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Date: 7/27/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD — State highway planners aren’t stopping after implementing a “road diet” this summer on the section of Route 20 at the Westfield-West Springfield line.
Their focus is turning east, to the almost 2-mile stretch of Westfield Street between Sibley Avenue — just beyond where the road diet currently ends — and King’s Highway. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) recently completed a study of this roadway, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the town of West Springfield. The study follows up on a 2020 road safety audit performed by MassDOT.
“The difference between that study and the planning commission’s is that we’re looking at alternatives in short- to medium-term improvements to address safety along the corridor,” said Gary Roux, principal planner for PVPC’s transportation department. “So with that in mind, our emphasis in this study was really based on, we had a roadway safety audit that was completed, but now, where were we going to see potential safety improvements? And of those safety improvements ... which ones actually made the most sense for this corridor?”
A draft of PVPC’s findings and recommendations has been submitted to MassDOT and the mayor’s office for comment, and the results are expected to be published in September. Because PVPC is awaiting the input of other agencies, Roux said he was unable to comment on what specific improvements will be recommended, but explained some safety concerns his team observed.
“Two things really stood out,” said Roux. “When you’re traveling in the morning, peak hour in the eastbound direction, you will see the potential for sun glare at certain times of year along the corridor, which is something that most likely contributes to safety problems along the corridor, because you have reduced visibility.”
The second problem will likely be unsurprising to those familiar with the road: “Most people are traveling above the posted speed limit,” he said.
This portion of Westfield Street has four lanes of traffic, two in each direction, between two stretches where the roadway is reduced to one lane in each direction. The stretch west of Dewey Street was recently reduced from four lanes to two, with bike lanes added on the shoulders. East of King’s Highway, heading downhill past St. Thomas Church toward Mittineague School, the roadway narrows and is only wide enough to accommodate one lane in each direction.
The study collected data in 2021, so it did not measure whether the road diet near the Westfield border had been successful in reducing speeding along the road. It also did not include the King’s Highway intersection, which Roux described as “very non-standard,” and said needed to be looked at independently to determine potential improvements.
“Sometimes you have no choice [but] to admit that you need more information to properly recommend treatment and improvement,” said Roux, who was trained as a civil engineer and has worked as a transportation planner for the past 20 years. “Basically what we’re saying is, there needs to be further study.”
The safety report is expected to be published in September. Roadwork based on its recommendations could be implemented within one to three years.