Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Background ................................................................................................................................. 1
Project Data ................................................................................................................................. 1
Project Location and Description .............................................................................................. 2
Road Safety Audit Observations and Potential Improvements .............................................. 4
Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 8
Appendix A.
RSA Meeting Agenda
Appendix B.
RSA Audit Team Contact List
Appendix C.
Detailed Crash Data
Figure 1: Location Map ............................................................................................................................. 3
Table 1.
Participating Audit Team Members ....................................................................................... 1
Table 2.
Estimated Time Frame and Costs Breakdown ....................................................................... 8
Table 3.
Potential Safety Enhancement Summary ............................................................................... 9

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is 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. This RSA evaluates the intersection of Marston Street, Ferry Street, and Commonwealth Drive in Lawrence, MA.
A safety audit was scheduled for this intersection as part of the required MassDOT design process for this location, as part of a redesign of Marston Street. The proposed design project calls for improvements at the intersection of Marston Street at Ferry Street and Commonwealth Drive, which was identified as
Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) high-crash intersection from 2010-2012.
A key objective of the RSA is to identify short and long-term safety improvements that can be made at the subject intersection.
A Road Safety Audit was completed for the intersection of Marston Street, Ferry Street, and
Commonwealth Drive in the City of Lawrence on August 7, 2015. The agenda for the RSA meeting held at Lawrence Office of Planning and Development is provided in Appendix A of this report. As shown below in Table 1, the audit team consisted of a multidisciplinary team with representatives from state, regional and local agencies providing expertise in the engineering, planning, maintenance and emergency response fields. Contact information for the RSA attendees is provided in Appendix B of this report.
Audit Team Member
John Mastera
David Posner
Nick Renaud
Derek Caldwell
Sara Timoner
Theresa Park
Elecia Miller
Brian Moriarty
Jay Cerullo
Jim Terlizzi
Promise Otaluka
Tyler Whetstone
Agency/Affiliation
MassDOT – Highway Safety
MassDOT –Traffic
MassDOT – District 4 Traffic
MassDOT – District 4 Traffic
MassDOT – District 4 Traffic
City of Lawrence Planning Department
City of Lawrence – Mayor’s Health Task Force
Lawrence Fire Department
Lawrence Police Department
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Federal Highway Administration
McMahon Associates
Phil Viveiros McMahon Associates
Within the email invitation sent on July 22, 2015 to each participant in the RSA, background material was provided. This information included collision diagrams and crash data summaries. During the RSA meeting, these materials were reviewed as a group before the team discussed potential safety issues and solutions for the intersection.
Page 1

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Study Area Roadways
As shown in Figure 1, Marston Street is a two-lane roadway that runs in the north-south direction from
Interstate 495 to East Haverhill Street. Marston Street has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour in both directions at the intersection with Ferry Street and Commonwealth Drive. Marston Street provides access to Parthum Middle School (north of the intersection) and Lorenz Park (north of the intersection). Marston
Street is classified as an urban minor arterial under MassDOT jurisdiction in the vicinity of and south of the intersection; approximately 350 feet north of the intersection, Marston Street is under City of
Lawrence jurisdiction. Within the vicinity of the study area intersection, the Marston Street northbound approach is approximately 46 feet wide with a 13-foot through lane in each direction, three to four-foot shoulders on each side of the road, and seven-foot sidewalks on either side of the roadway. The southbound approach is approximately 38 feet wide with a 17-foot through lane in each direction, and no shoulders or sidewalks.
Ferry Street is a two-lane road classified as an urban collector under City of Lawrence jurisdiction that runs generally in an east-west direction through Lawrence. Ferry Street has a single 17-foot travel lane in each direction. Ferry Street terminates at Marston Street under Stop control. There are 7-foot wide sidewalks on either side of Ferry Street.
Commonwealth Drive is an unclassified road under MassDOT jurisdiction that generally runs in an eastwest direction and provides access to and from I-495 to the south; MassDOT representatives noted during the audit meeting that the extents of MassDOT’s layout also include a portion of the Commonwealth
Motors site at the northeast corner of the intersection. Commonwealth Drive is a three-lane roadway with a width of 46 feet at its intersection with Marston Street. There are two 13-foot westbound lanes at the intersection, and one 13-foot eastbound lane. There are four-foot shoulders on either side of the road and there are six-foot sidewalks running along either side the roadway.
Study Area Intersection
The intersection of Marston Street, Ferry Street, and Commonwealth Drive is a four-legged, two-way stop controlled intersection. The westbound approach consists of a shared through-left lane and a dedicated right turn lane. The eastbound, southbound and northbound approaches each consist of a single multi-use lane. There are flashing beacon heads for each approach mounted on a mast arm that stretches from the southwest corner of the intersection. The eastbound and westbound approaches each have a posted Stop sign, supplemented by an overhead red flashing beacon. The northbound and southbound approaches are controlled by an overhead flashing yellow beacon. There are pedestrian crosswalks at the intersection running across Ferry Street, Commonwealth Drive, and Marston Street at the southern leg of the intersection. There are no pedestrian signals present at the study area intersection.
Crash Data
Crash data was received from the Lawrence Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police for the five years between 2010 and 2014. Based on this data, there were a total of 53 crashes reported at the intersection of Marston Street, Ferry Street, and Commonwealth Drive. Of the crashes that occurred, 41
(77%) were angle collisions, 17 of which involved a collision between westbound and northbound motorists. Additionally, there were two sideswipe crashes, four rear-end crashes, one single vehicle crash, and four head-on crashes reported at the intersection. Of the 53 reported crashes, 29 resulted in personal injury; no fatalities were reported at the intersection.
Detailed crash diagrams are provided in Appendix C.
Page 2

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
During the RSA meeting, a brief introduction of the RSA process and a summary of the study area and crash information were presented to the audit participants. Following this brief presentation, the members of the audit team were asked to discuss the existing issues that may affect safety at the intersection of
Marston Street, Ferry Street, and Commonwealth Drive. Provided below is a list of the safety concerns that were identified during the RSA along with potential enhancements that address these concerns.
Safety Issue #1: Angle Crashes
Observations:
As the RSA team looked over the provided crash data, it was evident that angle crashes were the most common crash type at the intersection during the five-year study period. A majority of these angle crashes involved a northbound vehicle colliding with a westbound vehicle. The RSA team members who were familiar with the intersection stated that many of these accidents were caused by high speeds, high traffic volumes, long queues on Commonwealth Drive, and motorists not yielding to the right of way. The team also noticed that the location of the Commonwealth Drive westbound stop sign is offset far to the right, making it less visible to motorists approaching the intersection. The team also determined that a sight distance issue may have a role in causing many of these accidents. It was also noted by members of the
RSA that there may be plenty of state right-of-way to accommodate a number of potential enhancements at this intersection.
Enhancements:
•
Continue existing speed limit enforcement measures along Marston Street.
•
Evaluate reducing the curb radii at the Commonwealth Drive westbound approach to create a preferable Stop sign location.
•
Consider narrowing roadway and lane widths for better Stop sign position.
•
Evaluate reconfiguring the Marston Street median south of the intersection (including the I-495
SB off ramp merge) to slow down traffic coming from Marston Street and I-495 South.
•
Evaluate the location and condition of speed limit signs, and consider installing advanced speed limit signage.
•
Evaluate the feasibility of installing a traffic signal at the intersection to reduce the amount of angle crashes.
•
Evaluate the feasibility of building a mini or full roundabout at the intersection to reduce the amount of angle crashes.
•
Evaluate reconfiguring the Commonwealth Drive westbound approach to add a channelized right turn lane with a dedicated receiving lane.
Page 4

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Safety Issue #2: Sight Distance
Observations:
One of the issues discussed during the RSA meeting was sight distance, which was believed to be a contributing factor to crashes at the intersection.
Most of these crashes were angle crashes caused by vehicles entering the intersection from
Commonwealth Drive and Ferry Street. Sight distance at the intersection of Marston Street, Ferry
Street and Commonwealth Drive is limited at the eastbound and westbound approaches to the intersection. During the RSA meeting, participants described the difficulties looking up and down
Marston Street from either side of the intersection.
The sight distance on Commonwealth Drive looking
Sight Distance on Commonwealth Drive looking left left (to the south) is impeded by a guardrail, utility pole, the vertical curvature of the roadway, and the setback of the stop line. The sight distance looking right at Commonwealth Drive (to the north) is blocked by parked vehicles alongside Marston Street at the adjacent Commonwealth Motors car dealership. Motorists also have difficulty looking left down Marston
Street from the Commonwealth Drive right-turn only lane because of vehicles in the left-through lane potentially blocking their sight lines. From the Ferry Street eastbound approach, sight distance to the right is impeded by the vertical mast arm shaft, the curvature of the roadway, and overgrown vegetation on the westerly side of Marston Street. From the Marston Street northbound approach, there have been complaints that the intersection comes up quickly for drivers coming from I-495 due to the vertical curvature of Marston Street obstructing the view of the intersection, and the lack of warning signs in advance of the intersection.
Enhancements:
•
Evaluate measures to lower the vertical curve on Marston Street, south of the study area intersection.
•
Clear the vegetation along Marston Street at the southwest corner of the intersection.
•
Evaluate potential sight distance remedies outside the Marston Street right-of-way to improve sight distance.
•
Consider installing advance intersection warnings signs, possibly with LED flashing lights on
Marston Street northbound.
•
Consider coordinating with Commonwealth Motors to move their vehicles further away from the roadway.
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Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Safety Issue #3: Pedestrian Accommodations
Observations:
The intersection of Marston Street, Ferry Street, and Commonwealth Drive currently has three crosswalks around the intersection, and sidewalks alongside three approaches to the intersection; however, the crosswalk markings are very faded. RSA participants noticed that the ramps around the intersection do not have tactile warning pads, and that the dimensions and grading of the ramps may not meet ADA compliance. Marston Street north of the intersection is currently the only approach that does not have sidewalks, and there is a visible path in the grassed area alongside the road that pedestrians currently use to travel. RSA participants familiar with the intersection also mentioned that many pedestrians (particularly students) walk north up East Pleasant Street (west of the intersection) in order to avoid walking up Marston Street because of the lack of sidewalks.
Enhancements:
•
Evaluate adding sidewalks north of the
Marston Street southbound approach looking north intersection through either the Highway Safety Improvement Program or the Safe Routes to
School Program.
•
Evaluate adding tactile warning pads and reconstructing ramps to meet ADA requirements.
•
If traffic signal installation is warranted, evaluate installation of pedestrian signals.
Safety Issue #4: Roadway Conditions
Observations:
Audit team members discussed the issue of pavement markings in and around the intersection. The members all agreed that the white edge lines, double yellow center lines, and stop bars were very faded, and could be contributing factors to the high crash rate at the intersection. Because of the faded stop bars, motorists are stopping at various locations for the stop signs. There are also three crosswalks around the intersection that are barely visible, in an area where there is pedestrian activity.
Enhancements:
•
Restripe the intersection, including the crosswalks, edge lines, lane lines, and
Faded pavement markings at northbound approach to intersection stop bars.
•
Evaluate multimodal striping accommodations within the intersection as part of potential future improvements along Marston Street.
•
Change the white edge line location to create narrower, more defined lanes.
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Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Safety Issue #5: Beacons
Observations:
The RSA team pointed out that the location of the flashing beacons are not ideal for motorists approaching the intersection. The angle at which the mast arm extends out into the intersection makes it difficult for northbound drivers to see the overhead beacon before they get very close to the intersection. This issue may be causing motorists to not realize that there is an intersection ahead, resulting in the high number of angle crashes. It was also noted by the RSA team that there were broken back plates in some of the flashing beacons.
View looking northbound on Marston Street of misaligned flashing beacon indications
Enhancements:
•
Consider possibility of realigning mast arm for improved beacon visibility.
•
Replace broken back plates.
Safety Issue #6: Bicycle Accommodation
Observations:
The RSA team discussed the lack of bicycle accommodations at the existing intersection. Audit participants indicated that, while there are currently very low bicycle volumes in this area, the City of
Lawrence has plans to build a park on Marston Street which may increase the need for providing bicycle facilities at the intersection.
Enhancements:
•
Evaluate the feasibility of installing a buffered bicycle lane or bicycle-tolerant shoulder
•
If a traffic signal is to be installed, appropriate bicycle accommodations should be provided.
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Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
After discussing the various safety deficiencies within the study area, participants discussed potential solutions. The audit 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, midterm, or long-term based on the definitions shown in Table 2. Additionally, a cost category has been assigned to each improvement based on the parameters set forth in Table 2.
Time Frame Costs
Short-Term <1 Year Low <$10,000
Mid-Term
Long-Term
1-3 Years
>3 Years
Medium
High
$10,001-$50,000
>$50,000
A summary of the potential recommendations discussed by the RSA audit team are summarized in Table
3. The recommendations are summarized based on the potential safety payoff, time frame, approximate cost and responsible agency. The safety payoff is a subjective judgment of the potential effectiveness of the safety recommendations listed below.
Page 8

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Safety Issue Potential Safety Enhancement
Safety
Payoff
Time Frame Cost
Angle Crashes
Angle Crashes
Angle Crashes
Angle Crashes
Angle Crashes
Angle Crashes
Angle Crashes
Angle Crashes
Sight Distance
Sight Distance
Sight Distance
Sight Distance
Responsible
Agency
Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive
Continue existing speed limit enforcement measures
Low Mid-Term Medium City of Lawrence
Evaluate reducing curb radii at Commonwealth
Drive westbound approach to create a preferable stop sign location
Low Long-Term High MassDOT
Consider narrowing roadway and lane widths for better stop sign positon
Evaluate reconfiguring the Marston Street median south of the intersection (including the I-
495 SB off ramp merge) to slow down traffic coming from Marston Street and I-495 South.
Evaluate location and condition of speed limit sign, and consider advanced speed limit signage
Low
Medium
Mid-Term Medium
Long-Term
Medium Short-Term
High
Low
Evaluate the feasibility of installing a traffic signal
Evaluate the feasibility of building a mini or full roundabout
Evaluate reconfiguring the Commonwealth
Drive westbound approach to add a channelized right turn lane with a dedicated receiving lane
Evaluate measures to lower the vertical curve on Marston Street, south of the intersection
Clear the vegetation along Marston Street south of the intersection
Evaluate potential sight distance remedies outside the Marston Street right-of-way
Consider installing advanced intersection warning signs, possibly with LED flashing lights on Marston Street northbound
High
High
High
High
High
Medium
Long-Term
Long-Term
Long-Term
Long-Term
Short-Term
Long-Term
Medium Short-Term
High
High
High
High
Low
High
Low
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT/City of
Lawrence
MassDOT
Page 9

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Safety Issue Potential Safety Enhancement
Safety
Payoff
Sight Distance
Pedestrian
Accommodations
Time Frame
Consider coordinating with Commonwealth
Motors to move their vehicles further away from Medium Short-Term the roadway
Evaluate adding sidewalks north of the intersection
Medium Mid-Term
Cost
Low
High
Pedestrian
Accommodations
Evaluate adding tactile warning pads and reconstructing ramps to meet ADA requirements
Low Mid-Term High
Pedestrian
Accommodations
Roadway Conditions
Roadway Conditions
Roadway Conditions
Beacons
Beacons
Evaluate installation of pedestrian signals (if traffic signal installation is warranted)
Restripe the intersection, including the crosswalks, edge lines, lane lines, and stop bars
Evaluate multimodal striping accommodations
Change the white edge line location to create narrower, more defined lanes
Consider possibility of realigning mast arm
Replace broken back plates
Medium
Medium
Long-Term Medium
Medium Short-Term Low
Mid-Term Medium
Medium Short-Term Medium
Low Mid-Term Medium
Medium Short-Term Low
Bicycle Accommodations
Evaluate the feasibility of installing a buffer bicycle lane.
Low Mid-Term Low
Responsible
Agency
MassDOT/
Property Owners
MassDOT/City of
Lawrence
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
MassDOT
Bicycle Accommodations
If a traffic signal is to be installed, appropriate bicycle accommodations should be provided.
Low Long-Term Medium MassDOT
Page 10

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL
Date:
Audit Team
Members
John Mastera
David Posner
Nick Renaud
Derek Caldwell
Sara Timoner
Brian Moriarty
Jay Cerullo
Phil Viveiros
August 7, 2015
Theresa Park
Elecia Miller
Jim Terlizzi
Promise Otaluka
Tyler Whetstone
Location: Lawrence Community Development Office,
Lawrence, MA
Agency/ Affiliation Email Address
MassDOT – Highway Safety John.Mastera@state.ma.us
MassDOT –Traffic David.Posner@state.ma.us
MassDOT – District 4 Traffic Nicholas.Renaud@dot.state.ma.us
MassDOT – District 4 Traffic Derek.Caldwell@state.ma.us
MassDOT – District 4 Traffic Sara.Timoner@state.ma.us
City of Lawrence Planning Tpark@cityoflawrence.com
Department
Phone
Number
857-368-9648
617-866-0725
978-857-1702
781-641-8318
781-641-8435
978-620-3501
City of Lawrence – Mayor’s Emiller@cityoflawrence.com
Health Task Force
Lawrence Fire Department
Lawrence Police Department
McMahon Associates
Bmoriarty@cityoflawrence.com
Jcerullo@lawpd.com
978-620-3527
978-382-1982
978-794-5900
Merrimack Valley Planning jterrlizzi@mvpc.org
Commission
Federal Highway
Administration
Promise.Otaluka@DOT.gov
McMahon Associates
978-374-0579
617-494-2528 twhetstone@mcmahonassociates.com
508-823-2245 pviveiros@mcmahonassociates.com
508-823-2245

Road Safety Audit—Marston Street at Ferry Street/Commonwealth Drive- Lawrence, MA
Prepared by McMahon Associates, Inc.
FINAL