Government

Plan to Redesign Mt. Auburn St., Common St. Area Creates Parking But Not In Front of Stores

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A plan to redesign the Mt. Auburn Street/Common Street intersection would create 10 more parking spaces in that area, but some businesses in that area would lose the parking spots in front of their stores. The Town Council’s Public Works subcommittee heard a presentation from WorldTech Engineering, the firm designing the Mt. Auburn Street reconstruction project. Designers presented three options for the business area just east of Watertown Square based on where MBTA bus stops would be located.

Bus Priority Pilot

Bus Priority Lanes Going Into Effect Soon, See What to Expect, Take Survey

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Changes to sections of Mt. Auburn Street will go into effect early next week which will change the traffic patters for drivers, bus riders and bicyclists. The Town of Watertown and City of Cambridge have teamed up to create a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) pilot with the goal to create faster and more reliable bus service for more than 12,000 daily MBTA bus riders and shuttle passengers and improve traffic flow for all users of Mt. Auburn Street. The pilot is being funded with a grant from the Barr Foundation and is being done in conjunction with the MBTA and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Around Town

Queue Jump Lanes Added to Mt. Auburn Street in Effort to Improve Bus Service

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The following information was provided by the Department of Public Works:

Following days of initial testing, the Town of Watertown has debuted two “queue jump” lanes at School Street and Walnut Street. Queue jump lanes allow buses to move more quickly through intersections by “jumping” to the front of a line of traffic. Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems around the world use queue jump lanes to create a faster and more reliable bus ride and improve overall traffic flow. “Roughly 5,000 bus trips are made each day in Watertown in this corridor, and the Route 71 bus is an important asset to the community,” said Matthew Shuman, Town Engineer for the Town of Watertown. “We also know from research in other places that moving Watertown closer to BRT with queue jump lanes has the potential to speed up the commute for everyone by separating buses from cars at intersections.

Government

Mt. Auburn Street Project Inches Forward, Concern About Parking for Businesses

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The renovation of Mt. Auburn Street, including the “road diet,” took a small step forward Tuesday night when the Town Council gave a preliminary nod for the first set of designs in a long process before the $14 million project becomes a reality. The plans given a tentative OK by the Council include the Complete Streets plan to reduce the number of lanes for motor vehicles from two in each direction to one, and adding left turn lanes at many intersections, and bike lanes along the entire length from Patten Street to the Cambridge line. Parking for Businesses
Conditions were placed on the approval after Councilors received more than 80 emails over the weekend from concerned customers of Pet Haven Animal Hospital. The plan had called for removal of on-street parking in the “T” intersection on Mt.

Letters

LETTER: Proposed Road Projects Will Hurt Neighborhoods, Small Businesses

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The DPW and Planning Department have been working on improving the traffic flow through Watertown Square, as well as making it and Mt. Auburn Street friendlier to bicyclists and pedestrians. However, as usual, they are not considering neighborhood integrity, nor the needs of small businesses. It is funny to me that they are touting “complete streets,” which simply means designing for more modes of transportation than cars. Cities in Europe have been doing this type of design for over 60 years, but we have just “discovered” it here in the U.S., and we don’t do it well yet.

Government

Mt. Auburn St. Plans Approved by Council Subcommittee, Now on to Full Council

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Wednesday evening, the Council’s Public Works subcommittee recommended that the Town Council approve the plan for Mt. Auburn Street that would reduce the number of travel lanes in most sections and add buffered bike lanes along many stretches. 

The plan has been much discussed over the past several years, after the Town Council voted in 2013 to have the Department of Public Works and the town’s traffic engineering consultant, WorldTech Engineering, come up with plan for a “road diet” for the major artery between Watertown Square and the Cambridge line. The project is a Complete Streets project, which means it is designed for all modes of transportation: motor vehicle, bicycles, pedestrians and public transportation. If the Town can get TIP (Transportation Improvement Program) funding, the entire $14 million budget will be covered entirely by the state, said Bill Mertz, vice president of WorldTech. The plan would reduce the number of motor vehicle travel lanes from two lanes each way to one each way along most of the length of Mt.

Government

Council Subcommittee to Vote on Recommendation for Mt. Auburn Street Project

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A recommendation for how to renovate Mt. Auburn Street will be discussed and likely approved by the Town Council’s Public Works Committee on Wednesday, June 27, 2018. 

The Department of Public Works has been discussing proposals to repave and renovate the major artery through Watertown for several years, and has had a number of public meetings over the last year to share ideas for how the street will look. Proposals have included reducing the number of travel lanes from two to one in many places, putting right turn lanes at key intersections and adding bicycle lanes for most of the length of the roadway. The project will ultimately have to be approved by the full Town Council. See coverage of the Mt.