Bedford Street and Hartwell Avenue are known for a lot of things — but primarily for traffic.
To address this, the Town of Lexington has initiated the Bedford St./Hartwell Ave. Complete Streets Transportation Project, which is underway, albeit gradually.
The Bedford St./Hartwell Ave. Complete Streets Transportation Project aims to improve the flow of traffic and add features for pedestrians and bicyclists. The scope includes Bedford St. west of the I-95 interchange (which is overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation). It also includes the intersection of Bedford St. and Hartwell Ave., and the stretch of Hartwell Ave. from Bedford St. to Hanscom Air Force Base.
The Town of Lexington hired VHB, an engineering firm, in 2021 to redesign these roadways with pedestrian and bicyclist safety in mind. An online survey open to residents and the general public was conducted between 2021 and 2022. In a presentation on October 24, VHB reported, “Over half (56%) of public survey respondents indicated they were extremely or somewhat dissatisfied with the current design of Bedford St.” Forty-seven percent said the same about Hartwell Ave.
Bob Peters, a resident of the Drummer Boy Way area and elected member of the Lexington’s Planning Board says this emerging design is “critical in making this neighborhood work.”
In addition to the survey, the Town and VHB held a virtual presentation last month, and an Open House with VHB on Nov. 19 so residents could provide feedback on the current design concepts.
What are the issues?
These two corridors handle much more traffic than they were designed for. Traffic backs up at the interchange with I-95 and around Hanscom Air Force Base. According to the Hartwell Ave. District Transportation Plan from 2023, traffic volumes are comparable to pre-pandemic levels. VHB’s design is based on projected traffic volume for the next 20 years, through the mid-2040s.
Another concern is speed. Currently, both Bedford St. and Hartwell Ave. have a speed limit of 40 mph. Mass DOT (Department of Transportation) says identifying target speeds, based on how a road is used, may result in a lower speed as the design shifts away from accommodating only vehicles (mostly cars) to walking, cycling and buses.
To improve safety at the intersection of Hartwell Ave. and Bedford St., traffic lights would be placed above the intersection, not just on the side. Bicyclists would have a different protected crossing than pedestrians. A 37-year Hartwell Ave. area resident who bicycles in the area expressed a desire for more “controlled” crosswalks by the Bedford St. jug handle, so she wouldn’t have to rely on the goodwill of drivers to cross.
During the October 24 presentation, one virtual attendee asked if a roundabout was considered to replace the current “jug-handle” design of the left turn from Bedford St. onto Hartwell Ave. Laura Castelli of VHB said it would have to be so large to accommodate the traffic volume that it was not a viable choice given the impact it would have on existing residences. Instead, VHB added a third lane to improve traffic flow.
Everyone agrees that there will be more mass transit in this area in the future. At the presentation in October, VHB’s Laura Castelli said this design is “flexible” and as information is gathered about which buses would stop there, bus stops and crosswalks would be aligned.
Another challenge is ongoing development on these streets. Ross Morrow, Assistant Engineer for the Town of Lexington says that “it’s a discussion with developers” to “mesh together” all the priorities of individual users as well as developers to increase overall safety.
All this change will come with a big price tag: $40 to $50 million. However, there is funding anticipated in 2029 from Boston Region MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization, which on its website describes itself as consisting of “state agencies, regional entities and municipalities.”
What do residents want these streets to look like?
VHB Landscape architect Michael Kluchman says the Town has to decide what it wants the area to look like. Do residents want it to be like Lexington Center, or more modern?
There were a number of residents from Drummer Boy Way nearby Hartwell Ave. advocating for greenscaping. For instance, one resident asked for more evergreens between Drummer Boy Way and the jug handle on Bedford St. for year-round noise reduction.
The design is still at an early stage. Meghan McNamara, Assistant Planning Director with the Town of Lexington, says the goal will continue to be to “minimize impacts to nearby and connector residential streets, and create an inclusive design process.”
Construction may not begin until 2030.
Want to know more? Visit the Virtual Meeting Room
Upcoming meetings: Dec. 10, 2024 on Wood Street.