ROAD SAFETY AUDIT. Providence Street (Route 122A) at McKeon Road/Millbury Street. City of Worcester. July 14, Prepared For: MassDOT

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1 ROAD SAFETY AUDIT Providence Street (Route 122A) at McKeon Road/Millbury Street City of Worcester July 14, 2016 Prepared For: MassDOT Prepared By: Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. Burlington, Massachusetts

2 Table of Contents Background... 1 Project Data... 1 Project Location and Description... 2 Audit Observations... 6 Potential Safety Enhancements Summary of Road Safety Audit List of Appendices Appendix A. Appendix B. Appendix C. Appendix D. RSA Meeting Agenda RSA Audit Team Contact List Detailed Crash Data Additional Information List of Figures Figure 1: Locus Map... 3 List of Tables Table 1: Participating Audit Team Members... 2 Table 2: Existing 2014 Traffic Volumes... 4 Table 3: Estimated Time Frame and Costs Breakdown Table 4: Potential Safety Enhancement Summary... 17

3 Background Stantec of Burlington, Massachusetts has an on-call contract with MassDOT and as part of the Way Forward Signal Improvement funding mechanism, MassDOT is looking to undertake shortterm (routine maintenance improvements), medium (signal improvements) and long-term improvements at the intersection to better facilitate mobility for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles while enhancing safety. Phase I of this project is to conduct a road safety audit (RSA) to identify the issues. The second phase of the project will be to design the improvements within the right-of-way that will be constructed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division (MassDOT Project Number ). The subject location is the signalized intersection at Providence Street (Route 122A), Millbury Street and McKeon Road and its approaches in Worcester, Massachusetts. As part of the project design process, the crash history within the project limits was researched. In the recent past ( ), motor vehicle crash clusters at the intersection had been identified by MassDOT as a high crash location within the MassDOT District 3 area, using crash data provided by the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). Based on the MassDOT 2012 Top Crash Locations report, this intersection is listed as #90 out of 200 on the State s list. A Roadway Safety Audit, as defined by the Federal Highway Administration, is a formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent audit team. This RSA was conducted prior to the Preliminary Design (25% Design) stage of the intersection in order to incorporate safety-related design features early in the design process. Elements of the RSA will be considered for incorporation into the Project as the design progresses. Project Data The Roadway Safety Audit was conducted on June 8, 2016 at 1:00 PM, with the pre- and postaudit meetings held at Quinsigamond United Methodist Church, located at 9 Stebbins Street, Worcester. As can be seen in Table 1, the Audit Team consisted of a cross-section of State and local engineering, emergency response, planning, institutional and bicycle/walk advocacy professionals that was assembled in conjunction with input from MassDOT s Safety Management Unit and the City of Worcester. Page 1

4 Table 1: Participating Audit Team Members Audit Team Member Agency/Affiliation Lori Shattuck MassDOT District 3 Kevin Chiang Karin Valentine-Goins Jerry Powers Sarah Borenstein Douglas Prentiss Michael Lavoie Kevin Krasnecky P.O. Sean Lovely Jackie Ewuoso MassDOT Safety WalkBike Worcester WalkBike Worcester Stantec Stantec City of Worcester Fire Department Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission City of Worcester Police Department City of Worcester Division of Public Health Audit participants were provided with materials to review prior to the Audit. The materials included a summary of traffic volume data (daily and peak hour), pedestrian and peak hour data, and a summary of the crash data provided by the Worcester Police Department (including pedestrian and bicycle crashes). Participants were encouraged to visit the site prior to the Audit and were urged to consider elements on MassDOT s Safety Review Prompt List (also provided to Audit participants in advance). The day of the Audit, a pre-audit meeting was held in the recreational hall at Quinsigamond United Methodist Church to discuss the Audit process, review the distributed materials and to discuss the some of the issues that Team members had observed individually, prior to the Audit. The Audit field walk consisted of field observations of the Audit location. Handwritten notes and digital photographs documented the observations made by Audit team members during the field walk. Following the Audit field walk, a post-audit meeting reconvened at Quinsigamond United Methodist Church where the Team confirmed the observations made in the field, identified deficiencies and offered solutions to remedy the safety deficiencies noted in the field walk and Pre-Audit meeting. Project Location and Description The Audit was conducted at the signalized intersection of Providence Street (Route 122A) at Millbury Street and McKeon Road in Worcester, including all approaches to each intersection. A locus map is provided as Figure 1. Page 2

5 Figure 1: Locus Map Page 3

6 Providence Street (Route 122A) at Millbury Street and McKeon Road Providence Street (Route 122A), Millbury Street and McKeon Road are all classified by MassDOT as Urban Minor Arterials. Providence Street (Route 122A) is a vital corridor for north-south travel from the Oak Hill area of the City to points south and connecting to the multilane Route 146 corridor. McKeon Road also serves as an important connection between the College Hill and the Holy Cross area to the Route 146 corridor. Millbury Street serves as a parallel roadway to Route 146 providing connections to the residential neighborhoods and South Worcester and Route 20. The intersection is signalized and is a multi-lane highway-type intersection that leads to Route 146 and I-290. Each approach to the intersection is multi-lane with an exclusive left turn lane provided only on Millbury Street northbound. All roads within the intersection are owned and maintained by MassDOT. It should be noted that Providence Street becomes a city roadway approximately 250 feet north of the intersection and McKeon Road is a city roadway approximately 950 feet west of the intersection. Traffic Volumes Base traffic volumes were collected for this project initially using automatic traffic recorder (ATR) counts for a 48-hour period on all approaches to the intersection. Following analysis of the ATR s for the eight highest hours, turning movement counts (TMC) were completed for those hours and recorded vehicles and pedestrians for the eight-hour period. Additionally, the following traffic data was collected as part of the Project: Location Table 2: Existing 2014 Traffic Volumes AM Peak Hour Daily Volume a Peak Hour Volume b K c Dir. Dist. d Peak Hour Volume PM Peak Hour K Dir. Dist. Millbury Street, west of Providence St 7, % WB % WB Millbury Street, east of Providence St 7, % WB % WB Providence St, north of Millbury St 10, % NB % SB McKeon Road, south of Millbury St 19,923 1, % 1, % NB a b c d daily traffic expressed in vehicles per day peak hour volumes expressed in vehicles per hour percent of daily traffic that occurs during the peak hour directional distribution of peak hour traffic Sidewalks were observed on the south side of McKeon Road along with both sides of Providence Street. There are painted crosswalks across the westbound approach of Millbury Street and the southbound approach at Providence Street. Transit The Worcester Regional Transit authority (WRTA) operates bus Route #4 along Millbury Street from Union Station through the intersection to the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in the adjacent Town of Millbury. Route #4 runs hourly for a 12-hour period during the day. There are no Page 4

7 designated bus stops in the study area for this route. Bus route #11 also goes through this intersection entering onto Providence Street from Upsala Street with its terminus at Union Station to the Fair Plaza in South Worcester at Route 20. Prior to the intersection on Providence Street, there is a bus stop for Route #11. Crash History A query of MassDOT s online database reveals a high crash cluster for vehicles at the intersection based on crash data. The crash clusters are an indication that the intersection is a high vehicle crash location within the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) boundaries. The cluster map is contained in Appendix C. In addition, this intersection is listed as #90 on the MassDOT 2012 Top Crash Locations report. It is worth noting that the intersection is not listed in the MassDOT 2013 Top Crash Locations Report. Additionally, individual detailed crash reports for the intersection were provided by the Worcester Police Department for the years 2009 through The individual crash reports typically provide detailed information about the circumstances surrounding a crash and may provide insight into possible causes of crashes. Using the police reports, Stantec was able to prepare a collision diagram for the intersection under evaluation. The collision diagram is included in Appendix C. A total of 51 crashes were identified for the intersection from 2009 to Of those crashes, 14 resulted in an injury, with no fatal injuries. The most common manner of collision was the angle type, which comprised 69% of the identified crashes. Notably, 20% of the identified crashes occurred between the hours of 2PM-4PM which is around when school is released. One of the identified crashes involved a pedestrian. Page 5

8 Audit Observations Audit Team members were solicited for their observations during the Pre-Audit and Post-Audit meetings and during the Audit field walk. The Audit team members offered the following observations on roadway and intersection issues as they relate to safety. Pavement Markings and Signs Within the study area, pavement markings are worn, making the location of the white lane line unclear and consequently, potentially more difficult for vehicles to stay within the travel lane. It was also difficult to see the dotted white lanes lines in the middle of the intersection (sometimes referred to as phantom lines or vehicle tracking lines) that guide vehicles through the turning movement. Although no crashes appeared to be specifically caused by worn pavement markings, worn pavement markings can be a safety issue as pavement markings provide visual cues to drivers so that drivers can make appropriate driving decisions; Example of worn pavement markings It was noted during the site visit that some signs were missing after being struck as the broken sign post is still sticking out of the sidewalk. It may have been the result of the sign being placed too close to the edge of the sidewalk. Not only is this a problem for drivers who no longer see the sign, but a safety issue for a pedestrian who may trip on the broken sign post; Evidence of broken sign post Page 6

9 It was observed during the site visit that there are no exclusive left-turn lanes at the intersection except for the Millbury Street westbound approach. The intersection lacks left-turn arrow pavement markings and signs designating which lane turns left. This would prevent vehicles that are traveling through the intersection getting stuck behind a left-turning vehicle. While this could have been a contributing factor to some crashes, no crashes in the crash history could be directly attributed to this issue; There are no crosswalks for pedestrian travel on the south and west legs of the signalized intersection, yet there are sidewalks present on at least one side of both of those approaches. Crosswalks are present across Providence Road and Millbury Street westbound. The crash history at the intersection shows that there was a crash involving a pedestrian who was trying to cross the Millbury Street eastbound approach; An RSA team member noted that there is a lack of advanced signing for Route 146 traveling northbound on McKeon Street. There is a sign at the previous intersection but only directing to travel straight. The sign at the Millbury Street intersection then directs drivers to turn right. Drivers unfamiliar to the area have no advanced signage to tell them which lane to be in which could cause motorists to change lanes abruptly. There were no crashes in the crash history that could be directly attributed to this issue, but nonetheless, this could be a safety issue. Advanced signage for Rte 146 at previous intersection Signage for Rte 146 at McKeon Rd approach Page 7

10 Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations At the signalized intersection, the traffic signals are span wire-mounted and not mounted overhead on mast arms. Current MassDOT policy prefers not to use span wires. The current span wire is threaded through overhanging utility wires parallel to the roadway and with high winds the un-insulated utility wires could short-circuit the system. In addition, traffic signal heads that are mounted on span wires tend to sway in heavy winds and could cause visibility issues or become disconnected if not properly secured; Evidence of span wire-mounted traffic signals At the signalized intersection, all of the signal heads lack yellow reflectorized tape on the backplates. The reflective tape has the effect of enhancing the visibility of a signal to road users, since it provides a bright yellow contrasting background to a signal head back plate. The majority of the crashes occurred during the daylight hours, where yellow reflective tape is more effective in providing a contrasting background for the signal backplates; At the signalized intersection, the clearance intervals at the intersection should be reevaluated to ensure that the clearance intervals comply with accepted practices, as the crash history at the intersection suggests that vehicles may not be clearing the intersection before conflicting traffic is assigned the right-of-way. Based on the travel speed, yellow clearance intervals that are too short may not provide enough time for vehicles to stop before entering the intersection. Red clearance intervals that are too short may not provide vehicles enough time to clear the intersection before conflicting traffic is assigned the right-of-way. It is possible that inadequate clearance intervals could result in vehicles entering the intersection on a red signal, as inadequate red or yellow clearance intervals could lead to vehicles being in an intersection as conflicting traffic is given the right-of-way by the traffic signal; At the intersection, there are no pedestrian signal heads on the Millbury Street westbound and the McKeon Road approaches. This makes a dangerous situation for pedestrians traveling southbound on the west side of Providence Street. The crash history at the intersection shows that there was a crash involving a pedestrian who was trying to cross the Millbury Street eastbound approach. Note that the traffic signal includes an exclusive pedestrian phase that allows for pedestrians to cross all crosswalks, while all vehicle Page 8

11 traffic is stopped on all approaches. It is also worth noting that the signal lacks countdown pedestrian signal heads which have been proven to enhance pedestrian safety; It was noted that the signal lacks protected left-turn signal phases along with protected left-turn signal heads. This requires that vehicles who want to turn left are required to wait for all on-coming traffic to clear. There were a considerable number of crashes that involved left-turning traffic and not yielding to the right-of-way of the through traffic. At the signalized intersection, the coordination at the intersection should be investigated to ensure timing is accurate, as traffic can back up south of the intersection and block the previous intersection. An RSA team member had a copy of the signal permit, and it showed the coordination data to confirm the intersection was coordinated. Coordinated intersections that do not have the correct offsets do not allow for traffic to clear at the first intersection so there is sufficient space for traffic at the second intersection to enter without blocking side street traffic. Pedestrian, Bicycle Facilities & Transit Wheelchair ramps were observed at each end of each crosswalk across the intersection. However, some ramps did not appear to be compliant with current accessibility standards (including standards for detectable warning panels, grades, level landings). In general, substandard wheelchair ramps make it more difficult for pedestrians to easily and safely transition between the roadway and the sidewalk and could be a safety issue. However, there were no crashes in the crash history that could be directly attributed to wheelchair ramp compliance; Wheelchair ramp at intersection without detectable warning panel RSA Team members also noted the inconsistency of the bicycle accommodations at the intersection. There is a 6-foot bike lane on the McKeon Road approach that continues eastbound on Millbury Street; however, there are no bike accommodations that continue north on Providence Street. Additionally, there are wide travel lanes and no defined area on the roadway for bicyclists to travel within. Although there were no crashes in the crash history involving bicycles, this can be a safety issue; Page 9

12 At the intersection, debris from accidents and trash from motorists could be seen in the bike lanes. This can create a dangerous situation for bicyclists who must maneuver around the debris to safely cross the intersection; Sidewalks were observed only on the south side of McKeon Road. There is however, a sidewalk on both sides of Providence Street. This makes it inconvenient for pedestrians traveling southbound on the west side of Providence Street. Pedestrians are required to cross Providence Street and then Millbury Street to continue on McKeon Road. Obstructions At the intersection, sightlines for vehicles traveling south on Providence Street may be obstructed by the horizontal curve in the road to the north of the intersection and by the overgrown vegetation growing over embankment. The southbound movement also approaches from a downward slope. The inability to see the traffic signal could result in an increase in the probability of crashes, as vehicles would not have a chance to see the vehicle turning left in front of them; Pavement & Geometry It was noted that the intersection is very wide and open and with long crosswalks for pedestrians to traverse. The corners of the intersection have very large curves that allow drivers to turn at faster speeds. In general, wide radii encourage faster speeds but do not allow enough time to stop if traffic ahead of them has stopped. An RSA team member noted the skewed angle of the intersection. Skewed intersections occur when streets intersect at angles other than 90 degrees and can create complicated scenarios for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. They result in longer crossing distances for pedestrians, restrict sight line visibility and facilitate higher speed turning movements by vehicles. Overall An RSA team member noted that the new visitor center was being constructed to the west of the intersection. This new construction would bring considerable more traffic through the intersection including bicycles and pedestrians. Page 10

13 Potential Safety Enhancements The Audit team members offered potential safety enhancements that could be implemented to mitigate the safety related observations that were noted in the previous section of this report. Audit team members were encouraged to develop short, medium and long term safety enhancements. Pavement Markings and Signs As the pavement markings are worn, consider re-applying the pavement markings at the intersection so that they will be more visible to all roadway users. Although no crashes appeared to be specifically caused by worn pavement markings, worn pavement markings can be a safety issue since markings provide guidance and visual cues to drivers; Remove the broken sign posts and relocate the newly installed signs further from the edge of curb. The signs should be positioned so as they are not to be hit by vehicles yet still be visible to motorists. This measure would increase the safety of pedestrians walking on the sidewalk and prevent future collisions with vehicles; Consider applying pavement markings and installing signs to delineate exclusive left-turn lanes. This would prevent drivers who are wishing to travel through the intersection getting stuck behind left-turning traffic who then might change lanes abruptly. This measure would reduce crashes that have occurred between a vehicle traveling straight and another vehicle to the left that would sideswipe the car to the right. This modification would also be compatible with the installation of protected left-turn phases; In order to reduce the likelihood of crashes involving pedestrians at the intersection, consider installing crosswalks across the northbound and eastbound approaches. There are currently crosswalks that cross Providence Road and the east leg of Millbury Street, but are lacking across McKeon Road and the west leg of Millbury Street. This is a safety issue, although there were no pedestrian-vehicle crashes at this location noted in the crash history; Consider installing advanced signage to Route 146 to the south of the intersection to notify motorists traveling northbound to turn right onto Millbury Street eastbound. This measure may allow drivers to change lanes before they reach the signal and prevent changing lanes abruptly. While there were no crashes in the crash history that could be directly attributed to this issue, advanced signage would better inform motorists and improve overall safety. Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations At the signalized intersection, consider reconstructing the signal systems at the intersection to provide overhead mast arm mounted traffic signals, as currently all traffic signals are span-wire mounted. Overhead mast arm mounted signals are generally more Page 11

14 visible to road users as overhead signals are more closely aligned to the driver s line of sight and, as a result, may increase the likelihood that drivers can see and comply with the right-of-way assigned by the traffic signal. Increasing the visibility of the signal installation may also result in fewer rear-end type crashes, as the traffic signal installation will be more prominent from a greater distance; Consider adding yellow reflectorized tape on the backplates of all traffic signal heads to enhance the visibility of the signals heads. Enhancing the visibility of the signal heads could result in fewer vehicles entering the intersection on a red signal, which has historically resulted in angle and head-on crashes; Example of back plate with retro reflective border At the signalized intersection, consider re-evaluating the clearance intervals at the intersection to ensure that the clearance intervals comply with accepted practices. Proper clearance intervals may result in fewer vehicles entering the intersection on a red signal, which has historically resulted in angle and head-on crashes; At the signalized intersection, consider the installation of pedestrian signal heads for the south and west legs of the intersection so that the assignment of the right of way by the traffic signal to the pedestrian is clear and eliminates the potential for confusion by pedestrians regarding when pedestrians are permitted to cross these legs. These legs of the intersection currently do not have a corresponding pair of pedestrian signal heads. Also consider installing countdown pedestrian signal heads at the intersection. Countdown signals have been known to reduce the proportion of pedestrians running when the flashing Don t Walk signal appears, therefore reducing the number of times that Page 12

15 pedestrians remained in the crosswalk when the signal turned green. FHWA has found that countdown signals reduce all crashes by 25%. Consider the installation of the protected or protected/permissive left-turn signal heads and phases at the intersection. With the number of crashes from left-turning vehicles not yielding to through traffic so high, exclusive phasing would affectively decrease the number of crashes. If protected left-turn signals can t be provided, consider installing flashing yellow arrow signal heads; Protected Left-Turn Traffic Signal Head Flashing Yellow Arrow Traffic Signal Head Evaluate the traffic signal coordination at the intersection and the intersection to the south in its effectiveness to prevent queuing between the two intersections. Recalculate the offsets between the intersections to allow vehicles on McKeon Road to always receive a green signal along the coordinated system. From the signal permit, it was determined that the signal is coordinated with a spread spectrum radio system; Pedestrian, Bicycle Facilities & Transit Consider the evaluation of all wheelchair ramps at the intersections for standards compliance and consider the installation, where required, of wheelchair ramps with detectable warning panels at the ends of all crosswalks. New ramps shall be compliant with the requirements of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). There were no crashes in the crash history that could be directly attributed to wheelchair ramp compliance, however, new ramps provide for easy and safe transition between the roadway and the sidewalk; Consider providing dedicated bicycle lanes on all legs of the intersection so that space on the roadway is specifically allocated to bicycle travel. There is an existing 6-foot bike lane on the McKeon Road approach that continues eastbound on Millbury Street; however, there are no bike accommodations that continue north on Providence Street. While there were no crashes in the crash history involving bicycles, dedicated bicycle lanes may increase safety for bicyclists, and may result in a lower probability of crashes involving bicycles, as space on the roadway is assigned for their use, as opposed to sharing the travel lane with motor vehicles; Page 13

16 Generally, in order to reduce the likelihood of debris from crashes ending up in the bike lane, the City of Worcester should consider a routine maintenance practice of clearing debris following property accidents; Consider constructing a sidewalk on the north side of McKeon Road. Pedestrians who are traveling on Providence Road cannot continue crossing the intersection. An extension of the existing sidewalk would greatly increase pedestrian safety, although there were no pedestrian-vehicle crashes as a result of the lack of sidewalk; Obstructions At the intersection, consider measures to increase the sightline for vehicles traveling southbound on Providence Street, as the sightline is obstructed by the horizontal and vertical curve in the road. Consider trimming vegetation on the west side of Providence Street to increase sight distance for the traffic signal. The additional visibility will also give drivers greater opportunities to see a vehicle stopped at a red light or to see a vehicle turning left in front of them. One measure could be to install a sign in advance of the intersection and interconnected that when the sign turns red, notes: Red Signal Ahead ; Vegetation that is recommended for trimming to improve sightlines Pavement & Geometry Consider altering the geometry by tightening up the intersection. It was suggested that the intersection can be modified to reduce pavement width, reducing the length of pedestrian crossings. This can be accomplished by a combination of reduced lane widths and bump outs. Smaller radii can improve pedestrian safety by requiring motorists to reduce vehicle speed by making sharper turns, and shortening pedestrian crossing distances which thereby improves signal timing. Also the smaller radii provide larger pedestrian waiting areas at corners, improve sign distances, and allow for greater flexibility of curb ramp placement; Consider the evaluation of improving the skewed angle of the intersection. Strategies for improving pedestrian safety at skewed intersection crossings include providing high Page 14

17 Overall visibility marked crosswalks and adding medians or channelization islands to reduce crossing distances. It may be possible to reconfigure the intersection by straightening the skewed approach thereby reducing the speed of turning vehicles by creating a tighter turning radius, and reducing the crossing distance for pedestrians. It should be noted that the McKeon Road approach is fixed as it crosses over Route 146; As there is expected to be an increase in pedestrian and bicycle volumes due to the construction of the visitor center to the west of the intersection, ensure that any proposed changes to McKeon Road account for increases in pedestrian and bicycle activity. This should generally result in improved safety for all types of mobility. Page 15

18 Summary of Road Safety Audit After the site visit, the RSA participants returned to discuss the safety issues and consider various improvements. The participants were encouraged to consider both short and long-term improvements for each of the existing safety issues. Each improvement considered has been categorized as short-term, mid-term, or long-term based on the definitions shown in Table 3. Additionally, a cost category has been assigned to each improvement based on the parameters set forth in Table 3. Table 3: Estimated Time Frame and Costs Breakdown Time Frame Short-Term <1 Year Mid-Term 1-3 Years Long-Term >3 Years Costs Low <$10,000 Medium $10,001-$50,000 High >$50,000 For each safety enhancement noted in the previous section, the following table is a summary of the proposed enhancement, its potential safety payoff, the estimated time frame for completion, the estimated construction cost, and the responsible agency. For enhancements that are expected to be considered and/or incorporated into the improvements of the Way Forward Project (607757), the responsible agency will be listed as Project. These improvements would be funded by MassDOT. The Project infrastructure and construction is under the jurisdiction of MassDOT. The Project is currently set for the fiscal year of Page 16

19 Table 4: Potential Safety Enhancement Summary Safety Issue Potential Safety Enhancement Safety Payoff Time Frame Pavement Markings & Signs Pavement Markings & Signs Pavement Markings & Signs Pavement Markings & Signs Pavement Markings & Signs Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations Consider reapplying pavement markings Remove broken sign posts & install new signs Consider applying pavement markings and installing signs to delineate exclusive left-turn lanes Consider installing crosswalks across northbound and eastbound approaches Consider installing advanced signage to Route 146 Consider reconstructing the signal systems to provide overhead mast arms mounted traffic signals Consider adding yellow reflectorized tape on backplates Consider evaluating the clearance intervals Consider the installation of pedestrian signal heads for the south and west legs of the intersection and upgrading to countdown pedestrian signal heads Medium Medium High Medium Low Medium Medium Low High Cost Short-Term Low Short-Term Low Mid-Term Low Long-Term High Short-Term Low Long-Term High Short-Term Low Short-Term Low Mid-Term Medium Responsible Agency DOT DOT Project/DOT Project DOT Project DOT DOT Project Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations Consider providing protected or protected/permissive left-turn signal heads and phases to proceed without any other conflicting movements Medium Long-Term Medium Project Page 17

20 Safety Issue Potential Safety Enhancement Safety Payoff Time Frame Cost Responsible Agency Traffic Signals Equipment, Timing & Operations Pedestrian, Bicycle Facilities & Transit Pedestrian, Bicycle Facilities & Transit Pedestrian, Bicycle Facilities & Transit Pedestrian, Bicycle Facilities & Transit Obstructions Evaluate the traffic signal coordination in its effectiveness to prevent queuing Consider evaluating all wheelchair ramps at the intersection for standards compliance and reconstruct, where necessary, wheelchair ramps to meet current ADA/MAAB design standards Consider providing dedicated bicycle lanes on all legs of the intersection Consider constructing a sidewalk on the north side of McKeon Road Consider an awareness program to prevent debris being pushed into the bicycle lanes Consider measures to increase the sightline for vehicles traveling southbound on Providence Street. Consider trimming vegetation on west side street Low Short-Term Low DOT Medium Long-Term High Project Medium Long-Term Medium Project High Long-Term High Project Low Mid-Term Low City of Worcester High Short-Term Low Project Pavement & Geometry Consider tightening up the intersection. This improvements includes determining the appropriateness of improvements to reduce pavement width, and the subsequent application of those improvements High Long-Term High Project Page 18

21 Safety Issue Potential Safety Enhancement Safety Payoff Time Frame Cost Responsible Agency Pavement & Geometry Overall Consider the evaluation of improving the skewed angle of the intersection. Possible strategies for improving pedestrian safety include providing high visibility marked crosswalks and adding medians or channelization islands to reduce crossing distances Ensure that accommodations at the intersection account for the expected increases in pedestrian and bicycle activity associated with proposed visitor center High Long-Term High Project Medium Mid-Term High Project Page 19

22 Appendix A. RSA Meeting Agenda

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24 Appendix B. RSA Audit Team Contact List

25 Date: June 8, 2016 Participating Audit Team Members Location: Worcester, MA Audit Team Members Agency/Affiliation Address Phone Number Lori Shattuck MassDOT District 3 Lori.Shattuck@dot.state.ma.us Kevin Chiang MassDOT District 3 Kevin.chiang@state.ma.us Karin Valentine-Goins WalkBike Worcester kvgoins@charter.net Jerry Powers WalkBike Worcester Gerald.powers@charter.net Sarah Borenstein Stantec Sarah.Borenstein@stantec.com Douglas Prentiss Stantec Douglas.Prentiss@stantec.com Michael Lavoie Worcester Fire Department lavoiem@worcesterma.gov Kevin Krasnecky CMPRC KKrasnecky@cmprc.org P.O. Sean Lovely Worcester Police Department lovelysm@worcesterma.gov Jackie Ewuoso Worcester DPH ewuosoj@worcesterma.gov

26 Appendix C. Detailed Crash Data

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33 Appendix D. Additional Information

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