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Home My WebLink About1986-07-21 Traffic Study u 5 - RouTE 114 TRAFFIC STUDY May 1985 prepared by Merrimack Valley Planning Commission The preparation of this report has been financed under contract #22947 with the Massachusetts Department of Public Works and with the cooperation of the Federal Highway Administration. Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, 350 Main Street, Haverhill, MA 01830 1115111 Prepared by the staff of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. Gaylord Burke, Executive Director - Reviewer Thomas F. Rossi, Transportation Program Manager - Study Co-author Paul Laponius, Planner - Study Co-author Robert Tassinari, Planner - Data Analysis Eric Waaramaa, Planner - Data Analysis ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The MV PC would like to acknowledge the important contibutions of the following people: Keith Bergman, Executive Secertary, Town of North Andover Daniel Cahill, Community Development Director, City of Lawrence Joseph D'Angelo, Project Engineer, MDPW District 5 Dennis DiZoglio, Community Development Department, Lawrence Karen P. Nelson, Town Planner, Town of North Andover Benjamin Osgood, local developer North Andover Board of Selectmen Chrlstine Smith, Chairman Ramsey Bahrawy Kenneth Crouch John Graham Charles Salisbury 0 SUMMARY The RQUto j_IA Ira= Studywas undertaken by the MVPG in April 1984 at the request of the Town of North Andover and the MDPW. The study area encompasses 1t town line. 1-495 The followingaiseaisummarynce to t he North of the Andover/Middleton findings of the study. The Western Segment of Route 114, from 1-495 to the Andover Bypass, is characterized by congestion and slow travel speeds. These conditions are at their worst during the afternoon peak period. Three signalized in- tersections--at Any�r Street, Route 133, and the North Andover Mall entrance--operate at service level. urJ.ng this period, n Ica ng o a- non at or near capacity. rThis congestion also contributes to the high incidence of accidents at these intersections;J T to 1 intersection year ner'End. is the m c en - ' There are currently no serious congestion or to North Andover-Middleton afety problems along the Eastern Segment of Route 114 (Andover Bypass line. * A large amount of growth is expected in the Route 114 corridor, both along Route 114 and in nearby areas. New developments are planned, par- ticularly along the Eastern Segment, which will greatly increase traffic ncrease will affe • fie entire length of / on Route 114. This tr 1 will aft Route 114 in e study area• All intersections on the Wes ern i��ege►,t will operate over capacity during peak periods, and congestion problems will spread to the western end of the Eastern Segment as well. The devel- opment of the North Andover Business Park may prompt the need for signali-- zation of the Route 114-Willow Street intersection. Several measures for improvement of the traffic conditions on Route 114 were looked at in the study. A group of Transportation Systems Man- agement actions, including signal timing improvements, lane striping: in- tersection approach widening, and institution of bus service, could im- prove traffic flow and safety; however, they would not solve the severe congestion problems projected for Route 114. T-To do this, oitb 114 would tanv K have to be widened to four lanes from Io to M�� vw4 y lanes provided at all signalized intersections. This reconstruction would 4 have major impacts such as property takings and would be expensive. The study recommends the short-term implementation of the Transporta- tion Systems Management actions as they become feasible; many willbe section im- plemented by the MDPW as part of a resurfacing project on s Route 114. Also recommended is the initiation of preliminary engineering for the long-term reconstruction of Route 114 from 1-495 to Willow Street as proposed in the report. The North Andover Board of Selectmen has re- quested that the MDPW follow these recommendations. LaL qtt_ d accident record obtained These data wrom the ere for to lthe fiv es- fy hazardous locationstQ,98 study of year period from 1976 The total ° area number detemined.ntsAccidents�oe- each major intersection in the study rately. These totals are curring between intersections were recorded sepa shown in Table 11-6. ore to tion e nee As shown in Table 11-6 the er o his n- a�cidents than an other intersection duri the stud ec on s c aracter�zed narrow a roach widths on Route i ap and ers These chin from or entering Route 133• small turning radii. This resuoas in turnip movements and slow pro', speeds for traffic al acci en s on al unex ec e s ow owns cause re data reveals that t c dents at sis o MD acc This ercenta e s the o e var he ante hi highest among the si nalized intersections in the studyare a. ver Another roblem with this intersectianis di B green signal indication ty turning left from Route 114. while the opportunity for some unopposed for southeast-bound traffic provides elanalon is insufficient to accommodate left turns in this direction, s in opposing through traffic are in- the entire left turn demand, d gaps vehicles O can make turns during the re- guaranteesufficient to hase. This causes accidents between conflictingrivers mainder of the gree opposing through traffic and accidents involving left turning and attempting to pass left turning vehicles on the right. A third safet roblem with the Route 133 intersection common to the Andover Street and Waverly Road in is that the intersection op- ates so close to capacity. This causes some drivers to become impatient acci er to "beat" the red signal indication, causing and to disobey or try half of the recorded acci- dents with conflicting traffic flows. Nearly dents during the study period were between conflicting flows- dents nearly as many ae- The Andover Street intersection did not exp of the recorded ac- cidents as the Route 133 junction. The vast majoritrpaches. This is pri- eidents involved vehicles an the Andover of leftreet turns pon these two approaches marily due to the large percentages hase• This causes and the fact that they share a common traffic signal p acrosseet to be made posing through all left turns from Andover conflicts and the potential foraccidents. traffic, thereby creating 8 f TABLE II-6 T TOTALS FOR ROUTE 114 INTERSECTIONS AND LINKS, 1976-1980 ACCIDEN 0 Intersections flnr+ia o at on 64 1 Waverly Road 182 j Route i 94 Andover Street 95 Andover Bypass 29 I� Hillside Street* 2 Mill Road/Willow Street 6 Johnson Street 8 Boston Road 0 Sharpners Pond Road Accidents Location 144 I-fig, to And Street 20 Andover St. to Andover Bypass 35 Andover Bypass to Johnson St. 81 Johnson St. to Middleton line 196 Unspecified Locations onstruc * The Hillside Road intersection has been r a c decrease ein accidents.nter- seetion since 1980, provably resulting Conditions at the Waverly Road intersection have been a controversial topic in North Andover. While accident stat earsstooexittndSince the in- s serious potential azard er ..� in ior roblem, tr c on aver Road must wait for gaps ter section suns gna ized, ass through the intersection. Because Route 114 traffic in orderhtduring peak periods, there are not enough Route 114 traffic i othigh du all Waverly Road traffic to safely pass sufficiently long gaps through the intersection. This causes drivers safeepassage through the intersece 11 during gaps insufficient to a potentially dangerous conflicts with Route 114 traffic. Lion, creating p a s is the "creeping out of Another affect of the lack of sufficient g P in This leaves WaVerZy Road vehicles into the intersection.m causing un xpectedmhazardsgfor the intersection for short periods of , Route 11u traffic. The fact that westbound 1 slope of�the aroad makes these relatively high speeds due to the downhill conflicts even more hazardous• 9 ti ed below be required for all new de- nfuture actions" list .. _-that the Route 114. velopments along u s ardless of what other certain actions r b taken as land along TheVPC recomme s taking These should T5M- These might be classified as resent and will only become improvements to Routed 1 the future. These Route 114 is develop required at p type actions, but they are not velopments are constructed. necessary as individual future Lions include: Route 11�4 for new developmentsere curb cuts along driveway or road. --al low no new rov ide access via access is available menu to sharenexisting gcurb cuts or p new develop side streets- entrances for widen the paved --provide acceleration/deceleration laneIfarequir d+a es are menu along Route 114. all new develop to Provide these lanes. driveway entrances surface of the roadway nalization at high enough, determine whether sib is needed. existing driveway - o be used far access to a new development. --entrance ide accelerationldt Celeration lanes at an p entrance or side street �D 27 TOWN OF NORTY1 ANDOVER MASSACHUSETTS µON7M + OL � a �,iSSACHJ`+*i January 113 1985 Board of Selectmen 120 Main Street. North Andover, MA RE: . Route 114 Traffic Study Dear Members of the Board: The Planning Board has reviewed with the Town Planner Merrimack Valley Planningthe various Commission's recoinmendations outline.c2 in the Me As a result of the continued increase crease . with ( �} Rouge -114 Trtff is -Stud Route 114, construction along thought out in industrial/office spaceh traffic, this a carefully e task the high counts of daily through the town board's long-tee solution should be addressed at this tioxt among the a large Co accomplish, however, with coordination and support riort list. 1C a citizens we can•'Put the 114 issue at the top of our p y may be a state owned r oad, but it has and will continue to be a town safety problem. e character of the road in hard numbers The report brings Co light the true resent need to do some remedial action accurbcut and facts which demonstrates the p along with the need to p Flagship pr. /Mill Rd. intersection; asp near the North Andover Business Park. onto the 125/ByP art of Selectmen i Again, the Planning Board supports any effort on the p atever action ig.needed to make Route 114 a safer road Co travel • to take wh . Sincerely, rr jr •,Paul A. Hedstr+om Chairman F. /KN