HomeMy Public PortalAboutWatertown Complete Streets Update Memo_201805111021147030MEMO
To: Matt Shuman PE, Town of Watertown
From: Phil Goff and Charlie Creagh (Alta Planning + Design)
CC: Laura Wiener and Gideon Schreiber, Town of Watertown
Date: March 16, 2018
Re: Complete Streets Prioritization Plan project table
Draft Project List at the Feb. 28 Public Meeting
This memorandum highlights the alterations made to the draft prioritized list of Complete Streets
recommendations for the Town of Watertown, presented at the second public meeting held on February 28. This
represents one more step towards submitting a townwide Complete Streets Prioritization Plan to MassDOT. The
goal is to submit a plan containing a minimum of 15 projects to MassDOT that are eligible for Tier 3 funding. The
Town could then apply for a maximum of $400,000 in competitive grant funding per year. MassDOT is currently
in year three of five for the appropriations.
Over 100 potential projects were identified by residents and staff either at the first public meeting held on
December 14, 2017, at stakeholder meetings, or through the web survey set up for the project. At the February
28t" meeting, the Alta team highlighted the methodology used to narrow down this broader list into a more -
manageable list for further evaluation. Town staff explained that many of the projects related to the installation
of granite curbs and concrete sidewalks on particular streets. The Town currently has a program to install curb
and sidewalks as part of its annual road reconstruction program, which is funded by the Town Council. These
types of projects were not prioritized further unless the particular street was part of a school walking route. Many
other requests were location -specific or deemed to be low cost "maintenance" type items that could be
incorporated into the Town's annual sidewalk -repair and line -striping programs, and therefore were not
prioritized further. The Town intends to consider the original project list as it develops its annual repair and
reconstruction programs so that many of these requests can be implemented outside of the Complete Streets
program. Requests related to parking enforcement or miscellaneous signage would not be eligible for funding as
part of the MassDOT program and were also not prioritized further.
Using this process, the original list was reduced to 33 projects which were then scored and ranked based on several
evaluation criteria developed by the Town. The criteria included: 1) level of safety improvement provided, 2)
connectivity to other facilities, 3) proximity to schools, 4) potential to attract a variety of users, and 5) impact to
vehicular operations. Additional consideration was given to projects along transit corridors. The Town then
established "high ranking" projects, using a threshold score of 18 points (out of a maximum of 23), resulting in 19
"high ranking" projects.
At the public meeting, Alta highlighted the 19 high-ranking projects. Much of the feedback focused on the 19
projects that scored well, and on others that failed to make the cut. There were comments related to the scoring
process and the detailed scores. The team indicated that there was some subjectivity to the scoring and that the
scores should be considered relative, rather than absolute. Other concerns related to the inclusion of projects
that are already scheduled for funding or projects that are larger corridor projects rather than smaller, focused
projects. There was an interest in including projects that had not previously been identified or programmed by
the Town on the list as well.
After the meeting, the Town subsequently posted the list of 33 potential projects, along with the original list of
133 project ideas onto the Watertown Department of Public Works web page
(http://www.watertowndpw.org/Pages/construction/CompleteStreetslndex). This list has been available for
public viewing since March 2 (along with a map of the project locations and a PDF copy of the Powerpoint
presentation made by Alta at the 2/28/18 meeting).
Changes to the Priority Project List Since the Feb. 28 Public Meeting
Based on the feedback from the February 28 meeting, the Town made some revisions to the prioritization plan.
While the Town did not change the scoring or ranking of the projects, in some instances, additional project
descriptions were added to provide the level of detail required by MassDOT.
To address the concerns related to prioritizing projects that already have potential funding sources, the Town
changed the threshold for what constitutes a high-ranking project. The revised list includes those that have scored
16 or more, rather than 18 or more. This alteration added four additional projects to the draft prioritization plan.
These projects are smaller in scope than some of the other corridor projects on the list and also add additional
diversity to the types of projects on the draft list.
Additionally, the recommended project on Watertown Street was split into two projects to reflect the fact that
one of the three intersections recommended for pedestrian safety improvements has already been designed and
is therefore "shovel ready". The relocated and improved crosswalk and new ADA-accessible ramps at Theurer Park
could easily be submitted to MassDOT for 2018 Complete Streets Tier 3 funding.
The attached table includes the updated list of 24 potential projects recommended for inclusion in the Town's
Complete Streets Prioritization Plan that will be submitted to MassDOT. Note that annual grant requests can only
include a maximum of five projects that do not exceed $400,000 combined (funding for larger projects may come
from supplemental sources, however). The maximum five-year program is very competitive, so there is no
guarantee that projects submitted for Tier 3 funding will be funded. Nevertheless, this list, and the larger one
from which it derives, can be used for future planning purposes by the Town.
12
Watertown Complete Streets Prioritization Plan Project List I March 15, 2018 1 Final Draft
#
Evaluation
High
'0
Project Type
Street Name
Extents
Project Description
Source
Score: (Max:
Scoring
$$
23)
Projects:
0.
(Score >=16)
Implement recommendations of Arsenal
Street corridor study. Include: bike lanes,
Corridor Wide
Louise Street to Greenough
gateway improvements, and transit
1
Improvements
Arsenal St.
Blvd.
improvements.
Town
23
X
Reduce crossing distance, improve bus
stop connections, add bike facilities where
Crossing
necessary, traffic lane delineation and
2
lImprovements
I Watertown Sq.
Entire limits.
wayfinding signage.
Town
22
X
Provide road diet where warranted,
enhanced/improved bicycle
accommodations, left turn lanes at selected
intersections, ADA compliant bus stops and
$14.2M (per
intersections including signal equipment,
TIP)
curb extensions at selected locations to
shorten crossing distances for pedestrians
with enhanced signage, wider sidewalks,
additional green spaces along the road and
3
Traffic Calming
Mt Auburn St.
Patten St to Cambridge line.
stormwater management infrastructure.
Town
21
X
Improvements include: 1) At Louise St /
Paul St: Construct curb extensions to
reduce crossing distance, stripe high
visibility crosswalk and install activated
flashing beacons; 2). At Irving St: Extend
westbound bike lane through intersection
via green skip lane striping. 3) At Alfred Rd,
N Beacon Ct, Ladd St, Royal St, Paul St,
Palmer St, Bay St, and at each commercial
driveway: Extend existing bike lane east -
Corridor Wide
From Charles River Rd to
bound across intersections using dashed
Online
4
Improvements
1N Beacon St.
Main St.
green skip -lane striping.
Survey
21
X
Install roundabout at Orchard Street,
Church Street and Common Street
intersection. Provide bike lanes and shared
use markings. Provide signalized
intersection at Spring Street and Common
$1.9M
Street. Consolodate crosswalks. Provide
WorldTech
Common St: Mt Auburn to
raised table at Columbia Road and Russell
Orchard St. Columbia St:
Ave. intersection at high school entrance.
Common St to Robbins Rd.
Provide 5' minimum width sidewalks along
Corridor Wide
Common Street
Spring St: Common St to
Common Street. Install contra -flow bike
5
1 Improvements
corridor
Marion Rd.
lane on Marshall Street.
Town
21
X
Arsenal St at Irving St to
Implement recommendations of Community
Shared -Use
Watertown
Taylor St. to Mt. Auburn.
Path Study; coordinate with Watertown
6
Path
Community Path
Taylor Street: entire extent.
Square improvements.
Town
21
X
Relocate Watertown Street crosswalk
between Theurer Park and Pond Street to
lie at the east side of Theurer Park; include
ADA-compliant pedestrian curb ramps, curb
Crossing
extension on the north side and a flush,
7
Improvements
Watertown St.
At Theurer Park
textured pedestrian refuge island.
Town
21
X
Reconstruct intersection of Main St. and
Waverley Ave./Myrtle Street including ADA
compliant accessible ramps and signal
equipment. Extend bike lanes from current
$1.SM
terminus to Thaxter Street. Remove and
WorldTech +
replace sidewalks and install ADA
Watertown
compliant accessible ramps at each cross
street. Consolidate crosswalks between
Whites Ave. and Chestnut Street and
provide activated flashing beacons. Privide
Corridor Wide
ADA compliant bus stops. Provide curb
8
Improvements
Main St.
Bacon St to Church St.
extensions at side streets.
Town
20
X
Riverside St from the Perkins
Install granite curbing, remove and replace
Safe Pedestrian
School to Irving St and Irving
sidewalks. Provide ADA compliant
Access to
Riverside St &
St from Riverside St to N
accessible ramps at intersections. Add
9
School
Irving St.
Beacon St.
street trees.
Town
20
X
Build two curb extension that help to "T-in"
the two acute intersections and relocate the
Crossing
crosswalk to lie in the center of the two
10
Improvements
Church St.
At Marion Rd.
newly -offset intersections.
Town
19
X
Install granite curbing, remove and replace
sidewalks. Provide ADA compliant
accessible ramps at intersections. Install
Safe Pedestrian
additional advance crosswalk warning
Access to
Entire extents (Longfellow Rd
signage at Copeland Street. Add street
Online
11
Schools
Highland Ave.
to Lexington St)
trees.
Survey
19
X
Install raised crosswalk with activated
flashing beacon at existing crosswalk to
Crossing
At existing Cuniff School
Cuniff School main entrance opposite 247
12
Improvements
Warren St.
entrance mid -block crossing.
Warren St.
Town
19
X
Shared -Use
Watertown
Winter to Whites Ave.,
Widen existing 5' walkway to create a 10'
13
Path
Community Path
through Saltonstall Park
wide shared -use path.
Town
19
X
1) Remove existing diagonal parking
striping, 2) Re -orient and stripe diagonal
parking in opposite direction, 3) Stripe the
extension of the Watertown Community
In Municipal Parking Lot: From
Path along the edge of the parking lot,
Baptist Walk to Winter St @
infilled with green, 3) At Spring St, Church
Shared -Use
Watertown
Saltonstall Park. (Roughly
St, and John Sonny Whooley Way, stripe
14
Path
Community Path
1,250 feet.)
crosswalks for path users.
Town
19
X
Install crosswalk across Main, and connect
to town -owned easement in parking lot on
Watertown
From parking lot at
south side of Halfway Cafd. Construct 10'
Crossing
Community Path:
Main/Bacon St to Waverley,
wide asphalt shared use path from Main St
15
Improvements
Main St. Crossing
off road past Moxley Park.
to Waverley Ave at Moxley Field.
Town
19
X
Watertown
Community Path:
Install raised crosswalk and activated
Crossing
Whites Ave.
At Watertown Community
flashing beacons at the Community Path
16
Improvements
Crossing
Path crossing.
crossing of Whites Street
Town
19
X
Install granite curbing, remove and replace
sidewalks. Provide ADA compliant
accessible ramps at intersections. Provide
curb extensions at intersections for traffic
Corridor Wide
From Belmont Street to
calming. Add bicycle shared lane
17
Improvements
I Waverley Ave.
Orchard Street
markings. Add street trees.
Town
19
X
Install granite curbing, remove and replace
sidewalks. Provide ADA compliant
Safe Pedestrian
accessible ramps at intersections. Provide
Access to
a raised table/crosswalk at Whites Ave.
18
Schools
Summer St.
Waverly Ave to Mt. Auburn St.
Add street trees.
Consultant
18
X
Improvements include the installation of
curb extensions and activated flashing
beacons at the existing crosswalks
between Morse St and Belknap Ter, and at
95 Watertown St (at Casey Park). Stripe
Crossing
shared lane markings from California St to
Public
19
Improvements
Watertown St.
See box to right.
the town line.
Meeting 1
18
X
Remove asphalt sidewalk and replace with
Safe Pedestrian
Forest St: Summer St to
concrete sidewalk. Install curbs as needed.
Access to
Forest St. +
Springfield St. Springfield St:
Install ADA-compliant pedestrian curb
Online
20
School
Springfield St.
Forest St to Fitchburg St.
ramps at each cross street.
Survey
18
X
Crossing
Install activated flashing beacons across
Public
21
Improvements
California St.
At Fifth Ave.
California St at existing crosswalk.
Meeting 1
17
X
Russell Ave: From Mount
Remove ashpalt sidewalk and replace with
Safe Pedestrian
Auburn St to Columbia St. On
concrete sidewalk. Install curbs as
Access to
Russell Ave. +
Columbia St: From Russell
necessary. Install ADA-compliant
22
School
Columbia St.
Ave to Robbins St.
pedestrian curb ramps at Columbia St.
Town
17
X
Install curb extensions and stripe new high
visibility crosswalk at Greek Orthodox
Church at Merrifield Ave. Stripe bike lanes
Entire extents, from Mt Auburn
and enhanced shared lane markings where
23
Traffic Calming
Bigelow Ave.
St to Nichols Ave.
space does not allow for bike lanes.
Town
16
X
Establish formal path connection: Stripe
bike lanes OR enhanced shared lane
markings along Stanley Ave. At existing
sidewalk terminus near JCD School, stripe
a pedestrian lane (due to existing bio-swale
/ rain water retention area: sidewalk
infeasible) that directs users to existing
asphalt shared use path. At Pleasant St:
(opposite Paramount PI) Remove metal
barrier gates, install bollards, stripe high
Shared -Use
Entire extents, and through to
visibility crosswalk, install activated flashing
24
Path
Stanley Ave.
Pleasant St.
beacons.
Consultant
16
X