Elizabeth Bonventre UEP 173 11/30/14
Wellington Station and Santilli Circle: A Retrofit for Mixed Use Accessibility Introduction The connection between modes, networks, and places is essential in the world of transportation planning. For the past sixty years, transportation planners have focused most of their energy around creating safe and convenient access for single occupancy vehicles on the nation’s street network. Street design manuals, like the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Green Book, were written by and for engineers who rarely took the surrounding urban context into account. Today’s planners are doing things differently. In 2010, the Institute of Transportation Engineers published Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach, which is an interdisciplinary method which involves all stakeholders, urban planners, local government officials, neighborhood associations, environmental groups, etc. when developing or modifying a transportation facility. Additionally, the approach must also consider the facility’s physical setting, aesthetic, historic and environmental resources, while at the same time maintaining safety and mobility. Street design manuals have also changed. The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) recently published urban street and bikeway design guides. These new guides employ Complete Streets concepts throughout and are graphics heavy to appeal to all stakeholder groups. Complete Streets are designed and operated to enable safe, comfortable, and convenient access to all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. At its essence, the Complete Streets movement advocates for the democratization of our nation’s streets. The movement has been especially transformative in urban areas where the physical
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geometry cannot accommodate a large number of single occupancy vehicles as well as in areas where the population is especially transit dependent. These are usually areas with either a large elderly population or low-income households. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has begun the process of redesigning the study area as part of its Accelerated Bridge Program but the project has not yet reached the design phase. It is the goal of this paper to highlight essential design recommendations. The paper will begin with an exploration of the Wellington Circle area in more detail and outlining area opportunities and challenges. Finally, specific retrofits will be suggested including an update from the MA DOT in regards to this area.
Context and Problem Definitions The Wellington Station-Santilli Circle corridor is unique and therefore requires thoughtful consideration when proposing suggested improvements. Santilli Circle lies in the city of Everett, which is a 3.4 square mile, inner-ring suburb that is home to a population 41,667
Cartographer: Elizabeth Bonventre | Source: MassGIS OLIVER Online Mapping System
Figure 1: Environmental Justice Communities within the Area of Focus
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(U.S. Census Bureau 2010). The city is very densely populated at 12,000 people per square mile and contains various environmental justice communities as indicated in Figure 1. Median household income was $42, 062 according to the 2010 Census, which is relatively low considering the cost of living in the Boston area is 32% higher than the national average (U.S. Census Bureau 2010). City transportation mode share numbers indicate that the majority of residents still utilize a single occupancy vehicle while only 24% utilize public transportation.
Figure 2: City of Everett 2010 Mode Share
Wellington Station The Wellington Station is on the MBTA’s orange line. It is situated north of Boston in between the Malden and Sullivan Square stops. It also includes the Wellington Carthouse, which is the primary maintenance facility for orange line cars. The station itself is located in Malden where the Mystic and Malden rivers meet. The two rivers and the parkway act as a barriers and ultimately isolate the station from Everett. East Medford has benefitted from improved station access since the completion of Station Landing, a mixed-use 3
commercial and residential development that is adjacent to the station and is connected via an elevated walkway. There are currently 10 bus routes that service the station and surface parking facilities can accommodate over 1,300 vehicles. Directly to the north lies the Revere Beach Parkway (MA Rt. 16) which is a six lane road connecting US Rt. 1 with US Rt. 93. The route is popular with morning commuters as it provides access into Boston via the Rt. 99 interchange at Wellington Circle, thereby avoiding the toll on the Tobin Bridge. According to the MBTA, the average 2013 weekday station entries were 7,609. The Woods Memorial Bridge provides connection to Santilli Circle over the Malden River. Santilli Circle The Santilli Circle street agglomeration consists of a traffic circle with a major arterial running through it. There are various traffic lights in areas where the main arterial crosses the circle. To the north lies Santilli highway, a misnomer due to the fact that the street itself is a wide industrial road. It provides access to Best Buy, BNY Mellon offices and the locally famous Teddy Peanut Butter factory. The road also provides external access to a small but densely populated neighborhood adjacent to the industrial area. To the southwest lies Mystic View Road which follows along Mystic River Reservation land to the west, while providing access to the Gateway Shopping Center to the east. Traffic running through the area during peak hours (Friday between 4:30 and 5:30 PM) show a westbound count of 1,514 and an eastbound count of 1,719 along the major arterial bisecting the
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traffic circle. An additional 1,052 vehicles join westbound traffic headed over the Woods Memorial Bridge at the northwestern exit from the traffic circle (Fort Point Associates, 1 2013).
Gateway Shopping Center Mystic View Road is the sole access road to the Gateway Shopping Center, a big-box retail center anchored by Target, Costco, and Home Depot. The road is also proposed to be the main access to the new Wynn casino and entertainment venue that has been approved by the state. At peak, Mystic View Road boasts a combined east-west traffic count of 1,552. To the west lies the Mystic River which creates a physical barrier between the shopping center and Wellington Station. While the area is deficient in terms of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations, there are positive conditions that can help the area get on the right track Opportunities Complete Streets gains federal support. In 2010, US DOT secretary Ray LaHood issued a statement endorsing a complete streets policy, enabling local DOTs to implement new strategies beyond the traditional AASHTO Green Book. Everett has also adopted its own Complete Streets Design Guide as a way to encourage more active lifestyles within the community. Both endorsements indicate general support and therefore a positive political climate for implementing changes. Another positive opportunity lies in the proposed plans for the new Wynn casino and entertainment venue. Its initial environmental impact report proposed and submitted to the state 5
includes a thirteen million dollar reconfiguration of Santilli Circle and Route 16 that would be paid for by the Wynn Group. Everett also has robust bus connectivity to Wellington Station. Eight of the ten bus routes that stop at Wellington Station make their way through Everett. While these factors do set a positive stage for change, the area is still facing an up-hill battle.
Figure 3: Focus Area Deficiencies
Challenges Everett and requires a retrofit that can accommodate all modes of transit. The most glaring defect within the Wellington Station-Santili Circle area is that it lacks safe, comfortable, and convenient pedestrian and bike access. Satellite imagery clearly shows a desire path from the residential area in the north, traversing the entire length of Santilli Circle in order to access the shops at Gateway Center (Figure 3 left and right). The currently available accessible sidewalk requires pedestrians walk all the way around the northwestern portion of the traffic circle, which is a circuitous route that wastes time. The current desire path is especially dangerous since it requires crossing the six lanes of Route 16 in an area with no crosswalk where cars are traveling upwards of 40 mph. The available crosswalks lack accessibility features like signal countdowns, raised tactile surfaces to indicate upcoming hazards and audible signals (FHA 2014). The Woods Memorial Bridge was constructed in the 1950s, has exceeded its expected lifespan and has been classified as structurally deficient by MassDOT (Livable Streets 2010). 6
Constructed in an era with when the car was king, the bridge provides four foot sidewalks on both sides without any form of buffer from traffic (Figure 3 center). The sidewalk is not ADA accessible and is undoubtedly uncomfortable to traverse given that the bridge deck over the river is grated rather than solid. AASHTO guide for sidewalks recommends a minimum clear width of five feet. Providing a buffer zone between traffic and pedestrians is also recommended in order to increase pedestrian safety and create a more pleasant walking environment (AASHTO 2004). Beyond the lack of pedestrian facilities, the simple fact that the bridge has been classified as structurally deficient indicates that it poses a safety threat to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The weakness of the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is especially acute because it directly affects environmental justice communities and areas of potentially high transit dependence. American Community Survey Data indicates that 8.7% of households in Everett have no car while 37% of households only have one car (U.S. Census Bureau 2011). When that one car is in use, the rest of the family must rely on other means of transportation. The most available source of public transit is currently via bus, which is notoriously slow. Of the eight bus routes in the city, none provide a direct route into Boston. The orange line at Wellington Station does provide frequent direct rapid transit access into Boston but other than riding a bus first, transit dependent residents of Everett have no safe means of reaching it. Adjacent orange line stations Malden and Sullivan Square had station entries of 12,686 and 10,125 respectively (MBTA 2013). Such a drastic drop in station entries at Wellington also suggests a lack of accessibility.
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The Case for Mixed-Mode Streetscapes Walkability is an important asset for communities trying to promote a more active lifestyle amongst its residents. Promoting a non-sedentary lifestyle is excellent basic public health policy. Everett already has a complete street’s initiative yet many still believe that Americans are simply not willing to walk places. In 2010, Transportation for America, an alliance of elected civic and business leaders, conducted a nationwide survey about attitudes on transportation options. Of the 800 individuals they interviewed 66% indicated that they wanted more transportation options. Americans want the freedom to choose; unfortunately 73% believed they had no other option but to drive. Over half, 57%, would like to spend less time in the car. They also investigated American’s willingness to walk and found that 46% of respondents would be willing to walk up to a mile to get to a specific destination such as a school, church, or work. The above clearly indicates that residents in Everett would be willing to walk to the study area and the well-worn dirt (desire line) path across Santilli Circle is evidence of this. Reconfiguring the bike and pedestrian accommodations for the Wellington StationSantilli Circle area is an imperative.
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Recommendations 1. Improve pedestrian access in and around Santilli Circle
Figure 4: Santilli Circle Pedestrian Improvements
To provide an alternative to the current pedestrian desire path, MassDOT, Everett, and DDR, property manager of Gateway Center, should coordinate their efforts to create an accessible sidewalk and trail beginning in the eastern section of Santilli Circle, through the wooded area and ending at the edge of Gateway Center parking lot (Figure 4). This project would involve expanding the current Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) right of way, which currently abuts the road directly.
According to the FHA, in areas where a sidewalk
is directly adjacent to moving traffic the desired minimum right-of-way is eight feet. In order for two people to be able to walk side-by-side comfortably, the sidewalk should have a diameter of six feet. The additional two feet is the minimum amount of buffer for street furniture and utilities (FHA 2001). Since traffic in the area is heavy and constant, a four foot buffer is recommended which will allow for additional traffic shielding with street trees and plantings. Poured concrete should be used as the main paving material in order to achieve continuity with existing sidewalks around the circle. A fully signaled crosswalk with a median pedestrian refuge should be created adjacent to the circle itself and across the bisecting six lanes of through traffic. 9
An additional crosswalk with an additional set of traffic lights will also need to be installed across the access road from Mystic View Road to Rt. 16 East. These crosswalks should be ADA compliant with all the required accessories. This design scheme also calls for the creation of a direct mixed-use cycle and pedestrian path through the wooded area between the circle and the Gateway Center parking lot. FHA design guidelines stipulate that mixed-use paths should have a minimum width of ten feet and two feet of additional graded area on both sides. This twelve foot right-of-way should also include the addition of pedestrian scale lighting for added security at night. Sharrows should be installed around the circle to alert drivers of potential cyclists that may come in and out of the mixed-use path. By providing safer, more convenient facilities for pedestrians and cyclists the deadly desire trail will be forgotten. 2. Connecting Everett to Wellington Station
Figure 5: Potential Rendering of the Reconstructed Woods Memorial Bridge
The Woods Memorial Bridge should be completely reconstructed making sure to include both pedestrian and bicycle accommodations. Since the sidewalk will have direct access to Wellington Station, the sidewalk on the eastbound side of the bridge should be widened to at least eight feet to accommodate for increased pedestrian volume during commute times. A rail or
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other form of buffer should separate the pedestrian zone from the bike lane. NACTO standards recommend that a bike lane should be four feet wide with an additional three foot painted buffer area for added perceived safety and separation (NACTO 2014). The design of the new bridge should complement the surrounding DCR protected land while also recalling Rt. 16’s history as a historic suburban parkway. 3. Connecting the Network
Figure 6: Connecting Wellington and the Community Trail
The bike lane will carry on around the circle where it will become shared with regular traffic. Sharrows will continue around the circle to the northeastern service road where the bike lane will connect with the Northern Strand Community Trail, a rails-to-trail project linking Malden and Everett with the beaches of Revere, Lynn, and Nahant. Conclusion Conventional wisdom within the transportation planning community maintains that networks should favor paths that incur the minimum number of transfers between routes and modes due to the inherent delays that are experienced by users (Scheurer 2007). By connecting both the pedestrian and bicycle network around Wellington Station, Santilli Circle, and Gateway
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Center, transit dependent and adjacent residents will finally gain safe, comfortable, and convenient access to rapid transit and the shopping amenities in southwest Everett.
Works Cited American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). 2004. Guide for the Planning Design and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities. City of Everett. 2013. City of Everett Complete Streets Guide: A Healthy Approach to Design. Fall.https://energizeeverett.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/complete_streets_design_guideb book_2013-09-24.pdf Federal Highway Administration (FHA). 2014. “Chapter 4 – Sidewalk Design Guidelines and Existing Practices.” Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/sidewalks/chap4a. cfm Federal Highway Administration (FHA). 2014. “Chapter 14.6: Shared Use Path Width.” Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/sidewalk2/sidew alks214.cfm Federal Highway Administration, “Sidewalk Corridor Width,” Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access (Washington, D.C.: FHWA, 2001) Fort Point Associates, I. (2013). Draft environmental impact report. (No. EOEEA# 15060). Boston, MA: Wynn MA, LLC. Livable Streets. 2011. “Bridge Replacement & Revere Beach Parkway Reconstruction Projects Public Hearing (Medford).” Livable Streets Events. July. http://livablestreets.info/event/bridge-replacement-revere-beach-parkway-reconstructionprojects-public-hearing-medford Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). 2014. Ridership and Service Statistics. 14th ed. July. http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/documents/2014%20BLUEBOOK%2014th%20Editi on.pdf National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). 2014. Urban Bikeway Design Guide. 2nd Ed. March. http://nacto.org/cities-for-cycling/design-guide/ Scheurer, Curtis and Sergio Porta. 2007. “Spatial Network Analysis of Public Transport Systems: Developing a Strategic Planning Tool to Assess the Congruence of Movement and Urban Structure in Australian Cities.” Australasian Centre for Governance and Management of Urban Transport. http://abp.unimelb.edu.au/files/miabp/3spatialnetwork-analysis.pdf Transportation for America. 2010. Future of Transportation National Survey 12
U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). State & County QuickFacts: Everett (city), Massachusetts. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2521990.html U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). Cost of Living Index: Selected Urban Areas, Annual Average 2010. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0728.pdf U.S. Census Bureau. 2011. 2009-2011 American Community Survey.
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