Development

Council Stresses Importance of Transportation Planner, Worried About Development

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The position of Transportation Planner has been discussed for years and the town has searched for someone to fill the role, but has struggled to find someone qualified to do the job. Tuesday night the Town Council stressed to Community Development and Planning Department Director Steve Magoon that they want the position filled. 

The Transportation Planner would deal with issues such as traffic, public transportation and the planned Watertown shuttle. Magoon appeared before the Council for his budget hearing. During the discussion, Councilors also worry that the Planning Department has enough resources to deal with all the development in town. Filling the Transportation Planner position has been high on Magoon’s list.

Transportation

MassDOT Warns Mass Pike Lane Closures Coming This Weekend

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has announced the following travel impacts on I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) eastbound in the area of the Allston/Brighton Viaduct in order to safely allow for continued toll demolition and road reconstruction operations during off-peak weekend travel:

• From 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., on Friday, May 12, traffic will be reduced from 3 travel lanes to 2 travel lanes on I-90 eastbound through this area. • From 11 p.m. on Friday, May 12, to 8 a.m. on Saturday May 13, traffic will be reduced from 2 travel lanes to 1 travel lanes on I-90 eastbound through this area. • From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday May 13, traffic will be restored to 2 travel lanes on I-90 eastbound through this area. • By 2 p.m. on Saturday May 13, all 3 travel lanes through the work area will be restored in the new traffic alignment. Drivers are advised to remain aware when traveling through this area as there will be changing traffic patterns and roadway alignments as crews conduct construction operations.

Government

Upcoming Meeting Will Cover Redesign of Mt. Auburn St., Work on Belmont St.

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Plans to redesign the Mt. Auburn Street Corridor will be discussed at a meeting in Cambridge on Monday, May 8. The City of Cambridge’s Department of Traffic, Parking and Transportation will host a neighborhood meeting on Monday, May 8 between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.at the Russell Youth Center at 680 Huron Ave. in Cambridge. The meeting will focus on the design plans of the Mt.

Government

Athenahealth Honored by State for Commute Options Offered to Employees

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently celebrated over 200 Massachusetts businesses, colleges, and universities at the seventh annual Massachusetts Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards ceremony. Attendees were recognized for their efforts in promoting active, healthy, and sustainable travel options programs at their local worksites, including one in Watertown, MassDOT announceds. The event, held at historic Fenway Park, brings together businesses and institutions from across the Commonwealth that provide innovative programs and resources to encourage employees to commute by public transit, carpool, vanpool, bicycling, walking, or teleworking. “MassDOT is proud of the strides that employers are taking to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the Commonwealth,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “Through partnerships with employers, we are able to provide information on available commuter transportation resources to a greater audience.

Around Town

2017 Boston Marathon: Road Closures, MBTA Impact and Prohibited Items

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People planning to go out to watch the Boston Marathon should be aware of certain restrictions this year, as well as road closures and impacts on users of the MBTA. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) announced that spectators along the course may have to go through security checkpoints and released a list of restricted items, including backpacks, suitcases or rolling bags. Spectators can have clear plastic bags containing personal items.

Part of the 2017 Boston Marathon Spectator Guidelines announcement said:

Spectators along the course are discouraged from possessing any of the items listed below. Possession of any of these items may result in delays when passing through security checkpoints and enhanced screening. Weapons or items of any kind that may be used as weapons, including firearms, knives, mace, etc.

Government

MBTA Officials Discuss Ways to Improve the 70 Bus, Other Transporation

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The MBTA may change to bus routes in Watertown, adding new routes and improving all routes by making changes to fare collection, but all these moves will take some time. Wednesday night representatives from the MBTA and other transportation officials spoke to the Town Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation. They also went into some options that had not previously been discussed in Watertown. The focus of the meeting was on the 70/70A bus, which runs through Watertown on Main Street and Arsenal Street and goes from Waltham to Cambridge. The route is one of the longest in the MBTA system, said Melissa Dullea, director of Planning and Schedules for the MTBA.

Arsenal Street Corridor

Town Council Supports Projects in MassDOT’s Plan, Asks for Additions

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation included a couple of projects in Watertown in its draft 2018-22 Capital Improvement Plan, which the Town Council supported in a letter to state officials. They also asked for a few more. 

During the report about the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation during the March 14 Town Council meeting, Councilor Aaron Dushku said the MassDOT plan includes improvements to the Watertown Square Transportation hub and creating a multi-use path through the center of Watertown. He noted that these projects made the proposed funded list, but were not actually requested by the Town or local legislators. The Watertown Square improvements include redesigning the Watertown Delta and improving signage on Galen Street. “While it was unclear how this project (Project ID 1972) got on the list, it was agreed by most in attendance that the combination of new developments on Arsenal and Pleasant Streets plus the cut-through traffic from I-90 all warranted more investment in this bottleneck area and our letter should mention it,” Dushku said.

Ease Connect

Financial Commitments Made to Start Watertown TMA, More Needed for Shuttle

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The cost of getting the Watertown TMA (Transportation Management Association) up and running will be more than $150,000, but the shuttle would be an additional cost. Allison Simmons of Ease Connect, showed the members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation the cost estimates Tuesday night, which include about $26,000 in upfront costs (incorporation, legal fees, creating a website and marketing), $100,000 in salary for the program manager, benefits, and the cost of running the office, and another $5,000 for ongoing marketing – a total of $158,000. All those costs, and the assessments, would go toward the creation and running of a TMA, but not for the cost of setting up and running a shuttle. The developments required to contribute to the TMA will also be required to help support the shuttle, however, Simmons added that the members of the TMA would only have to pay for the shuttle if it serves their development or complex. While it is agreed that Watertown residents will be able to ride the shuttles, what remains up in the air is whether they will have to pay to ride.