New Traffic Patterns Planned for South East Street and West Street

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Town Council, September 23, 2024, Part 1

This meeting was held in hybrid format and was recorded.

Present
Lynn Griesemer (President, District 2), Mandi Jo Hanneke, Andy Steinberg, Ellisha Walker (at large), Freke Ette and Cathy Schoen (District 1), Pat DeAngelis (District 2), George Ryan and Hala Lord (District 3), Pam Rooney and Jennifer Taub (District 4), and Ana Devlin Gauthier and Bob Hegner (District 5). Absent: George Ryan (District 3).

Staff: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager) and Athena O’Keeffe (Clerk of the Council)

New designs were presented to increase traffic safety at the site of the soon to be built new elementary school at the site of thec Fort River School and on West Street from Potwine Road north to Longmeadow Drive. The latter plans were accepted by a unanimous vote, and the former was referred to the Town Services and Outreach (TSO) committee for a public hearing. A plan by UMass to place seven vehicle directional signs on North Pleasant and East Pleasant Street near the campus was also referred to TSO.

Redesign of South East Street from Main Street to Route 9
With the anticipated completion of the consolidated K through 5 elementary school at Fort River and the construction of new apartment buildings on Belchertown Road and at the East Street School, more pedestrian and vehicle traffic is anticipated on the short stretch between Main Street and Route 9. To accommodate the increased traffic the town contracted with CDM Smith engineering firm to redesign the traffic along the street. The result was a proposal for a series of four roundabouts.

The proposed design has roundabouts at the intersections with Route 9 and South East Street  and Main Street and South East Street with smaller roundabouts at each of the two entrances to the school, with the southernmost  one being large enough to accommodate school buses. The one-way accessory road to the west of the East Common will remain, and it is expected that PVTA buses will continue to use that route. No sidewalks are planned for the east side of the common across from the school.

Superintendent of Public Works Guilford Mooring said that once the council agrees on the design, CDM will draw up a final plan, but funds will need to be appropriated for the design and construction.

The proposal raised many questions and concerns from the councilors. Several dealt with the cut-through street from Belchertown Road to South East Street behind the Northampton Cooperative Bank. Cathy Schoen (District 1) said that cars often ignore the stop sign at the intersection. She also noted that the existing traffic lights have walk signals, so the roundabouts will make it less safe for pedestrians to cross the busy streets. She added that crosswalks were now indicated in the preliminary plans. 

Pam Rooney (District 4) felt the entrance to Cumberland Farms and the Auto Zone, south of Route 9 should be made one-way because of its proximity to the intersection, but Bob Hegner (District 5) noted the difficulty of making a left turn onto Route 9 when exiting from Cumberland Farms.

Mandi Jo Hanneke (at large) thought that the roundabouts took land away from the common. 

Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5) and Jennifer Taub (District 5) asked about bicycle and pedestrian safety accessing the school from Route 9. Mooring stated that improvements to that section of Route 9 involve a multi-use sidewalk for younger cyclists and a dedicated bicycle lane. He also said that the design group was still working on accommodating access to the Bacon Wilson law office adjacent to the north entrance to the school. They were considering a shared driveway between the public entrance to the school and the office. 

Council President Lynn Griesemer (District 2) recommended a larger roundabout for the intersection of South East Street at Route 9 due to the projected population growth in the area. She asked, with the bids for the school coming in $5 million under budget, if the extra money slated to be used for the new school through the 2023 debt exclusion override could be used for the road construction. Town Manager Paul Bockelman replied that the traffic design and road work were not reimbursable by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and he was unsure if the funds voted for the school construction could be applied to roads. He said he was consulting the town attorney on this matter, but that the town would be applying for grant money. Schoen pointed out that there were grants dedicated to road construction around schools.

TSO is expected to announce public hearings on the design and to bring a recommendation back to the full council by December 16, 2024. The Transportation Advisory Committee has not yet been consulted on the proposed plans. It was not noted whether the Safe Routes To Schools program has been consulted or grant applications planned for this federally funded program. 

West Street Sidewalks and Islands
In response to concerns of residents of Potwine Lane and Orchard Valley about the dearth of crosswalks to cross West Street at the existing bus stops and the 50-mile speed limit on that stretch of West Street, the DPW developed a plan to increase safety for pedestrians. The plan involves adding two crosswalks, moving the two existing bus stops to improve the pull off areas, adding a five-foot wide sidewalk on the east side of West Street, installing two splinter islands on West Street to promote traffic calming, and designating bicycle lanes on both sides of West Street.

The plan was endorsed by the Transportation Advisory Committee and the Disability Access Advisory Committee, as well as by TSO. However, because West Street is a state road, the town must apply to the state to reduce the speed limit from 50 miles per hour on this stretch of road. Mooring hoped that the splinter islands will achieve some reduction in vehicular speed.

The design was approved by the Town Council by a unanimous vote (with one absent).

Schoen asked Mooring about the long-awaited sidewalks for East Pleasant Street, and wondered why the West Street  project was put ahead East Pleasant Street. Mooring answered that the East Pleasant Street work was much more complicated, but that the DPW was developing a plan that he hoped would be completed by spring.

UMass Vehicle Directional Signs Referred to Committees
UMass worked with the town engineer to improve vehicle traffic around campus with directional signs. Seven of the proposed signs are on public roads and therefore need council approval. The signs slated for the west side of campus are on university property. The proposed seven signs are along North Pleasant and East Pleasant Streets.

Hanneke thought the signs might be too close to the roads and, at four-by-eight feet, were too large. She also questioned the placement of several of the signs. The proposal will be reviewed by the TSO and Community Resources Committee, which will hold public hearings no later than November 27.