MARK CRESSOTTI
WESTFIELD – The Traffic Commission voted recently to adopt a street design intended to slow traffic on major arteries downtown and to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety.
The concept is related to the current improvements being made to West Silver and Court streets, and which will include Franklin Street next year.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti, Interim Department of Public Works Superintendent Dave Billips and Deputy Superintendent Casey Berube discussed the ongoing efforts to mill (or grind) existing pavement and raise structures, sewer and stormwater grates, in preparation of paving scheduled in October.
Cressotti requested that some areas of pavement be milled to create deeper gutters to speed removal of stormwater and to reveal curbing along the roadways.
“We’re trying to get a reveal back,” Cressotti said. “The curb gets buried the more the street is paved and the curbing less revealed. We’re trying to get a gutter for stormwater management.”
DAVID BILLIPS
At the heart of the conceptual design would be a project to install raised islands to sheltered dedicated left turn lanes, establishing five-foot wide bicycles lanes along the shoulders and reducing travel lanes from the current two down to one lane.
“The goal is to enhance traffic management, calm traffic and improve the esthetics of the approaches to downtown,” Cressotti said. “We have so much pavement and don’t really need two travel lanes in each direction.”
“Where can we do it now with only minor resetting of the curbing and shoulders, and where we could do it in the future when (financial) resources allow,” Cressotti said
Cressotti suggested that the concept be explored at this stage by painting the dedicated turning lanes and bicycle lanes and that the design of more permanent options, such as raised islands or cobblestone strips be assessed. The cost of those improvements has not been estimated.
CASEY BERUBE
West Silver and Court streets are slated to be paved in the next few weeks, while a contract for the Franklin Street improvements has yet to be released. Cressotti said the city is preparing a bid to replace curbing along Franklin Street between Summer and Allen streets.
“The curb has to be reset. We’re putting together a curb installation contract and are hoping to get that part started this calendar year,” Cressotti said, “so Franklin will be paved next year.”
Police Chief John Camerota, chairman of the Traffic Commission, an advisory board that provides the City Council with traffic and street management recommendations, sought a consensus of the conceptual project.
“We’re all supportive,” Camerota said. “We’ll continue to tweak and adjust it, but I think it’s a great idea. It will slow things down a bit, but it will be safer.”
JOHN CAMEROTA
Camerota said many motorists think Court Street is a four lane street “because of the pavement seam, once they even painted it and we had to have the line removed.”
The four lane width is an obstacle to pedestrians trying to cross the street and an impediment to motorists trying to cross lanes entering and exiting side streets, Camerota said.
The street-calming concept is also related to the extension of the Columbia Greenway. The current expansion brings the rail trail to East Silver Street, and work, hopefully planned to begin next summer, will extend it to Main Street.
The additional of bicycle lanes along Court and West Silver support the anticipated increase in bicycle movements along those corridors.
“Bicycling has become a huge recreational activity,” Camerota said.
