who need to take the 70 or 71 bus and live further down Pleasant Street (say, near Russo’s Market) HAVE TO WALK A MILE to Main Street to catch these buses!!
You may be getting some relief. The town will start a shuttle by spring at the latest along Pleasant to Watertown As. See more here http://www.watertownmanews.com/2017/08/03/watertown-shuttle-could-start-running-in-fall-or-may-wait-until-spring/
Living on the corner of Mount Auburn Street and Irving Street our neighborhood has had its share of greatly increased traffic due to new condominium developments. There is also a huge condominium development on the corner of Irving and Arsenal Street. Having young children in my home, I will not support the Irving Street choice. At times, I can barely get to work on time due being blocked into my property. Charles River road has the capacity for limited traffic. We have lost our street parking on Mount Auburn and I am not willing to lose our Irving Street parking due to Watertown’s choices to build voraciously without a good parking and traffic plan. The Irving area is also a neighborhood of families and connected side streets that have also had to take the brunt of increased traffic. I am hoping that neighbors around our area will be at the meeting. If it were your neighborhood……….?
What about close Charles River Road completely because there are no roads that intersect Charles River Road from its south side, and it loops from and to North Beacon Street? And make the roads that intersect Charles River Road from its north become a dead end?