ROAD SAFETY AUDIT
Route 125 Corridor (Main Street)
City of Haverhill
October 30, 2009
Prepared For:
Massachusetts Highway Department
Prepared By:
Tetra Tech Rizzo
Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
Table of Contents
Background .................................................................................................................................1
Project Data.................................................................................................................................1
Project Location Description .....................................................................................................2
Audit Observations and Safety Enhancements........................................................................7
Summary of Road Safety Audit...............................................................................................16
List of Appendices
Appendix A.
Appendix B.
Appendix C.
Appendix D.
Appendix E.
Appendix F.
RSA Meeting Agenda
RSA Audit Team Contact List
Speed Regulations
Streetscape Improvement Plans
Detailed Crash Data
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Draft Memorandum
List of Figures
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Locus Map.............................................................................................................................. 3
Birds Eye View – Main Street at Merrimack Street/Water Street and Bailey Boulevard/Ginty
Boulevard (southern section).................................................................................................. 3
Birds Eye View – Main Street at Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard and Winter
Street/Summer Street (northern section) ................................................................................ 4
Peak Hour Traffic Volumes ................................................................................................... 6
List of Tables
Table 1.
Table 2.
Participating Audit Team Members ....................................................................................... 2
Potential Safety Enhancement Summary ............................................................................. 17
Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
Background
The Federal Highway Administration defines a Road Safety Audit (RSA) as the formal safety
examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent, multidisciplinary team. The
purpose of an RSA is to identify potential safety issues and possible opportunities for safety
improvements considering all roadway users. According to the Massachusetts Highway Department’s
(MassHighway) 2007 Top Crash Locations Report, dated July 2009, the intersections of Main
Street/Winter Street/Summer Street, (#94), Main Street/Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard (#65), and
Main Street/Water Street/Merrimack Street (#68) all rank within the top 200 crash site locations within
the state. These intersections fall within the top five percent of crash clusters in this Merrimack Valley
region, which makes them eligible for funding under the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).
In order to receive HSIP funding, a Road Safety Audit must be conducted. Therefore, this corridor was
chosen as the site of a Road Safety Audit by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway) and
the Merrimack Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and potential short-term and long-term
safety improvements were identified.
Project Data
The Road Safety Audit was conducted on September 30, 2009 for the Main Street (Route 125) corridor
between Summer Street/Winter Street to the north and Merrimack Street/Water Street to the south. The
corridor consists of three signalized intersections in the City of Haverhill:
1. Main Street (Route 125)/Winter Street (Route 97)/Summer Street
2. Main Street (Route 125)/Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard (Route 97)
3. Main Street (Route 125)/Merrimack Street (Route 113)/Water Street (Route 113)
As shown in Table 1, the audit team consisted of representatives from State, Regional, and Local agencies
and included engineering, planning, and emergency response professionals.
A pre-meeting was held at the Haverhill Police Department in order to introduce the project and review
information provided by MassHighway. Information reviewed included a crash summary, traffic volume
data, and speed limit information for each study location.
A site visit was conducted immediately following the pre-meeting. A follow-up meeting was then held
after the site visit to discuss observations and potential improvements. The meeting agenda is included in
Appendix A and the full contact list of participating audit team members is included in Appendix B.
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
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Table 1. Participating Audit Team Members
Audit Team Member
Neil Boudreau
Carrie Lavallee
Bonnie Polin
Loubna Saasaa
Lisa Schletzbaum
John Gregg
Tony Komornick
Jim Terlizzi
John Pettis
Richard Boaden
Michael Lavoie
Michael Wrenn
Ed Watson
Mike Stankovich
Erik Maki
Sasha Wood
Agency/Affiliation
MassHighway – State Traffic Engineer
MassHighway – Project Management
MassHighway – Chief Safety Analyst
MassHighway – Traffic Safety Intern
MassHighway – Traffic Safety Engineer
MassHighway – District 4 Traffic Engineer
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
City of Haverhill – Engineering Department
City of Haverhill – Fire Department
City of Haverhill – Fire Department
City of Haverhill – Police Department
City of Haverhill – Police Department
City of Haverhill – Public Works Department
Tetra Tech Rizzo, Consultant
Tetra Tech Rizzo, Consultant
Project Location Description
The Main Street (Route 125) corridor between Summer Street(Route 97)/Winter Street and Merrimack
Street (Route 113)/Water Street (Route 113) is located in the center of Haverhill, just north of the
Merrimack River, as shown in Figure 1. The segment of the corridor under review is approximately 900
feet long, with 350 feet between Winter Street and Bailey Boulevard and 550 feet between Bailey
Boulevard and Merrimack Street. Main Street and the intersecting roadways (Summer Street/Winter
Street, Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard, and Merrimack Street/Water Street) are under the jurisdiction
of the City of Haverhill. Main Street (Route 125) is functionally classified as an Urban Principal Arterial
and generally runs in a north-south direction and provides a connection from Plaistow, New Hampshire to
the north and North Andover to the south. Winter Street and Ginty Boulevard are designated as Route 97
and are both functionally classified as Urban Minor Arterials. Summer Street and Bailey Boulevard are
also classified as Urban Minor Arterials. Merrimack Street and Water Street are designated as Route 113
and are classified as Urban Principal Arterials. The posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour along Main
Street traveling southbound, posted between Fifth and Sixth Streets (approximately a half mile north of
Winter Street). In the northbound direction, the speed limit is 25 miles per hour and the nearest speed
limit sign is posted at Church Street. The speed regulations noted in Special Speed Regulations #610-A
call for a 25 mile per hour speed limit through the study area. Therefore, the posted speed limit in the
southbound direction is higher than the regulatory speed limit and the sign should be replaced. The speed
regulations are included in Appendix C.
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
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Figure 1.
Locus Map
Figure 2.
Birds Eye View – Main Street at Merrimack Street/Water Street
and Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard (southern section)
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
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Figure 3.
Birds Eye View – Main Street at Bailey Boulevard/Ginty
Boulevard and Winter Street/Summer Street (northern section)
In general, Main Street accommodates seven lanes of traffic between Merrimack Street and Bailey
Boulevard and six lanes of traffic between Bailey Boulevard and Winter Street, as shown in Figures 2 and
3. This includes dedicated turn lanes in addition to through lanes. There is a raised median on Main Street
between Ginty Boulevard and Water Street. There is no on-street parking allowed along Main Street
between Merrimack Street and Winter Street. North of Winter Street, on-street parking is permitted along
Main Street. Pavement markings are provided on all approaches, although some are faded and worn. The
roadway surface generally appeared in good condition. Sidewalks are provided on both sides of Main
Street through the corridor and crosswalks are provided on all four approaches to the three intersections
within the corridor. RSA team members noted that adequate street lighting is provided along the entire
corridor. Land uses in the area include a mix of office, residential, commercial, institutional, and
government office. City Hall is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Main Street and
Summer Street and a library is located at the southeast corner of the intersection. A courthouse is located
to the east of Main Street along Ginty Boulevard and the police station is located to the west of Main
Street along Bailey Boulevard. A commercial development, anchored by a Market Basket supermarket is
located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Main Street and Water Street. It was noted that the
City recently had a streetscape master plan completed for the Main Street and downtown areas. In
addition, the City is working with a consultant for streetscape improvements to the Winter Street corridor.
The conceptual streetscape improvement plans are included in Appendix D. These plans, which include
streetscape elements such as tree plantings, benches, and decorative brick, should be considered in future
project plans.
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
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Crash reports were provided by the Haverhill Police Department and MassHighway prepared the collision
diagrams for a three-year period from January 2006 through December 2008. Within the three-year period
there were a total of 48 reported crashes at the intersection with Summer Street and Winter Street, 44
reported crashes at the intersection with Ginty Boulevard and Bailey Boulevard, and 21 reported crashes
at the intersection with Water Street and Merrimack Street. There was a high number of crashes that
occurred in the parking lot of the shopping plaza that were located as Main Street/Water Street in the
accident data. In addition, MassHighway noted that additional crashes had occurred between the
intersections with Merrimack Street and Bailey Boulevard that did not show up in the collision diagrams
because they were not classified at a particular intersection. According to the Merrimack Valley Planning
Commission’s Draft Report Main Street, Route 125, from Kenoza Avenue to Merrimack Street and Water
Street, dated August 2009, all three intersections are more than double the average Statewide and District
4 average crash rates.
At the intersection of Main Street with Winter Street and Summer Street, the highest occurrence of
crashes were angles crashes involving a northbound left-turning vehicle and a southbound through vehicle
nearly 13 percent) or a southbound left-turning vehicle and a northbound through vehicle (approximately
10 percent). There was one crash involving a pedestrian and one crash involving a bicycle. At the
intersection of Main Street with Bailey Boulevard and Ginty Boulevard, the highest occurrence of crashes
were rear-end crashes in the southbound direction (approximately 18 percent) or angle crashes involving a
northbound left-turning vehicle and a southbound through vehicle (nearly 16 percent). There were two
crashes involving a pedestrian at the intersection. At the intersection of Main Street with Merrimack
Street and Water Street, the highest occurrence of crashes were angle crashes involving a westbound leftturning vehicle and an eastbound through vehicle (approximately 19 percent) or a northbound left-turning
vehicle and a southbound through vehicle (approximately 14 percent). In addition, rear-end crashes
involving vehicles traveling southbound also accounted for 14 percent of the total crashes at the
intersection. It was also noted that there was a high percentage of crashes involving older drivers at these
locations. Crash data is included in Appendix E.
Turning movement count data was provided by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission and is
included in the draft memo in Appendix F. The intersections were counted during September and October
of 2007. The majority of traffic is traveling through on Main Street northbound or southbound (volumes
range between 450 and 800 vehicles per hour (vph) per direction. In addition, there are a large number of
vehicles making the northbound left turn from Main Street onto Winter Street (260 to 340 vph during the
peak hours) and making the eastbound right turn from Winter Street onto Main Street (240 to 290 vph
during peak hours). At Main Street/Ginty Boulevard/Bailey Boulevard, there is a large volume turning
right from Ginty Boulevard westbound onto Main Street (approximately 200 to 300 vph during peak
hours). There is also heavy southbound left turn from Main Street onto Ginty Boulevard (210 to 300 vph
during peak hours). At Main Street/Merrimack Street/Water Street, the highest turning movements are the
westbound left turn from Water Street onto Main Street (180 to 250 vph during peak hours) and
northbound right turns from Main Street onto Water Street (nearly 200 to 300 vph during peak hours).
Traffic volumes at the intersection are shown in Figure 4.
The turning movement count data provided by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission also included
pedestrian counts. Pedestrian volumes are lowest in the morning peak hour and increase in the midday
and afternoon peak hours. During the morning peak hour, there are approximately 20 pedestrians crossing
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
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at the Winter Street/Summer Street intersection, approximately 30 pedestrians crossing at the Bailey
Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard intersection, and nearly 40 pedestrians crossing at the Merrimack
Street/Water Street intersection. These volumes are the total combined volume of all four crosswalks
within the intersections. During the midday peak hour, there are nearly 70 pedestrians crossing the
roadways at all three of the intersections within the corridor. During the afternoon peak hour, there are
nearly 30 pedestrians crossing at the Winter Street/Summer Street intersection, approximately 90
pedestrians crossing at the Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard intersection, and nearly 60 pedestrians
crossing at the Merrimack Street/Water Street intersection. It was noted by the City of Haverhill staff that
a Farmer’s Market in the park between Winter Street and Bailey Boulevard on weekends adds significant
levels of pedestrian activity across the Main Street corridor. Bicycle counts were not conducted, but it was
mentioned that volumes are very low. No bicyclists were observed in the area during the audit.
Figure 4.
Peak Hour Traffic Volumes
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
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Audit Observations and Safety Enhancements
Audit participants discussed existing issues along the Main Street (Route 125) corridor prior to visiting
the site. During the site visit, additional issues were raised. The post-audit meeting provided an
opportunity for the RSA team to propose potential improvements to each of the issues. A summary of the
safety concerns and potential improvements is provided below. Since Main Street and all of the
intersecting roadways within the corridor are under the jurisdiction of the City of Haverhill, all of the
improvements discussed below would be the responsibility of the City, unless otherwise stated. The City
has indicated that they will likely need to apply for State funding to complete these improvements.
•
Corridor alignment – The alignment
along Main Street through the corridor
is skewed. The corridor bends at each
intersection, which leaves some lanes
misaligned or feeding into dedicated
turn lanes. At the intersection of Main
Street with Winter Street and Summer
Street, the Main Street southbound
center lane (a through lane) is aligned
with the sidewalk on the west side of
Main Street. At the intersection of Main
Street with Ginty Boulevard and Bailey
Boulevard, the southbound right lane (a
shared through/right lane) is also aligned
with the sidewalk on the southwest
corner of the intersection. At the
intersection of Main Street with
Merrimack Street and Water Street, the
center southbound lane (a through lane)
aims drivers toward the northbound left
turn lane instead of the southbound
receiving line, which is better aligned
with the southbound right turn lane. In
the short-term, dotted channelizing lines
could be added to the intersections to
guide drivers into the proper receiving
lane. This could help to reduce the
number of sideswipe crashes between intersections that are caused by drivers drifting into the wrong
receiving lane. These dotted lines should be provided for all through lanes along Main Street and
could also be helpful for the eastbound through lanes at Bailey Boulevard, although they will increase
maintenance demands as they will need to be repainted as they wear off over time. In the long-term,
the right-of-way could be reviewed to determine if geometric improvements could be made to
straighten out the alignment through the corridor (i.e. a straighter alignment from Winter Street to
Merrimack Street, which would mean a shift in the roadway to the east at Bailey Boulevard). This
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may be difficult, however, as the library on the southeast corner of Summer Street appears to be a
constraint. Lane configurations could be reviewed and updated as necessary to provide better
alignment and operations. This could help to reduce the number of sideswipe crashes between
intersections, as another short-term alternative.
•
•
Sight distance – The steep grades along
Main Street, combined with vehicles
queued in turn lanes reduce the amount
of sight distance available to drivers
through the corridor. In particular, at the
Main Street intersection with Bailey
Boulevard and Ginty Boulevard, the
southbound left turn queue blocks the
line of sight for the northbound leftturning vehicles, so they are unable to
view opposing southbound through
vehicles. A similar situation exists at the
intersection of Main Street with Winter
Street and Summer Street. The
northbound left-turning vehicles have
difficulty seeing a southbound through vehicle if there is a southbound left-turning vehicle in the left
turn pocket. This could be the cause of many angle crashes involving southbound through vehicles
and northbound left-turning vehicles at both intersections. A mid-term solution is to look at protected
only phasing for the left turns at the Summer Street/Winter Street and Bailey Boulevard/Ginty
Boulevard intersections. This would give the left-turning vehicles a dedicated phase in which to turn
and would not allow them to run permissively with the opposing through traffic. This should help to
reduce the number of angle crashes involving northbound left and southbound through vehicles, as
well as those involving southbound left and northbound through vehicles.
Pedestrian signal equipment – Some of the pedestrian
signal equipment is not functioning properly. At the
southwest corner of the intersection of Main Street and
Merrimack Street, the pedestrian signal head does not
show the DON’T WALK symbol. The WALK
indication works, but the DON’T WALK (during
flashing or solid phases) indication is never illuminated.
In addition, the pedestrian push button at the northwest
corner of the intersection of Main Street and Bailey
Boulevard does not work. When a pedestrian pushes the
button, the WALK indication does not appear unless a
pedestrian on one of the other corners of the intersection
actuates the signal. When the pedestrian equipment is
not functioning properly, pedestrians tend to ignore the
indications and cross whenever it seems convenient to
them, even if it is in the middle of a traffic phase. The
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DON’T WALK indication at the Merrimack Street intersection should be replaced or repaired, as well
as the push button at the Bailey Boulevard intersection. These could be short-term fixes for both
locations and could help to reduce the number of pedestrian crashes within the intersections. In
addition, many of the pedestrian push buttons are located too far from the crosswalks. In the midterm, the signal equipment could be relocated closer to the crosswalks to meet ADA guidelines. This
could help to increase the use of the pedestrian facilities and therefore reduce the potential for crashes
involving pedestrians within the corridor.
•
•
Sidewalk/wheelchair ramp conditions –
In general, the sidewalks and wheelchair
ramps are in fair condition throughout
the corridor. At the intersection of Main
Street and Park Way (between Bailey
Boulevard and Merrimack Street), the
sidewalk at the southwest corner of the
intersection is in poor condition, as it is
has cracked and has some missing
pieces of concrete. At that same corner,
there is an electric manhole in the
middle of the wheelchair ramp, which
provides an undesirable surface for a
pedestrian to walk on or a person in a
wheelchair to navigate, especially
during inclement weather. In the short-term, the cement could be patched in the sidewalk. In the longterm, the sidewalks could be reconstructed and newer ADA compliant wheelchair ramps could be
installed with detectable warning panels and level landing areas. The electric manhole or the
wheelchair ramp should be relocated so that manhole is not in the ramp. The improved pedestrian
accommodations could lead to more compliance with pedestrians using the facilities intended for
them instead of walking in the roadway.
Limited lane use signs – There are not many signs within the corridor that make motorists aware of
the lane use at the intersections. There
are pavement markings on the roadway,
but those are often difficult for a driver
to see if there is a vehicle on top of the
markings. This could cause confusion
for drivers who are not certain which
lane they should be in. In addition, some
through lanes lead directly into a
dedicated turn lane, which forces drivers
to change lanes as they are traveling
through the intersection. At the
intersection of Main Street with Bailey
Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard, the
southbound right lane (a shared through/right lane) leads directly into the dedicated southbound right
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turn lane at the Merrimack Street/Water Street intersection. This could be the cause of sideswipe
crashes that are happening between the intersections. As a mid-term measure, lane use signs (R3-8
series) could be added to each approach at the three intersections to make drivers aware of the
downstream lane configurations.
•
Pedestrian signal timing – Exclusive
pedestrian phasing does not seem to
work well through this corridor. The
cycle length is 100 seconds at each of
the intersections and when the exclusive
pedestrian phase is activated time is
taken from the side street (east-west)
phases to accommodate the pedestrian
phase. A pedestrian often has to wait
one full cycle before getting the WALK
indication and many pedestrians do not
wait for it and they cross during the
vehicular traffic phases. In addition,
since the pedestrian phase time is taken
from the side street phases, the side
streets can occasionally see as little as
four seconds of green time during the
cycle. It was noted by members of the
RSA team that motorists have started to
recognize this issue and will often
accelerate very quickly to get through
the intersection because they know their
next chance to get through the
intersection is more than a minute away.
Some RSA team members noted that the sound of tires chirping against the pavement when the
eastbound and westbound indications turn green is a frequent occurrence at all three of these
locations, which is indicative of drivers trying to get off of the stop bar and through the intersection
quickly. In the mid-term, concurrent pedestrian phasing could be reviewed. The MVPC draft memo
analyzed operations at these three intersections with concurrent pedestrian phases and found that
operations would be better than existing conditions at all locations during all peak hours. This allows
more time to be given to the side street phases since the exclusive pedestrian phase time would no
longer be subtracted from those phases. Concurrent pedestrian phasing would require minimum green
times to be provided on Main Street and the side streets that are long enough to accommodate the
pedestrian intervals. In locations with a high number of right turns, concurrent pedestrian phasing
may be an issue and will need to be reviewed. R10-15 (Turning Traffic Must Yield to Pedestrians)
signs should be added on each approach to make motorists aware of the pedestrians crossing
concurrently. A leading pedestrian interval (LPI) could also be explored so that the pedestrians would
get a few seconds of a WALK indication before the concurrent vehicular traffic phase gets the green
indication. This allows the pedestrian to become more visible to a driver since the pedestrian is
already within the crosswalk instead of standing on the curb waiting to step into the crosswalk when
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the traffic signal indication turns green. This potential change in phasing could help to reduce the
number of crashes involving pedestrians because pedestrian compliance with the WALK / DON’T
WALK indications would likely increase. If the east-west streets are given an adequate amount of
green time, drivers may also be more compliant with the traffic signals and may not be in such a rush
to get into the intersection the moment the indication turns green. This could help to reduce the
number of angle collisions that are happening between eastbound or westbound through vehicles and
northbound or southbound through vehicles. There were two reported crashes of this type at the
intersections with Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard and Merrimack Street/Water Street and six
reported at the intersection with Winter Street/Summer Street.
•
•
Emergency vehicle pre-emption – The emergency vehicle pre-emption equipment is not present or
functioning on all approaches at all of the intersections. The pre-emption is currently inoperable at the
Main Street/Water Street/Merrimack Street intersection. As a mid-term measure, the pre-emption
equipment should be repaired. This is especially important at this location because the fire station is
located on Water Street, approximately 1,000 feet east of Main Street. There is currently no preemption equipment on the eastbound and westbound approaches to the Winter Street/Summer Street
or Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard intersections. The pre-emption equipment could be added to
those approaches in the mid-term. While these enhancements may not reduce the number of crashes
at the intersections, they could help to get an emergency vehicle through the intersection faster.
On-street parking – Vehicles are parking
on the southern side of Ginty Boulevard
east of Main Street in the vicinity of the
district courthouse. There are no signs
permitting or restricting parking on
Ginty Boulevard, so many people are
using the street to park while doing
business at the courthouse. However, the
parking on the street blocks one of the
eastbound receiving lanes on Ginty
Boulevard. There are two through lanes
on Bailey Boulevard eastbound at the
intersection, which require two
receiving lanes. Since the cars parked on
Ginty Boulevard are blocking the rightmost receiving lane, eastbound traffic is forced to merge into one lane in the middle of the
intersection with Main Street. Many vehicles speed up to get in front of the car in the other lane when
the signal turns green, as seen during the site visit. In the short-term, R7-1 (No Parking Any Time)
signs could be added along the south side of Ginty Boulevard from Main Street to the crosswalk in
front of the courthouse. In addition, there are school crossing signs at the crosswalk that should be
replaced with standard pedestrian crossing signs. This may not address a specific crash problem in the
area but may contribute to a disrespect of signs when they are placed incorrectly. There are many onstreet parking spaces available along Bailey Boulevard, which is a short walk from the courthouse. In
the short-term, it could also be helpful to work with the courthouse to post parking information on
their website to direct people with business at the courthouse to park along Bailey Boulevard. These
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enhancements could help to reduce the number of rear-end crashes in the eastbound direction at Main
Street and Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard, which account for nearly five percent of the crashes at
the intersection.
•
•
Pavement markings faded/worn – Many pavement
markings within the corridor are faded or worn because
vehicles have driven over them. It was also mentioned
that some broken white lane lines are missing from the
departure lanes from the intersections. The pavement
markings could be repainted or added in the short-term
in order to improve visibility, which could help
motorists realize which lane they are in. The repainted
pavement markings could also help to reduce sideswipe
accidents at the intersection since they should make
drivers aware of the boundaries of their lanes. The
pavement markings should be repainted or added as
necessary on the approaches to and departures from the
intersections, as well as at the crosswalks. This will also
increase the visibility of the crosswalks, many of which
are very faded and worn. Highly visible crosswalks are
important if concurrent pedestrian phasing is implemented at the intersections within the corridor.
This could reduce the number of crashes involving pedestrians within the study corridor. Pavement
markings should be thermoplastic to increase visibility and durability.
Pedestrian clearance time – It was mentioned that residents of the Lower Acre neighborhood have
complained that there is not enough time to cross the streets at these intersections during the exclusive
pedestrian phase. Measured from an aerial, it appears the longest crossing lengths at each intersection
are: 97 feet (Winter Street/Summer Street), 91 feet (Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard), and 79 feet
(Merrimack Street/Water Street). At Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard, the crosswalk across the
southbound approach was used since this is the only crossing without a median for pedestrian storage.
Those crossing distances require flashing DON’T WALK intervals of 28 seconds, 26 seconds, and 23
seconds, respectively, assuming a walking speed of 3.5 feet per second. Although the current standard
required by the MUTCD is a walking speed of 4.0 feet per second, a walking speed of 3.5 feet per
second was used to provide a conservative approach to getting pedestrians across the street since there
are many elderly and minor pedestrians walking through these intersections. The intervals currently
provided are 20 seconds, 22 seconds, and 15 seconds, respectively; all of which are not long enough.
In the short-term, a concurrent pedestrian phase could be implemented at each intersection, as
discussed earlier in this report. Another short-term option would be to extend the pedestrian interval
at each of the intersections to provide ample time for a pedestrian to clear the crosswalks during the
exclusive pedestrian phase. This could also help to improve pedestrian compliance and reduce the
number of crashes involving pedestrians at these locations.
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•
Queues on Water Street – The
westbound queues on Water Street tend
to be long, occasionally spilling back to
the fire station. RSA team members
mentioned that as a result of the
queuing, many motorists use the
shopping plaza at the northeast corner of
the Main Street/Water Street
intersection to avoid the signal. The
shopping plaza parking lot has
experienced many crashes over the past
few years, many of which were listed at
the Main Street/Water Street
intersection on the crash report location.
Although the crash data was not
provided as part of this audit, it was
mentioned that there were
approximately 40 crashes in the parking
lot of the plaza over the past three years.
Since the westbound queues on Water
Street frequently spill back out of the
left turn pocket, motorists traveling
toward Main Street from the east on
Water Street may be cutting through the
parking lot in order to travel north on
Main Street. The motorists make a right
turn onto Bethany Street from Water
Street (approximately 700 feet east of Main Street) and then a quick left into the parking lot. They
then travel through the parking lot and make a right turn onto Main Street northbound (approximately
200 feet south of Ginty Boulevard). It was also mentioned that crashes are happening at the fire
station as a result of the queues on Water Street. In order to reduce the queues on Water Street
westbound, additional green time needs to be given to the approach. This could be done by providing
concurrent pedestrian phasing (discussed earlier in this report) or providing a westbound lead phase
that would allow protected/permissive phasing for westbound left turns. Providing a protected/
permissive left turn phase for the westbound direction could also help to reduce the queues on Water
Street. This change could be made in the mid-term and could help to make the traffic signal work
more efficiently and reduce queuing and perhaps the number of crashes happening in the shopping
plaza parking lot. Another option for increasing the amount of time for the westbound phase is to
provide two southbound through lanes. This would allow less time to be allocated to the north/south
phase and additional time to be given to the westbound approach. This would require the restriping of
the southbound right lane from a dedicated right turn lane to a shared through/right lane and could be
done in the mid-term. The MVPC draft memo analyzed this scenario, but determined the northbound
and southbound left turns would need to be relocated to the Ginty Boulevard/Bailey Boulevard
intersection. With those changes in place, the intersection of Main Street with Merrimack
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
Street/Water Street is expected to operate at LOS C during the morning and midday peak hours and at
LOS D during the evening peak hour. The intersection of Main Street with Bailey Boulevard/Ginty
Boulevard is expected to operate at LOS B during the morning and midday peak hours and at LOS C
during the afternoon peak hour. Another mid-term option is to analyze restriping the dedicated
southbound left turn lane to a shared left/through lane since there are not many southbound left turns
onto Water Street during the peak hours. In either case, the northbound left turn lane would need to be
eliminated to provide the second southbound receiving lane over the bridge. The northbound left turn
could still be accommodated at this intersection if the northbound through lane was redesignated as a
shared left/through lane.
•
•
Weave from Ginty to Winter Street –
There appears to be a heavy movement
from the Ginty Boulevard westbound
right turn to a northbound left turn at
Winter Street since this route is
designated as state Route 97. Right turns
on red are happening on the Ginty
Boulevard westbound approach and
these vehicles destined for Winter Street
westbound occasionally block the
northbound through traffic on Main
Street. In the short-term, a R10-11a (No
Turn on Red) sign could be installed at
the Ginty Boulevard westbound
approach to Main Street. This could help
to reduce the number of angle crashes involving westbound right-turning vehicles at the intersection
(nearly seven percent of the intersection total). If a No Turn on Red sign were installed, the
westbound right turns may experience longer delays, but it could make crossing the street easier for
pedestrians if a concurrent pedestrian phasing scheme were implemented. In the mid-term, a review
of the westbound overlap phases could be conducted to determine how much of an impact providing a
westbound right turn overlap with the southbound left turn phase would have on operations. This
could be used in conjunction with the R10-11a sign, but capacity could be improved and compliance
with the sign may be improved if the westbound right turns have a longer amount of green time.
Summer Street lane assignment – Summer Street westbound left-turning vehicles often block the
through vehicles in the lane (a shared left/through lane) of the approach because of the conflicting
eastbound through traffic. Occasionally, vehicles traveling through to Winter Street will form a third
lane in between the two existing lanes and bypass the left-turning vehicles. In the short-term, a
change in lane use to provide a dedicated left turn lane and a shared through/right lane (instead of a
shared left/through lane and a dedicated right turn lane) could be analyzed to determine if traffic
operations would be acceptable. The change in lane use could help to reduce the number of sideswipe
crashes happening in the westbound direction (nearly six percent of the intersection total).
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
•
•
•
Signage to mark Route 97 –
Massachusetts Route 97 follows Winter
Street to Main Street, where it veers to
the south along Main Street and then
moves to the east along Ginty Boulevard
until it hits the intersection with Water
Street (Massachusetts Route 113) where
the two routes run along the same path
to the east. Some maps show Ginty
Boulevard designated as Route 97,
while others show Water Street
designated as Routes 97 and 113 for the
whole length of the roadway. In the
short-term, any conflicting signage for
Route 97 should be removed. This could
help drivers to understand the correct routing and to reduce driver confusion. In addition, a State
Route 97 South guide sign with a left arrow could be added to the Main Street southbound approach
to Ginty Boulevard in order to further clarify the routing. In the long-term, a re-routing of Route 97
could be reviewed by MassHighway. Options for the re-routing include designating Bailey Boulevard
as Route 97 west of Ginty Boulevard or designating Summer Street as Route 97 east of Winter Street.
This would eliminate the jog in the state route and allow drivers to continue on the route without
making additional turns. This could help to reduce the number of angle crashes involving westbound
right-turning vehicles at the Ginty Boulevard intersection (nearly seven percent of the intersection
total).
Speed of vehicles through corridor – Vehicles appear to be traveling faster than 25 miles per hour,
which is the regulatory speed. This could be due to the fact that the nearest speed limit signs are more
than a half mile away from Winter Street (traveling southbound) and Merrimack Street (traveling
northbound). In addition, the nearest posted speed limit sign in the southbound direction is marked for
30 miles per hour, which is higher than the regulatory speed. New speed limit signs could be posted
just north of Winter Street (for the southbound direction) and just south of Water Street (for the
northbound direction). This could help to slow drivers down through the corridor and may help to
reduce the severity of the crashes. Enforcement of the speed limit throughout the corridor could also
help to reduce drivers’ speeds in the short-term.
Signal visibility diminished – The signal equipment has been in place for many years and the
visibility of the signals has diminished over the years. In order to improve signal visibility, especially
for some of the older drivers, the incandescent lenses could be replaced with LEDs in the mid-term.
Additionally, back plates could be added to further improve signal visibility. These enhancements
could help to reduce the number of crashes involving older drivers throughout this corridor. With the
addition of back plates to the signal heads, the existing Type I mast arms with free swinging signals
should be replaced with Type II rigid mount mast arms. This enhancement could be made in the longterm. Longer mast arms should be installed to improve visibility and placement of signal indications.
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
•
Coordinated system operations – Signal phasing, timing, and coordination plans should be reviewed
and updated as necessary to enhance operations along the corridor. The City’s traffic signal technician
noted that the controllers and cabinet equipment are old and should be replaced. Optimized signal
timing should reduce vehicle delays and queuing and therefore improve operations and reduce
crashes.
Summary of Road Safety Audit
All of the safety issues and their potential safety enhancements were discussed in the previous section.
Table 2 summarizes the potential recommendations discussed by the audit team. The recommendations
are categorized based on their potential safety payoff, in addition to their cost, time frame, and
responsible agency.
Safety payoff estimates are subjective and may be based on the relative percent of crashes that may be
reduced by the enhancement; for example, low (<30%), medium (31% to 70%), and high (>71%). The
time frame is categorized as short-term (<1 year), mid-term (1 to 3 years), or long-term (>3 years). The
costs are categorized as low (<$10,000), medium ($10,001 to $50,000), or high (>$50,001).
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
Table 2. Potential Safety Enhancement Summary
Safety Issue
Corridor alignment
Sight distance
Pedestrian signal
equipment
Sidewalk/wheelchair ramp
conditions
Limited lane use signs
Safety Enhancement
Safety Payoff
Provide channelizing dotted lines through
intersections to clarify lane alignment on
Medium
northbound and southbound approaches to all
intersections and Bailey Boulevard eastbound
approach
Review lane assignments and modify to
Medium
improve operations and enhance safety
Review right-of-way and construct geometric
improvements to straighten alignment &
Medium
improved lane assignments
Review and implement protected only left turn
phasing for the northbound and southbound
High
approaches to Winter Street/Summer Street &
Bailey Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard
Replace or repair DON’T WALK indication at
Low
southwest corner of Main Street/Merrimack
Street
Replace pedestrian push button at northwest
Low
corner of Main Street/Bailey Boulevard
Relocate pedestrian push buttons closer to
Low
crosswalks at all intersections
Patch cement at the southwest corner of the
Low
intersection of Main Street and Park Way
Reconstruct sidewalks and provide ADA
compliant wheelchair ramps with detectable
Low
warning panels (electric manhole or wheelchair
ramp should be relocated at southwest corner of
Main Street and Park Way
Provide R3-8 lane use signs on each approach
Low
to all intersections
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible Agency
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Long-Term
High
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Long-Term
Medium
City of Haverhill
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Long-Term
High
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Page 17
Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
Table 2. Potential Safety Enhancement Summary (Continued)
Safety Issue
Pedestrian signal timing
Emergency vehicle preemption not present or
functioning
On-street parking blocking
travel lane
Pavement markings
faded/worn
Water Street queues
Safety Enhancement
Safety Payoff
Review concurrent pedestrian phasing and
Low
install R10-15 signs on all approaches to all
intersections
Explore leading pedestrian intervals in
conjunction with the concurrent pedestrian
Medium
phasing at all intersections
Repair pre-emption equipment at the
Low
intersection of Main Street/Merrimack
Street/Water Street
Provide pre-emption equipment on the
eastbound and westbound approaches to the
Low
Winter Street/Summer Street and Bailey
Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard intersections with
Main Street
Install R7-1 (No Parking Any Time) signs on
Low
south side of Ginty Boulevard from Main Street
to crosswalk in front of the courthouse
Work with courthouse to provide parking
information for people doing business at the
Low
courthouse – direct people to Bailey Boulevard
on-street parking if no off-street parking is
available
Repaint pavement markings (thermoplastic)
Medium
throughout corridor
Review concurrent pedestrian phasing to give
Low
additional time to westbound traffic
Provide westbound lead phase
Medium
Review two southbound through lanes on Main
Street (to bridge) & move Main Street left turns
Low
from Water Street/Merrimack Street up to Bailey
Boulevard/Ginty Boulevard intersection, retime
signal or redesignate northbound through lane
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible Agency
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Haverhill
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Mid-Term
Medium
City of Haverhill
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Road Safety Audit—Route 125 Corridor (Main Street) – Haverhill, MA
Prepared by Tetra Tech Rizzo
Table 2. Potential Safety Enhancement Summary (Continued)
Safety Issue
Pedestrian clearance time
Weave from Ginty
Boulevard to Winter Street
Route 97 signage
Summer Street lane
assignment
Speed through corridor
Traffic signal system
Safety Enhancement
Extend pedestrian clearance time at all
intersections
Install R10-11a (No Turn on Red) sign on Ginty
Street westbound approach to Main Street
Review Ginty Boulevard westbound right turn
overlap with Main Street southbound left turn
Remove conflicting signage
Provide Route 97 southbound guide sign with
left arrow on Main Street southbound approach
to Ginty Boulevard
Review Route 97 routing and consider
designating Summer Street (instead of Ginty
Boulevard) or Bailey Boulevard (instead of
Winter Street) as Route 97
Analyze change in Summer Street westbound
lane use to dedicated left turn lane and shared
through/right lane
Post speed limit [R2-1 (25)] signs on Main
Street northbound approach to Merrimack
Street/Water Street and southbound approach
to Winter Street/Summer Street
Enforcement of speed limits
Replace incandescent lenses with LEDs and
provide back plates
Replace Type I mast arms with free swinging
signals with Type II rigid mount mast arms at all
intersections
Replace controller and cabinets with modern
equipment
Safety Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible Agency
Low
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Mid-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Long-Term
Low
City of Haverhill/
MassHighway
Low
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Short-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Mid-Term
Low
City of Haverhill
Low
Long-Term
High
City of Haverhill
Low
Long-Term
High
City of Haverhill
Page 19
Appendix A. RSA Meeting Agenda
Road Safety Audit
Haverhill – Route 125 Corridor (South Main St)
between Merrimack/Water and Winter/Summer Streets
Meeting Location: Haverhill Police Department Training Room
40 Bailey Boulevard
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
9:00 AM – 12:00 noon
Type of meeting:
High Crash Location – Road Safety Audit
Attendees:
Invited Participants to Comprise a Multidisciplinary Team
Please bring:
Thoughts and Enthusiasm!!
9:00 AM
Welcome and Introductions
9:15 AM
Review of Site Specific Material
• Crash, Speed & Volume Summaries– provided in advance
• Existing Geometries and Conditions
9:45 AM
Visit the Site
• Drive to the corridor and intersections
• As a group, identify areas for improvement
11:15 AM
Post Visit Discussion / Completion of RSA
• Discuss observations and finalize findings
• Discuss potential improvements and finalize recommendations
12:00 noon
Adjourn for the Day – but the RSA has not ended
Instructions for Participants:
• Before attending the RSA on September 30th, participants are encouraged to drive
through the Route 125 (South Main Street) corridor and complete/consider
elements on the RSA Prompt List with a focus on safety.
• All participants will be actively involved in the process throughout. Participants
are encouraged to come with thoughts and ideas, but are reminded that the
synergy that develops and respect for others’ opinions are key elements to the
success of the overall RSA process.
• After the RSA meeting, participants will be asked to comment and respond to the
document materials to assure it is reflective of the RSA completed by the
multidisciplinary team.
Appendix B. RSA Audit Team Contact List
Date:
9/30/09
Audit Team Members
Neil Boudreau
Carrie Lavallee
Bonnie Polin
Loubna Saasaa
Lisa Schletzbaum
John Gregg
Tony Komornick
Jim Terlizzi
John Pettis
Richard Boaden
Michael Lavoie
Ed Watson
Michael Wrenn
Mike Stankovich
Erik Maki
Sasha Wood
Location: Haverhill Police Department Training Room
Agency/Affiliation
MassHighway – State Traffic Engineer
MassHighway – Project Management
MassHighway – Traffic Safety
MassHighway – Traffic Safety
MassHighway – Traffic Safety
MassHighway – District 4 Traffic
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
City of Haverhill – Engineering
Department
City of Haverhill – Fire Department
City of Haverhill – Police Department
City of Haverhill – Police Department
City of Haverhill – Police Department
City of Haverhill – Public Works
Department
Tetra Tech Rizzo, Consultant
Tetra Tech Rizzo, Consultant
Email Address
neil.boudreau@mhd.state.ma.us
carrie.lavallee@mhd.state.ma.us
bonnie.polin@mhd.state.ma.us
loubna.saasaa@mhd.state.ma.us
lisa.schletzbaum@mhd.state.ma.us
john.gregg@mhd.state.ma.us
akomornick@mvpc.org
jterlizzi@mvpc.org
jpettis@cityofhaverhill.com
firechief@cityofhaverhill.com
hfd@haverhillpolice.com
edw104@aol.com
mwrenn@haverhillpolice.com
mstankovich@cityofhaverhill.com
erik.maki@tetratech.com
sasha.wood@tetratech.com
Appendix C. Speed Regulations
Appendix D. Streetscape Improvement
Plans
KVPartners LLC
P.O. Box 898, Manchester, NH 03105
(603) 413-6650
MEMORANDUM
To:
Mike Parquette, MVPC
From: Mike Vignale, KVPartners, LLC
Date: August 31, 2009
Re:
Winter Street Streetscape, Haverhill, MA
Key Design Elements Discussion
•
The project extends from the MBTA bridge to Main Street, a distance of
about 2,700 feet.
•
The typical roadway section, in general, consists of one 12’ travel lane and
one 8’ parking lane in each direction (similar to the section at the railroad
bridge on the west end of the project and Washington Street).
•
The proposed roadway improvements narrow the roadway width in many
locations but maintain all travel lanes as they currently exist and provide
wider sidewalk areas. When combined with other streetscape elements
(street trees, ornamental lights, patterned crosswalks, etc.) the narrower
pavement width should provide some traffic calming benefits and will
provide a more pedestrian friendly (safer) environment.
•
The existing roadway centerline alignment was held where possible so any
widening of the sidewalks would occur on both sides of the roadway
providing equal opportunities for streetscape improvements. One notable
exception is at the church where a wider area in front of the church (for
vehicular staging during church events) was retained and enhanced for
safety.
•
Left turning lanes were provided at Primrose Street and Locke Street
considering the heavy turns anticipated. A wider through lane (15’) was
provided at Welcome Street, which will allow a through vehicle to pass a left
tuning vehicle if needed.
KVPartners LLC
•
Improvements proposed in front of the Church included a stamped concrete
parking surface and flush median island (also stamped concrete) to direct
traffic trough the area and help define the wide parking area for safety.
•
There intersection improvements at the Emerson/White Street intersection
include creating or enhancing neckdowns, adding street trees and creating a
large pedestrian area on the southwest quadrant for potential outdoor dining.
The travel lanes and curb lines on all approach and departure movements will
remain unchanged.
•
The improvements at the Portland Street/Welcome Street intersection area
include roadway realignment to the south, neckdowns and a high visibility
crosswalk. This will provide a much safer crosswalk across Winter Street
and provide a significantly wider sidewalk on both sides of the roadway (at
the YMCA for children waiting for school busses and on the south side for
potential outdoor dining/displays). The new sidewalk configuration also
provides substantial opportunity for streetscape enhancements to the area.
•
A 3’ wide brick band, street trees, ornamental lighting, benches, trash
receptacles and other streetscape elements will be added throughout the
corridor. The design of those elements will be similar to the Washington
Street project (currently in final design) to provide visual continuity between
Winter Street and other downtown roadways.
KVPartners LLC
Appendix E. Detailed Crash Data
Appendix F. Merrimack Valley Planning
Commission Draft Memorandum