Arsenal Street Corridor

State Study Finds Buses Overcrowded, Traffic Slow on Arsenal Street

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The buses that serve Arsenal Street are overloaded at peak times, and are delayed by traffic gridlock in Watertown Square and going over the bridge into Brighton. 

These are a couple of the findings of a study of Arsenal Street currently being done by the Massachusetts Department of Transit (MassDOT) in an effort to improve the corridor that will add many more jobs, housing units and retail stores in the next several years. The area is served by the MBTA’s 70 and 70A buses. MassDOT officials recently came to Watertown to present their preliminary findings (see the presentation here). The Arsenal Street Corridor is served by the 70 and 70A buses and includes 5,710 residents, 2,740 households and includes 6,630 jobs, according to the study. The study looked at commuting patterns, and found:

Watertown residents commute to: Boston (27%) Watertown (18%) Cambridge (11%) Waltham (6%) Newton (5%)
Those working on the Arsenal Street Corridor come from: Watertown (17%) Boston (16%) Waltham (8%) Newton (4%) Cambridge (4%)

Buses
In prior public meetings about the area, many have complained about crowded buses and transit running behind schedule.

Entertainment

One Book One Watertown Underway, Still Plenty of Events About “The Race Underground”

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The Watertown Free Public Library’s annual One Book One Watertown program kicked off with a community discussion of the book “The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry that Built America’s First Subway” by Doug Most on Wednesday, but there are many events still to come. The Watertown Library sent out the following information:

This March, the Watertown community is invited to a series of events relating to this year’s selection, culminating in a visit from author Doug Most. Documentary Marathon

Saturday March 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We’ll be screening films about the history of mass transit on our big screen all day long. Stop in for a quick peek, or plan to spend the whole day – the choice is yours. The Road Ahead with MIT SENSEable City Lab

Wednesday March 9 at 7 p.m.

The future is now!

Government

New Transportation Committee Looking at Improving Bus Service in Town

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Ways to improve MBTA service in Watertown was one of the top issued discussed during the inaugural meeting of the Town Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation last week. 

The Council has been focused on the issue for the past few years, and it became such a thorn for regular users that a citizen group – the Watertown Public Transit Task Force – formed to advocate for improvements. Some headway was made in 2014 when MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott came to visit town to see the problems facing Watertown’s T users. A change in governors and a historically bad winter that gridlocked the MBTA meant that Scott was out and Watertown lost its connections in the state’s transportation agency. “She’s gone. A lot of people have changed.

Government

Public Invited to Forum on Bicycle Safety

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The public is invited to a forum on bicycle safety being hosted by Massachusetts legislators on Feb. 23. The public forum on Massachusetts bicycle safety will focus specifically on large vehicle/cyclist crashes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that large vehicles (buses and trucks) are responsible for a disproportionate number of fatal crashes. The forum will bring together diverse stakeholder groups to build consensus around state legislative solutions to make cycling safer.

Government

Find Out When a Shuttle Will Come to Town for Businesses, Residents

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Town officials have been working on creating a shuttle system to serve the new developments in town, both business and residential, and Thursday night the consultant working on getting it off the ground said the small buses should be rolling in late 2016 or early 2017. Patrick Sullivan, of the 128 Business Council, gave an update on the creation of a Transportation Management Association (TMA) to the newly formed Town Council Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation. The goal of the TMA is to reduce the number of cars on the road in Watertown, as well as improve public transportation. Right now the it is focused on the main “spokes and hubs” in town and the town relies on the MBTA for service. Several new residential project have been built along Pleasant Street, and projects to build new apartment buildings and office developments have been approved for Arsenal Street.

Arsenal Street Corridor

UPDATED: Department of Transportation Hosting Meeting on Arsenal St. Corridor Study

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Please join the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for a Public Information Meeting on the Arsenal Street Corridor Study. The meeting will be held Wednesday, February 24, 2016, from 6-8 p.m., at the Watertown Middle School Auditorium, 68 Waverley Ave., Watertown. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is studying the Arsenal Street Corridor in Watertown. This study will develop and analyze alternatives that are intended to improve transportation conditions on Arsenal Street between Watertown Square and Birmingham Parkway. The study will focus on bus service along Arsenal Street and locations where the bus service ties into other crossing bus routes.

Around Town

Plans Shown for Retail Project on Pleastant St. with Dining, Apartments

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The first project to go through the town’s revamped Pleasant Street zoning, and the review by the town’s design consultant went before the public Thursday night and the reception was very positive – especially compared to past projects on the Westside corridor. The proposed Water Mills at Bridge Point mixed-use project would go at 330-350 Pleasant Street, and replace Casey Dupuis Equipment and Julian Crane properties on the south side of the street, near Rosedale Avenue. The new complex would have 20,000 square feet of retail, including a restaurant overlooking the Charles River, and 99 apartment units, according to Doug Annino, architect from Annino Inc. who is working on the project for developer Mark Coppola. (Click here to see preliminary plans). Along with the restaurant, developers hope to attract a place to get coffee, such as Starbucks, Annino said.

MassDOT

Department of Transportation Wants to Hear from Residents

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will host two upcoming  Regulatory Review Listening Sessions and is seeking written input, too. 

Governor Baker’s Executive Order 562 commissions a thorough review of every Executive Branch regulation and its impact on the public. Public feedback is vital to the success of the project and if you or your business is affected by MassDOT regulations in any manner, we strongly encourage you to attend one of the listening sessions listed below and submit written comments to help improve our process. One session was held in Boston on Jan. 6 and there are two more listening sessions coming up:

Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 2-4 p.m.
Nevin’s Hall
150 Concord St.