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Date: 4/20/2021
NORTHAMPTON – During a Zoom public forum meeting on April 14, representatives from the Picture Main Street project presented four alternative plans for the project in front of over 160 residents and business owners.
To start the forum, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz provided background for the project and how it had come to its fourth public forum.
“The city has embarked on a major redesign of Main Street and downtown Northampton. We have secured funding through the Regional Transportation Improvement program; this is funding from the state and federal government for $16.6 million. We anticipate we are in a queue for funding for fiscal year 2025, so we have embarked on an expansive public planning process to gather information from stakeholders about what they want to see,” he said.
Project Manager Jason DeGray, from Tool Design, began his presentation by summarizing the project’s three goals.
“We have three main goals for this project. Goal one is to provide safety and access for all, goal two is to promote a vibrant and attractive downtown and goal three is to create a functional, enduring, sustainable streetscape,” he said.
DeGray explained that the goal of his presentation was to discuss four alternative options for the current project.
“The bulk of this presentation will be a discussion of four primary alternatives. The alternatives are very much focusing on the stretch of roadway between King and Pleasant, and the State, New South, West, and Elm intersection. These alternatives all include three or four travel lanes,” he said.
For the first option, DeGray said there would be four travel lanes with significant reductions to sidewalk space for outdoor commerce and activities.
“Alternative 1A is a mix of four travel lanes, two in each direction, expanded and in some cases reduced sidewalk widths, maintaining angled parking, and a mix of separated and shared bicycle facilities. The tradeoffs for this alternative are the existing sidewalks are narrowed to less than five feet in order to fit the desired elements. This design would make it impossible to provide outdoor dining and commerce,” he said.
Along with the shortened sidewalks, DeGray said 20 existing trees would be removed and left turns would be more difficult because of the four lanes.
DeGray said the biggest difference in options 1A and 1B is that 1B has wider sidewalks and provides more sidewalk space at the cost of separated bike lanes.
“Alternative 1B is similar to 1A, however it removes the separated bike lane. Bicycle alternatives for this alternative would be shared in the street itself. It differs from 1A by eliminating the separated bike lane in favor of wider sidewalks, all other design elements remain the same, the concept was developed in recognition of the loss of existing trees,” he said.
DeGray explained that in Alternative 2 one of the biggest benefits would be significantly expanded sidewalk space.
“Alternative 2 maintains four travel lanes as well as expanded sidewalks, in this case parallel parking replaces the angled parking, along with shared and separated bike facilities. The sidewalks range from 4.5 to 35 feet in width. The additional sidewalk width provides significant space for expanded public space, outdoor dining and commerce, lush greenery and trees, snow storage, and green infrastructure,” he said.
In some spots in Alternative 2, DeGray said because of the expanded travel lanes, there is reduced space for parking, sidewalks and biking.
Unlike the previous alternatives, DeGray said Alternative 3 provides three travel lanes instead of four while also maintaining expanded sidewalks, separate bike lanes and angled parking.
“Alternative 3 consists of three travel lanes, one lane in each direction along with a center lane to accommodate left turns, as well as expanded sidewalks, separated bike lanes, and angled parking. The center turn lane makes left turns safe and less stressful for all modes, continuous separated sidewalk level bike lanes are provided throughout most of the project area,” he said.
In terms of drawbacks, DeGray said there would be 18 percent less space for parking and travel time would increase for drivers downtown.
After presenting each individual alternative, DeGray said he and his team were in favor of Alternative 3.
“Based on all of the aspects of how we are measuring the success of the project, the project team does believe that Alternative 3 does best meet the needs of the full range of desires for this project,” he said.
The next public forum for the Picture Main Street project is expected to take place in June.