If you’ve passed by the intersection of Woodward Street and the westbound side of Route 9 lately, you’ve no doubt noticed state highway workers have been busy widening the sidewalk in front of the former Huntington TV (earlier view here) and redoing the sidewalk on the opposite side by Child International.
I’ve been told this is a traffic calming measure. I’m willing to believe that’s true but I can’t figure out how. (Nor am I any calmer waiting for the light at this corner to change.)
Anybody know why?
Traffic calming measures are not just about cars, but ideally they increase pedestrian safety. The work at this intersection has cut the walking distance between curbs in half (my guess). Also, westbound traffic used to be able to roll through the corner in front of Huntington TV onto Woodward while westbound through traffic was stopped, again placing pedestrians in peril as they tried to cross Woodward. Cars would turn from the shoulder/parking lane, but now this lane is pinched and cars can only turn right on a green light from a main travel lane.
Nice, clear explanation Steve. Thank you.
This construction project is one of several being funded by MassWorks as part of the special permit for the Chestnut Hill Square project (others include Parker/Boylston, Hammond Pond Pkwy/Boylston, Centre/Cypress, Centre/Langley, Langley/Boylston). The intent is to provide improved infrastructure to support economic development, in this case trying to increase traffic flow and improve safety on route 9. Skeptics might say that this new capacity will just encourage even more traffic and is not in the public interest. Part of this project will expand route 9 to six lanes, even though the Woodward intersection will likely remain a bottleneck. Not a good combination. On the other hand, intersection modernization will improve some very dangerous intersections in Newton. And, with some notable exceptions, bicycle and pedestrian accommodations are mostly in keeping with modern engineering standards and will be an improvement over current conditions.
Steve’s right that the increased turning radius on that corner calms turning traffic, but I think it’s a side-effect, not the main intent of this project. The project at Eliot and Woodward is primarily about re-alignment of what’s always been a very awkward intersection. When they’re done next spring, the lanes will be shifted just a bit, the traffic island reconstructed, and the separator near the Sunoco turned into grooved concrete. Along with it, signals will be replaced with modern equipment with emergency controls and pedestrian countdowns, sidewalks reconstructed to ADA standards, and I suspect pedestrians will cross on green further reducing traffic delays (not that many people dare cross there) Also, one might worry about the safety of concurrent crossing at this particular intersection. Travelling on the shoulder to take a right is illegal now and will continue to be illegal. The new corner does not restrict the roadway on route 9, but it does shorten the crossing.
It’s very unfortunate that the Aldermen pretty much handed over control of these intersections to the state and to the developer without more oversight or public input later in the process. Only very vague plans were presented at city hall meetings, never any final designs. “Road diets” like these can present an opportunity to create a more pleasant place. Some cities incorporate permeable surfaces and even use them to manage stormwater runoff with rain gardens. This particular new corner is going to be an ugly sea of concrete. Not the most beautiful gateway to Newton Highlands, I’m afraid.
Thanks Steve and double thanks Adam.
Bringing that corner up to ADA standards certainly seems welcome. I often see folks in wheel chairs crossing, presumably, to get to CVS.
Well Greg, the design ‘calms’ traffic by forcing cyclists like me into it, by eliminating the shoulder on Woodward Street. Why just on Saturday morning I was crossing Rt. 9 on Elliot St. – Woodward St. First I have to navigate to the miniscule island that packs cars two lanes tight at the termination of Elliot and jam my bike wherever there’s an inch of space, so that I don’t get hit by cars exiting the CVS plaza or flooring it to merge onto Rt. 9 East. Then I have to hope the drivers on Woodward are “calm” enough not to run me down as I am now forced to take the lane. Genius! :-/
Dulles, again, to MassDOT it’s really not about calming, and definitely not about bicycling. It’s about getting as many cars through the intersection as possible. The intersection was LOS (level of service for vehicles, not bikes) “F” before and IIRC will improve slightly but still will be far from an “A” when complete. Woodward Street will be restriped to have three lanes instead of two, and that miniscule island you’re talking about on Eliot Street will be going away, but I doubt it will make your life much easier.
In keeping with standards, you’ll see things like bicycle stencils in the shoulder on Route 9, though. Just another example of MassDOT sticking to the standards, but sort of missing the point when it comes to “sustainable transportation”.
There will frequently be a conflict between the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians. Bumpouts like the ones being built at Eliot and built elsewhere in the city shorten the distance pedestrians have to travel in the road. Good for pedestrians, but bad for bicyclists, who lose some or all of the shoulder. At Eliot, I would say that the current and desired pedestrian and bicycle traffic militate in favor of a pedestrian-friendly improvement.
Before we make this a bike vs. ped war, let’s make it clear this isn’t a curb extension to narrow the road. It’s a (big) change to the corner radius to move a lane of traffic. What’s constructed right now is a shift of the roadway on the north side of route 9, but the southern side has not yet shifted to match. It’ll only get worse for bikes, though, when the additional turn lane is added. I really think the problem at this intersection is and will always be bike vs. car.
Thanks Adam … I think I get the positive aspects of the changes. I’m just venting about the state of the roads and traffic (a favorite local pastime). I sure wouldn’t want to be a traffic engineer in metro Boston.