Framingham tries to Improve traffic flow
I like the way Framingham wants to spend money from the Mall windfall to improve the quality of traffic flow on related roads. Here’s an article from a recent MetroWest Daily News.
A smoother ride along Rte. 30
By Andrew J. Manuse/ Daily News Staff
Friday, August 18, 2006FRAMINGHAM — Motorists could soon have a smoother ride on Rte. 30 between Beacon Street in Framingham and Speen Street near Natick.
Framingham is updating traffic lights on Cochituate Road thanks largely to construction at the Natick Mall and Lowe’s on Rte 30. The project will modernize the signals on the 2-mile stretch so their timing can be adjusted by remote control, according to Peter Sellers, the town’s public works director.
Currently, the timing can only be changed manually.
“We’re fortunate to have several projects under way that will allow us to implement this new technology on many intersections that have needed this work for decades,” Sellers said. “We’re determined to make incremental traffic improvements as fast as possible in the town. Hopefully, as more money becomes available, the project can go even faster.”
The project, which Sellers expects to be completed by next summer, was made possible by several local construction projects, according to Jay Grande, Framingham’s Planning Board administrator.
Framingham won $1.4 million in a settlement with Natick Mall developers last year, and has already devoted $75,000 of the money to a traffic study for the stretch of road. Grande said money left over from the Greenman Pedersen Inc. study will be used to make repairs and upgrades to the existing system and install it on Rte. 30.
Lowe’s will make about $230,000 of improvements to the road and signals near Beacon Street as part of its construction, and previous improvements to the signals were paid for by Target and Wal-Mart, Grande said.
Long term, the town expects to implement an “intelligent transportation management system,” which will allow officials to monitor for maintenance, upgrades and for remote control in an emergency, Sellers said. The plan also calls for cameras on the traffic signals that will count cars. Sellers said he would also use state money to speed up this process.
Another $300,000 from the Natick Mall settlement would pay for the remote system, Grande said, once town planners approve it.
According to Sellers, related signal projects using money unrelated to the Natick Mall and Lowe’s money are scheduled to start in the fall, including:
New signals at the Edgell Road, Rte. 9 and Main Street intersection.New signals at the Main and Franklin streets intersection.
New signals at the Maple and Franklin streets intersection.
New signals at the Mount Wayte and Franklin streets intersection.
(Andrew J. Manuse can be reached at amanuse@cnc.com or 508-626-3964.)
