Residents worried about traffic from proposed single-lane roadway

By Jack Nicas

The hub of East Somerville is set for its makeover. Engineers and city officials say they have a plan to transform the eastern strip of Broadway into a “pedestrian-friendly, multi-modal, transit-oriented street,” rather than the two-lane speedway it is now.

At a community meeting on Wednesday, June 25, Kimo Griggs, an architect with Design Consultants Incorporated, said Broadway has the potential to become a “more identifiable and stronger central business district.” He said plans include creating five specific areas along the street as reference points for pedestrians. The distinct blocks will feature stylized pavement and distinct themes, including one for the arts.

Melissa Braun, a landscape architect with DCI, said the plan also includes new amenities, such as benches, trash receptacles, and streetlights, which will match the specific theme they are associated with.

However, many of the decisions are being left up to the community, city officials said. ‚Äú[The themes] are really something the community is going to help with,‚Äù said Rob May, Strategic Planning and Community Development Director for the city. ‚ÄúIt’s their plan, not the city staff’s.‚Äù

Residents made suggestions and wrote notes on several proposed models on Wednesday and May said another meeting would be held to receive more input.

The models showed the new Broadway would have 8-foot parking lanes, 6-foot bike lanes, 12-foot travel lanes, and a 10-foot meridian. The sidewalks, currently less than 9 feet in some sections, are receiving the biggest increase: 7 feet on the south side and 15 on the north. The proposed 15 and 25-foot walkways will edge out a traffic lane in both directions.

This raised concerns at the meeting, as several residents said traffic would become a serious problem. Already present congestion and the imminent arrival of IKEA in Assembly Square heightened their anxiety over a single-lane Broadway.

Eric Barry, a member of the Economic Support and Development Committee of East Somerville Main Streets, said, ‚ÄúI’m all for the one lane, but it by itself won’t address traffic mitigation.‚Äù He said he was skeptical of DCI’s traffic models and instead suggested turn-only lanes during designated hours.

David Giangrande, DCI’s lead consultant on the project, said that traffic would not be any more of a problem than it already is. Through coordinated traffic signals, ‚Äúvolume will remain the same, but the traffic flow will be more efficient.‚Äù He said two lanes were unnecessary because Broadway receives 14,000 cars per day and 20,000 is the standard for a two-lane roadway.

David Ivany, a traffic engineer with DCI, said intersections dictate the traffic flow, not the links in between.

May said, ‚ÄúWe’re not discouraging cars to come here, but we’ve taken away a lane to stop cars from ripping through the city to go somewhere else.‚Äù

Instead, he said East Broadway should have more of a community feel: ‚ÄúBigger areas, wider side walks, programmed events, outdoor seating, room for a possible farmers’ market; people will finally be able to walk side by side and even stop to talk to one another.‚Äù

Susan Fontano, a life-long East Somerville resident, said the improvements will serve as motivation for businesses in the area to clean their storefronts up, making for a cleaner and more attractive neighborhood. ‚ÄúWe don’t want to be another Davis or Union Square. We want [Broadway] to take on a different persona and be part of a vibrant city.‚Äù

Chris Denison, a member of the Somerville Bike Association, said the plan should encourage Broadway travelers to walk and bicycle along the street.

‚Äú[The association] is very excited about it. Especially because parking is always tight [on Broadway], it’s important to encourage alternative modes of transportation.‚Äù

May said the city applied for a $3.2 million grant from the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization, which represents funds from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the federal government. He said the proposal must meet the board’s Transportation Improvement Program to be approved. A decision is expected within the next two weeks.

The remaining funds for the project, which is expected to cost approximately $5 million, would be provided by the city, he said.

The project won’t be underway for another year and won’t be finished until late 2010, Giangrande said. ‚ÄúAt best, you’re probably looking at close to a year before we’re ready for construction. Then there will be six months of heavy activity, with six months on both ends of that. So, maybe a year and a half total for construction.‚Äù

May said all of the additions will create a friendlier East Somerville, including streetlights that will make one feel safer and ‚Äúable to read at night.‚Äù He said, ‚ÄúThis is a community and we’re trying to knit both sides of it back together.‚Äù