ROAD SAFETY AUDIT
Route 114 (Winthrop Av. And Parker St.) at Andover St.
City of Lawrence
October 14, 2011
Prepared For:
MassDOT
Prepared By:
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Table of Contents
Background ................................................................................................................................. 1
Project Data ................................................................................................................................. 2
Project Location and Description.............................................................................................. 3
Audit Observations and Potential Safety Enhancements...................................................... 15
Summary of Road Safety Audit............................................................................................... 24
List of Figures
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Site Locus Map (Source: USGS)........................................................................................... 4
Aerial Orthogonal Photo of Route 114 at Andover Street (Source: Pictometry, 11/07) ........ 5
Existing Weekday Morning and Evening Peak Hour Traffic Volumes ................................. 8
List of Tables
Table 1.
Table 2.
Table 3.
Table 4.
Table 5.
Table 6.
Table 7.
Table 8.
Participating Audit Team Members ....................................................................................... 2
Traffic Volume Summary ...................................................................................................... 7
Intersection Crash Summary (2007 – 2009)........................................................................... 9
Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Existing Conditions ......................................... 11
Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Recommended Short-Term Improvements ..... 12
Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Recommended Mid-Term Improvements ....... 13
Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Recommended Mid-Term Improvements Alt. 14
Potential Safety Enhancement Summary ............................................................................. 25
List of Appendices
Appendix A.
Appendix B.
Appendix C.
Appendix D.
Appendix E.
Appendix F.
Appendix G.
Appendix H.
RSA Meeting Agenda
RSA Audit Team Contact List
Detailed Crash Data
Roadway Speed Data
Daily and Peak Period Traffic Count Data
Crash Rate Calculation
Intersection Operations Analysis Methodology and Results
Road Safety Audit References
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Background
A Road Safety Audit (RSA) as defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is “the
formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an
independent, multidisciplinary team.” An RSA qualitatively estimates and reports on all safety
issues and identifies opportunities for safety improvements for all roadway users. The
“conducting of RSAs at high-crash locations throughout the Commonwealth” is one of the many
strategies noted in the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, which was developed in an effort to
reduce the number of crash-related fatalities and incapacitating injuries on roadways within
Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Merrimack Valley
Planning Commission (MVPC) have known that the intersection of Route 114 and Andover
Street in Lawrence has been a location of concern with regards to safety for some time. In 2010,
MassDOT published its latest Top Crash Locations Report, which listed the top 200 high crash
intersection locations within Massachusetts using crash data from 2006 to 2008, which was
supplied by the Registry of Motor Vehicles. For this report, MassDOT not only reported the
frequency of crashes occurring at each location, but also on the severity. To compare crashes at
locations on an equivalent basis, MassDOT uses a weighting scale, known as the Equivalent
Property Damage Only (EPDO), where fatal crashes are weighted by 10, injury crashes are
weighted by 5, and property damage only crashes are weighted by 1. The report showed this
intersection as having 50 crashes and, in terms of EPDO, being at number 185 overall statewide,
and at number 8 for the Merrimack Valley region.
The intersection also has one of the highest frequencies of crashes occurring at a location on
Route 114, according to MVPC in its Route 114 Corridor Study. According to the Merrimack
Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO’s) 2007 Regional Transportation Plan, the
intersection is also shown as being one of the highest crash intersection locations within the
region. Because the intersection is within the top five percent of crash clusters in the Merrimack
Valley region, it is eligible for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). MassDOT
incorporated the RSA as a requirement for securing Federal funding (HSIP funds) for safety
projects. For these reasons, this intersection was chosen as the site of an RSA by MassDOT and
the Merrimack Valley MPO to help identify potential short-term and long-term safety
improvements that could be made if HSIP funding is received.
Page 1
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Project Data
The Road Safety Audit was conducted on September 22, 2011 for the intersection of Route 114
(Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street in Lawrence. As shown in Table 1, the
audit team was comprised of federal, state, regional, and local agencies and included
professionals from emergency response, engineering, and planning.
Prior to this meeting, MVPC gathered, reviewed, and summarized the most recent pertinent
available information, including: crash data, traffic volume data, and traffic speed data. In
addition to the crash data summaries obtained from the MassDOT Statewide database/RMV,
MVPC also collected the actual crash reports, which show the narratives and crash diagrams,
from the Lawrence police department.
With input and assistance from Lawrence officials, MVPC selected the RSA team and chose a
location in South Lawrence that was close to the intersection to meet. At the pre-audit meeting,
MVPC discussed the process and goals for the RSA, provided handouts of all pertinent
information, presented the existing traffic, speed, and crash data, and discussed any known
related planned projects to the participants in order to provide an introduction to project. The
team then began to provide comments on the safety issues, based on their knowledge of the
intersection. MVPC recorded the comments.
Following the pre-audit meeting, the team conducted a site visit/audit, during which the previous
specific safety issues and concerns were pointed out by the RSA team and MVPC. Additional
safety issues were identified at the site and recorded by MVPC.
After the site visit, the RSA participants met in a post-audit meeting and the group discussed
potential countermeasures that had been identified during the RSA and any new countermeasures
that could be thought of during the meeting. The countermeasures, which were recorded by
MVPC, included short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term improvements. The City was
identified at this meeting as the responsible party for the improvements and any necessary
designs.
Table 1. Participating Audit Team Members
Audit Team Member
Agency/Affiliation
Dan McCarthy
City of Lawrence Planning Department
Andrew Wall
City of Lawrence DPW, City Engineer
Promise Otaluka
Federal Highway Administration, MA Division
Bud Dorgan
Lawrence Fire Department
Jack Bergeron
Lawrence Fire Department
Eugene Scanlon
Lawrence Police Department
Lisa Schletzbaum
MassDOT
Tony Komornick
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Jim Terlizzi
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Page 2
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Project Location and Description
MVPC conducted an inventory of the existing intersection geometry and traffic volumes in
October of 2010. Below is a detailed discussion of the intersection geometrics and traffic control
features, a discussion of the daily and peak hour traffic volumes, a review of the crash data, and
an analysis of the existing operations as well as the operations resulting from recommended
short-term and mid-term improvements.
Geometrics and Traffic Control
Route 114
Route 114 has terminals in Lawrence to the northwest and in Marblehead to the southeast and
traverses Essex County with an almost perfect northwest/southeast alignment on an old turnpike
for nearly its entirety between Lawrence and Salem. Within Lawrence, Route 114 is routed
along the City streets of Merrimack Street, Parker Street, and Winthrop Avenue. Route 114
changes in name from Parker Street to Winthrop Avenue at its intersection with Andover Street.
Winthrop Avenue runs northwest to southeast through South Lawrence and connects the City to
Interstate Route 495 at Exit 42. It then continues southeast to the commercial areas in North
Andover where it becomes Turnpike Street. Parker Street carries Route 114 to the north to its
terminus along Merrimack Street.
Parker Street and Winthrop Avenue, between Andover Street and the Interstate 495 interchange,
are under jurisdiction of the City of Lawrence. Winthrop Avenue is designated as being part of
the National Highway System (NHS) and is functionally classified as an urban principal arterial.
Parker Street carries one travel lane in each direction, while Winthrop Avenue carries two in
each direction. The speed limit is 25 miles per hour for all of Parker Street and a short distance
of Winthrop Avenue past Andover Street, and 30 miles per hour for all the rest of Winthrop
Avenue. The speed limit signs are posted on the sides of Winthrop Avenue, approximately 200
feet southeast of Andover Street. These are the same speed limits that are noted in Special Speed
Regulation #59B for the City of Lawrence. At its signalized intersection with Andover Street,
Winthrop Avenue has its inside travel lane change in lane use to become an exclusive left turn
lane on its approach.
Andover Street
Andover Street is an east/west two lane roadway, 2.1 miles in length, which traverses South
Lawrence from the Andover town line to the west (where the roadway changes in name to River
Road) to Shawsheen Road, which parallels the Shawsheen River Park, to the east. To the west,
Andover Street is functionally classified as an urban minor arterial and connects the principal
arterial of South Broadway (Route 28) with the Lawrence Industrial Park and the large industrial
and office park employment area located near the River Road/Interstate Route 93 interchange in
Andover. A section of Andover Street, between the two principal arterials of South Broadway
(Route 28) and Winthrop Avenue (Route 114), provides a connection between these two NHS
roadways and is itself functionally classified as an urban principal arterial that is also an NHS
Page 3
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
roadway. East of Route 114, Andover Street is a local roadway. All of Andover Street is locally
owned and maintained.
Route 114 at Andover Street intersection
Parker Street and Winthrop Avenue, both of which are signed as Route 114, intersect Andover
Street from the north and southeast, respectively to form this four legged intersection under
traffic signal control. Figure 1 presents the intersection’s location in relation to the regional and
interstate highways within South Lawrence. Parker Street has one very wide (22 to 23-feet wide)
lane on its approach to the intersection. However, there are side by side loop detectors in the
road on this approach, which indicates that this approach may have been striped for two lanes at
one time; a left-turn/thru lane and a thru/right turn lane (as it is used every so often) or an
exclusive right turn lane. When the approach is used as two lanes, most of the through traffic
generally tends to stay near the roadway centerline on this approach, thereby allowing rightturning vehicles and even some through vehicles to bypass the through traffic that is queued on
the inside at a red light. There are two receiving lanes on Winthrop Avenue opposite this
approach. As mentioned before, Winthrop Avenue has two lanes on its approach: one 11-foot
wide exclusive left-turn lane and one 12-foot wide through lane.
Figure 1.
Site Locus Map (Source: USGS)
Because of the angle in which Winthrop Avenue meets Parker Street at the intersection, vehicles
traveling through the intersection must either travel on the inside of the Winthrop Avenue
through lane or make a slight turn to stay in the lane on Parker Street. Traveling on the inside of
Page 4
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
the lane is challenging when done so side by side with left-turning vehicles in the adjacent lane.
Andover Street has one 16-foot wide lane on both of its approaches that is used by all turning
movements. Intersection curb corner radii are 30 feet on the northwest corner, 25 feet on the
southwest corner, 15 feet on the southeast corner, and 35 feet on the northeast corner. Figure 2
presents an aerial orthogonal photograph of the intersection and its existing geometry and traffic
lane configuration.
Figure 2.
Aerial Orthogonal Photo of Route 114 at Andover Street (Source: Pictometry, 11/07)
The traffic flow at the intersection is controlled by a two-phase fully actuated signal. During
peak periods, the signal operates on a 70- to 90-second cycle and the Andover Street phase
reaches its maximum allotted green time of 25 seconds most every call. During the weekday
morning peak period, the Route 114 phase only exceeds its minimum allotted green time of 35
seconds on rare occasions, while during the weekday evening peak period, the minimum is
exceeded many more times. Signal heads are suspended from a mast arm assembly support
(with a 20 foot high mast and a 35 foot long arm), located on the northeast corner as well as post
supports on the southeast and southwest corners. Just the base of a signal post remains on the
northwest corner. Pedestrians can also activate an exclusive, dedicated pedestrian phase at the
Page 5
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
intersection (which follows the Route 114 traffic phase) by pushing a button on the assembly
mast or one of three remaining posts that support the pedestrian signal heads.
For the traffic phases of the traffic signal cycle, a change and clearance interval of 7 seconds is
granted: 3 seconds of yellow and 4 seconds of all-red time. For the pedestrian phase, there is an
interval of 13 seconds given to the flashing “DON’T WALK” portion of the phase.
Portland cement concrete sidewalks exist along both sides of Route 114 and Andover Street.
Crosswalks, 8- to 9-feet in width, are striped across all legs of the intersection. The crossing
distance is approximately 60 feet across Winthrop Avenue, 50 feet across Parker Street and
approximately 45 feet across both legs of Andover Street. The concrete walks along all corners
of the intersection are in good condition.
Land use in the immediate vicinity of the intersection consists of an approximate 3,000 square
foot (sf) donut shop on the southwest corner, a small neighborhood retail plaza (8,000 sf in size)
on the northwest corner, and residential units on the northeast and southeast corners. Driveways
to the retail plaza, donut shop, and residential unit on the northeast corner are onto both Route
114 and Andover Street, while the driveway to the residential unit on the southeast corner is
exclusively onto Route 114.
Traffic Volumes
Traffic volume data was gathered for the study in October of 2010 by means of turning
movement and vehicle classification counts (TMCs) conducted at the Route 114 (Winthrop
Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street intersection. The TMCs were conducted during the
weekday morning commuter peak period (7:00 to 9:00 AM) and the weekday evening commuter
peak period (4:00 to 6:00 PM). Additionally, automatic traffic recorders (ATRs) were placed on
Winthrop Avenue, Parker Street, and Andover Street, west of Route 114.
A review of the traffic count data indicates that traffic volumes increase on Route 114 and
Andover Street throughout the day until the mid to late afternoon and then gradually decrease
thereafter. Peak turning volumes occur at the intersection between 7:15 and 8:15 in the morning
and between 4:15 and 5:15 in the evening. The greatest volume of truck traffic traveling through
the intersection is turning to and from Andover Street to the west. The weekday morning peak
hour is the heavier of the two peak hours for truck flow. Table 2 presents a summary of the daily
and peak hour traffic volumes on roadways at the intersection.
As shown in Table 2, on Route 114, there are approximately 20,900 vehicles per day (vpd)
immediately southeast of Andover Street, and 15,400 vpd north of Andover Street. Andover
Street, west of Route 114, carries a large volume of traffic turning to and from Winthrop
Avenue, which explains the difference in volumes on Route 114 immediately north and southeast
of the intersection. Andover Street, west of Route 114, carries approximately 12,400 vpd.
During both of the commuter peak hours, the flow of traffic is somewhat evenly distributed by
direction as shown in Table 2.
Page 6
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Table 2. Traffic Volume Summary
Location
Average
Weekday
Daily
Traffic
Volumea
Peak
Hour
Peak
Hour
Traffic
Volumeb
KFactorc
Directional
Distribution
Route 114 (Parker Street),
north of Andover Street
15,400
Morning
Evening
980
1,122
6.4
7.3
53% northbound
53% northbound
Route 114 (Winthrop Ave.),
southeast of Andover Street
20,900
Morning
Evening
1,352
1,535
6.5
7.3
52% westbound
52% westbound
Andover Street,
west of Route 114
12,400
Morning
Evening
903
876
7.3
7.1
51% eastbound
53% eastbound
Andover Street,
east of Route 114
NA
Morning
Evening
275
259
NA
NA
56% westbound
56% eastbound
a
Average Weekday Daily Traffic (AWDT) volume in vehicles per day (vpd). NA = data not available.
Peak hour traffic volume in vehicles per hour (vph).
c
K-Factor is the percent of daily traffic occurring during the peak hour; expressed as a percentage.
b
Figure 3 presents the weekday morning and evening peak hour turning movement counts.
Traffic count data is also provided in the Appendix of this study. As shown in Figure 3, most
traffic on Andover Street is originating from or destined to Winthrop Avenue. Additionally, the
traffic volumes for the left turns onto Andover Street from Winthrop Avenue and the right turns
onto Winthrop Avenue from Andover Street are nearly identical during both peak hours. The
greatest traffic volume between two conflicting movements at the intersection is the Winthrop
Avenue left turn movement conflicting with the Parker Street southbound through movement.
Page 7
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Weekday Morning Peak Hour
N
Not to Scale
Weekday Evening Peak Hour
N
Not to Scale
Figure 3.
Existing Weekday Morning and Evening Peak Hour Traffic Volumes
Page 8
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Crash History
Historical traffic crash data was obtained for the study intersection from MassDOT’s statewide
crash database that was built with crash reports filed by police officers and vehicle operators
between 2007 and 2009 and sent to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). That data was
supplemented with data from the actual crash reports during that same period that were obtained
from the Lawrence Police Department. The data was reviewed over this three-year period to
determine crash trends for the intersection. Table 3 presents a summary of the crash report data.
Table 3. Intersection Crash Summary (2007 – 2009)
a
CM
RE
SV
SS
Road
c
Condition
b
Type
Severity
Ped
Un
PD
PI
F
Un
Dry
Wet
Ice
Light
d
Condition
Day
Dusk
Lit
Time of
Crash
AM
PM
20
20
2
2
1
1
28
14
1
3
24
18
4
36
2
8
18
28
#
2%
2% 61%
30% 2% 7% 52%
39% 9% 78%
5%
17%
39%
61%
% 44% 44% 4% 4%
Source: MassDOT and the Lawrence Police Department. Un = Unknown in all sections.
a
Crash Type: CM = cross movement; RE = rear-end; SV = single vehicle; SS = side swipe, same direction; Ped = pedestrian.
b
Severity of Crash: PD = Property Damage Only; PI = Personal Injury; F = Fatality.
c
Road Condition is the condition of the roadway surface. (Ice = snowy or icy road surface).
d
Light Condition is the ambient light. Lit = Times of darkness with the roadway lit.
According to the review of the data, there were a total of forty-six crashes over the three-year
period, or an average of approximately fifteen per year.
Even though there appears to be a high frequency of crashes occurring at this location, the
number of crashes at the intersection should also be reviewed against traffic volumes using the
intersection and then compared to the rate of crashes for other signalized intersections.
MassDOT reports that for the year 2010, the latest year available, there is a statewide average
rate of 0.82 crashes per million entering vehicles (mev) for signalized intersections. The
intersection of Route 114 (Parker Street and Winthrop Avenue) at Andover Street has a crash
rate of 1.62 crashes/mev, which is a rate that is nearly double that of the statewide average rate.
Nearly half of the crashes occurred on wet or icy roads. This could possibly be a contributing
factor to the collisions between vehicles operating in close proximity to one another within the
limited space of this compact urban intersection.
Fourteen of the forty-six crashes (or approximately 30 percent) involved personal injury and
there was one crash involving a fatality. The predominant types of collision occurring at the
intersection were angle or cross-movement type collisions between two vehicles and rear-end
collisions, of which there were twenty-two and eighteen of each type, respectively (accounting
for 87 percent of all crashes).
Severity of the crashes depends on the type of collisions occurring. The single collision of a
vehicle with a pedestrian involved a fatal injury. Only about nearly one third of the rear-end type
and angle type collisions involve injury.
Page 9
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
More crashes occur after noon than in the morning. Fourteen of the crashes (or 30 percent)
occurred during the weekday peak periods of 7:00 to 9:00 AM and 4:00 to 6:00 PM; six during
the morning and eight during the evening.
Twenty-seven of the forty-six crashes (or approximately 59 percent) occur at one of three
locations involving specific types of collisions between two vehicles either making opposing or
the same vehicle movements. Referring to the collision diagram within the Appendix, one will
see that the most frequent type and location of collisions is angle type collisions occurring
between the Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicles with the Parker Street through traveling
vehicles, of which there were eleven over the three-year period. (There were only two angletype collisions that occurred in the opposite direction.) In nearly all cases, the collisions
occurred because the left-turning vehicles failed to yield the right-of way to the through traveling
vehicles, according to the crash reports. The next highest frequency of collisions are the nine
rear-end collisions on the Winthrop Avenue approach, followed by the seven rear-end collisions
on the Andover Street eastbound approach.
The two side swipe collisions involved vehicles both traveling in the northwestbound direction
on Route 114. One crash occurred on the Winthrop Avenue approach, when a through traveling
vehicle was behind a vehicle queue in the left turn lane and moved over to the through lane,
striking the side of a vehicle. The other crash occurred in the receiving lane on Parker Street
when a through traveling vehicle used the left-turn lane as a through lane and ended up side
swiping a through traveling vehicle coming from the through lane.
There were two incidents that involved single vehicles departing the roadway and colliding with
a fixed object on the side of the road. Both of these collisions involved a vehicle traveling
southbound on Parker Street and departing Winthrop Avenue at the intersection corner; one
striking a utility pole and the other a fence line.
There were two incidents involving a vehicle that entered the intersection on a red light and
collided at an angle with another vehicle. Both of the collisions were between eastbound
travelers on Andover Street and Winthrop Avenue through traveling vehicles. One of the
crashes involved an Andover Street vehicle running a red light and the other involved a
Winthrop Avenue vehicle running a red light.
Page 10
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Operations Analysis
The operation of the signalized intersection of Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street)
at Andover Street was analyzed with the SYNHRO micro simulation computer model, which
follows the methodology presented in the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB’s) latest
Highway Capacity Manual. A summary of the methodology can be found in the appendix of this
study.
Existing Conditions
Table 4 presents the analysis results for the existing operations of the signalized intersection of
Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street. Operations analysis sheets
are provided in the Appendix of this study.
Table 4. Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Existing Conditions
Peak Hour
Lane Movement/Totala
V/Cb
ADc
LOSd
Queuee
Lengthf
Weekday Morning
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB LT/TH
Parker Street SB RT
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.35
0.62
0.49
0.06
0.59
0.21
0.61
8.5
11.3
9.4
7.1
14.0
10.8
10.9
A
B
A
A
B
B
B
4.7
9.0
7.0
0.8
8.6
3.4
117
225
175
20
215
84
Weekday Evening
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB LT/TH
Parker Street SB RT
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.34
0.71
0.58
0.04
0.63
0.16
0.68
8.6
13.8
10.6
7.1
16.5
12.0
12.6
A
B
B
A
B
B
B
4.8
11.7
9.3
0.6
9.4
2.6
121
293
233
16
234
64
a
NB = Northbound; SB = Southbound; EB = Eastbound; WB = Westbound; LT = Left-Turn; TH = Through; RT = Right Turn.
Volume to Capacity ratio. cAverage Control Delay is in seconds per vehicle. dLevel of Service.
e th
95 percentile queue is in vehicles.
f
Length of queue is in feet; assumes 25 feet per vehicle.
b
As shown in Table 4, the critical movements at this signalized intersection operate overall well
within capacity at level-of-service (LOS) B during both the weekday morning and evening
commuter peak hours. Through traffic on the Route 114 approaches operates well at LOS A and
traffic turning left onto Andover Street operates at LOS B during the weekday morning and
evening peak hours.
Page 11
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Recommended Improvements
Some of the safety enhancements recommended by the RSA team were analyzed for their impact
to operations of the intersection.
Some short-term recommendations included striping the Parker Avenue approach so that it is
used as one lane and shortening the clearance intervals for the signal phases. Table 5 presents
the results of the analysis for those improvements to the intersection.
Table 5. Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Recommended
Short-Term Improvements
Peak Hour
Lane Movement/Totala
V/Cb
ADc
LOSd
Queuee
Lengthf
Weekday Morning
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.35
0.63
0.52
0.60
0.22
0.62
8.0
10.8
9.0
13.6
10.3
10.6
A
B
A
B
B
B
4.6
8.8
7.8
8.4
3.3
114
220
196
209
83
Weekday Evening
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.34
0.71
0.55
0.64
0.16
0.68
8.1
13.2
9.7
16.1
11.5
12.1
A
B
A
B
B
B
4.7
11.4
9.5
9.1
2.5
118
286
237
228
63
a
NB = Northbound; SB = Southbound; EB = Eastbound; WB = Westbound; LT = Left-Turn; TH = Through; RT = Right Turn.
Volume to Capacity ratio. cAverage Control Delay is in seconds per vehicle. dLevel of Service.
e th
95 percentile queue is in vehicles.
f
Length of queue is in feet; assumes 25 feet per vehicle.
b
As shown in Table 5, with the identified short-term safety improvements, there are hardly any
impacts to the operations of the intersection. It will still operate at LOS B during the peak hours,
with a slight decrease in average delay, due to the shortening of the clearance intervals. During
the weekday morning peak hour, the queues will remain the same on the Parker Street approach
with the recommended striping of one lane. The 95th percentile queue will increase by nearly
one car during the weekday evening peak hour.
Page 12
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Some of the mid-term safety recommendations included the short-term improvements of striping
the Parker Avenue approach for one lane and the shorter clearance intervals plus adding
protected/permissive or protected only phasing for the Winthrop Avenue left turning vehicles.
Table 6 presents the results of the analysis for the mid-term improvements of
protected/permissive phasing for the Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicles.
Table 6. Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Recommended MidTerm Improvements
Peak Hour
Lane Movement/Totala
V/Cb
ADc
LOSd
Queuee
Lengthf
Weekday Morning
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.63
0.52
0.67
0.72
0.25
0.68
13.7
8.9
19.0
23.3
16.0
16.5
B
A
B
C
B
B
4.3
8.2
10.6
10.6
4.0
107
206
266
264
100
Weekday Evening
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.72
0.63
0.71
0.75
0.18
0.74
11.2
10.7
19.3
25.1
16.0
17.8
B
B
B
C
B
B
4.0
9.6
11.5
13.5
3.2
99
241
288
337
79
a
NB = Northbound; SB = Southbound; EB = Eastbound; WB = Westbound; LT = Left-Turn; TH = Through; RT = Right Turn.
Volume to Capacity ratio. cAverage Control Delay is in seconds per vehicle. dLevel of Service.
e th
95 percentile queue is in vehicles.
f
Length of queue is in feet; assumes 25 feet per vehicle.
b
As shown in Table 6, with the mid-term improvements of protected/permissive phasing for the
Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicles, the intersection continues to operate at LOS B during the
both peak hours. The 95th percentile queue on the Parker Street approach will increase by nearly
three vehicles during the weekday morning peak hour and by approximately two vehicles during
the weekday evening peak hour. This is due to the shortened amount of green time given to
Parker Street. On the Andover Street eastbound approach, there are slight increases in average
delay and the maximum queues also increase two to three vehicles during the commuter peak
hours.
Table 7 presents the results of the analysis for the alternative mid-term improvements of
protected only phasing for the Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicles.
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Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Table 7. Intersection Operations Analysis Results – Recommended MidTerm Improvements Alt.
Peak Hour
Lane Movement/Totala
V/Cb
ADc
LOSd
Queuee
Lengthf
Weekday Morning
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.71
0.48
0.77
0.79
0.28
0.76
30.4
8.1
27.2
31.9
20.1
23.4
C
A
C
C
C
C
9.1
7.4
13.1
12.8
4.3
228
184
328
321
107
Weekday Evening
Winthrop Av WB LT
Winthrop Av WB TH/RT
Parker Street SB
Andover Street EB
Andover Street WB
Intersection
0.73
0.57
0.83
0.84
0.21
0.81
33.1
9.2
30.9
37.2
20.7
26.1
C
A
C
D
C
C
9.6
9.2
16.6
14.4
3.3
239
229
416
361
83
a
NB = Northbound; SB = Southbound; EB = Eastbound; WB = Westbound; LT = Left-Turn; TH = Through; RT = Right Turn.
Volume to Capacity ratio. cAverage Control Delay is in seconds per vehicle. dLevel of Service.
e th
95 percentile queue is in vehicles.
f
Length of queue is in feet; assumes 25 feet per vehicle.
b
As shown in Table 7, with the alternative mid-term improvements of protected only phasing for
the Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicles, the intersection overall operates below capacity at
LOS C during both peak hours. Additionally, the average delay for the Winthrop Avenue leftturners and the Parker Street through vehicles will increase slightly and operate at LOS C, since
both of these movements are operating in their own protected and separate phases. The average
delay to Winthrop Avenue left-turners will increase by approximately 22 seconds and to Parker
Street will increase by approximately 19 to 21 seconds, during the peak hours. The 95th
percentile queue on the Parker Street approach will increase by approximately five to seven
vehicles during the peak hours. These queues, which will occur two to three times during the
peak hours, will extend slightly beyond Farnham Street. However, the average queue does not
extend to Farnham Street. The maximum queue in the Winthrop Avenue left turn lane will
increase approximately four vehicles to nine during the weekday morning peak hour and
approximately five vehicles to ten during the weekday evening peak hour.
Page 14
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Audit Observations and Potential Safety
Enhancements
The RSA team identified safety issues at the pre-meeting and also out at the audit site. Potential
safety enhancements were discussed out at the site and at the post audit meeting. Following is a
summary of the identified safety issues and the potential safety enhancements.
• Conflict Management Between Winthrop Avenue Left Turning Vehicles and Parker
Street Through Traveling Vehicles – The greatest traffic volumes for any two conflicting
movements within the intersection belong to the vehicles in the Winthrop Avenue leftturning and the Parker Street
through traveling movements. In
fact, nearly a quarter of all crashes
at this intersection occur between
these two movements. Currently,
left-turning vehicles are permitted
to go while Parker Street vehicles
are going, however, they must yield
the right-of-way to the opposing
Parker Street through traffic at all
times, due to the signal phasing
programmed into the controller and
the signal indications facing
Winthrop Avenue.
Vehicles
waiting for a gap in opposing traffic
to turn left onto Andover Street must do so in close proximity to those vehicles traveling
south on Parker Street, by virtue of the way that Winthrop Avenue aligns itself with Parker
Street. An adequate view of the gap can be blocked at times by Winthrop Avenue through
traveling vehicles because of the skewed alignment. Some operators of the vehicles waiting
to turn left from Winthrop Avenue may not be able to see the signal indications because of
their position relative to the signal heads directly above them. Also, the very wide lane on
the Parker Street approach is used on many occasions as two lanes: a left/through lane on the
inside and as an exclusive right-turn lane or even a through/right turn lane on the curb side.
This forces many through vehicles on Parker Street to travel near the centerline and also
through the intersection in very close proximity to the vehicles waiting to turn left from
Winthrop Avenue.
Perhaps the greatest way to enhance safety for this issue is to protect the left-turning vehicles
from the opposing through vehicles with their own dedicated signal phasing. This can be
done in the mid-term with some expense to the City by reprogramming the signal controller
for either ideally protected only phasing or alternatively protected/permissive phasing for the
Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicles. With protected only phasing, the existing signal
head suspended on the mast arm above the left turn lane must be replaced with a head/face
Page 15
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
that has three lens indications: a green left arrow, a yellow left arrow, and a circular red. If
the protected/permissive phasing alternative is desired, then the existing signal head must be
replaced by a doghouse arrangement signal head with five indications: a circular red lens
above a yellow left arrow lens and green left arrow lens on the left side and a circular yellow
lens and circular green lens on the other side. Additionally, a “LEFT TURN YIELD ON
GREEN O [ball]” sign (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) R10-12 sign)
should be mounted on the mast arm next to the signal head to alert left turning vehicle
operators to yield the right of way to Parker Street through vehicles during the permissive
portion of the signal phase. In the short term with the existing signal phasing still in use, a
far side signal head facing Winthrop Avenue should be mounted on a post when the missing
signal post is reinstalled on the northwest corner in its relocated position.
While little can be practically done to change Winthrop Avenue’s alignment with Parker
Street, changes can be made to guide through traveling vehicles from Parker Street onto
Winthrop Avenue. Another potential safety improvement in the short term and at low cost to
the City could be the striping of the Parker Street approach for one lane that is much
narrower than it is today. A retro reflective, single white solid edge line should be painted or
set, approximately six feet from the curb, which will make the approach lane only 16 feet at
its widest point. This one lane will discourage right turning vehicles from forming their own
lane and pushing through vehicles to the inside of the approach. Through vehicles from
Parker Street can instead travel closer to the curb and farther away from the Winthrop
Avenue vehicles waiting to turn left in the middle of the intersection. This lane configuration
should guide through traveling vehicles to the middle of the two receiving lanes of Winthrop
Avenue instead of just the inside lane.
• Winthrop Avenue Lane Drop – West of Interstate Route 495, Winthrop Avenue has two
travel lanes in each direction and
Parker Street has one travel lane
in each direction for its entirety.
However, many new travelers on
Route 114 in the City do not
know this.
Those traveling
westbound on Winthrop Avenue
are unaware that the inside travel
lane suddenly drops to become
an exclusive left-turn lane at its
intersection with Andover Street.
Some first become aware of this
change in lane usage only 200
feet prior to the intersection’s
STOP bar by the first of two
“LEFT LANE MUST TURN
LEFT” signs posted. During times of congestion in both lanes, a lane change is not easily
made and this traps some through traveling vehicles in the left turn lane. Others are only
made aware when they are trapped behind a queue of vehicles waiting to turn left with their
left turn signals flashing. In both cases, the operators of these vehicles must either cross the
Page 16
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
solid white lane line near the intersection on the approach to get in the proper lane,
sometimes in haste, or must use the left-turn lane as a through lane and merge with the
through vehicles using the proper lane in the receiving lane of Parker Street. Both of these
maneuvers can lead to rear-end and side swipe collisions.
In the short term, the City can perform a study of the best ways to merge the two lanes of
Winthrop Avenue westbound through traffic into the single curbside lane in advance of the
intersection. This can best be accomplished by pavement markings that have a centerline
taper with diagonal crosshatching to guide the vehicles into the merge and then a reverse
taper near the intersection to allow left-turning vehicles to access the exclusive left-turn lane.
The MUTCD must be consulted as part of this study.
In the event that the pavement markings do not happen in the mid-term, the City should
install overhead advance lane control signs (MUTCD R3-8 series signs) that indicate the
coming change in lane usage in advance of the intersection. These signs should face the
westbound traffic and be posted directly over the lanes, perhaps supported on a mast arm
assembly, with a left arrow over the inside lane and a straight arrow over the curb lane. The
signs should be placed approximately 350 feet in advance of the intersection’s STOP bar,
near Boxford Street. These signs will be very conspicuous and double the time in which
drivers are made aware of the change in lane use.
• Winthrop Avenue Lane Usage
Confusion – Even as drivers approach
the intersection westbound on Winthrop
Avenue, there is some confusion as to
what the two lanes are used for. There
are two principal reasons for this: (1) the
adjacent sign clutter and (2) the faded
pavement markings. There are so many
signs adjacent to the travel way that
drivers can get distracted and lose the
most pertinent information, which is that
the “LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFT”
that is indicated by two signs that are
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Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
posted. Some of the adjacent signs that distract from those two signs are a Route “114
WEST” guide sign, a “NO PARKING ANY TIME” sign, a “BLIND DRIVEWAY” sign, a
“SPEED LIMIT 25” sign, and “TRUCK DETOUR” signs. Not only that, but there are two
real estate signs as well that are placed in front of the homes for sale on the block leading up
to the intersection. Also, the left turn arrow
and the “ONLY” legend on the pavement in
the left turn lane are extremely faded, which
can lead to some drivers that miss seeing the
mandatory movement control signs into
thinking that the inside lane can be used as a
through lane.
The inside lane usage
confusion can also cause, as with the previous
safety issue, the operators of these vehicles to
cross the solid white lane line on the
intersection approach to get in the proper
lane. As with the lane drop safety issue, both
of these maneuvers can lead to rear-end and
side swipe collisions.
In the short term, the City can do some safety enhancements at very little cost. While the real
estate signs that are posted adjacent to Winthrop Avenue will be moved by private owners
once the residential properties are sold, the City will decide which of its signs can be
removed or relocated. The “SPEED LIMIT 25” sign must stay due to the speed regulations,
however the “NO PARKING ANY TIME” sign could be removed if people do not park curb
side during off peak periods. The City could instead show the No Parking zone by painted
yellow curbing, if City regulations permit this. The “BLIND DRIVEWAY” sign should be
relocated, perhaps to the post that supported the No Parking sign that will be removed. The
City should remove the “TRUCK DETOUR” signs if this information is no longer valid. If it
is, the signs might be moved to the same sign post as the Route 114 West guide sign (as
supplemental plaques). Also, the City can either contract someone or use DPW staff to paint
using stencils a left turn arrow and an “ONLY” legend on the pavement in the left turn lane.
At the site visit, City officials of the team also discussed using retro reflective thermoplastic
striping in place of paint. There was some discussion as to it costing more than paint,
however, it will last longer and demand less maintenance by City staff.
In the mid-term, the installation of overhead advance lane control signs for the previously
mentioned safety issue will also help to enhance the safety due to this issue.
Page 18
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
• Alignment of Winthrop Avenue with Parker Street – State Route 114 is routed on the two
City streets of Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street, and as mentioned previously, Winthrop
Avenue does not align itself tangentially with
Parker Street at its intersection with Andover
Street. This alignment causes safety issues in
both directions of Route 114. As already
mentioned, the alignment is one of the
contributing factors of Parker Street through
traveling vehicles coming close to and
colliding with vehicles waiting to turn left in
the intersection that are coming from
Winthrop Avenue.
It has also been a
contributing factor to Parker Street through
traveling vehicles continuing straight
through the intersection and departing the
roadway along Winthrop Avenue on the
southwest corner and striking fixed objects.
In the other direction, Route 114 westbound
through travelers must either hug the lane
line on the Winthrop Avenue approach or
turn the steering wheel in a jog to avoid
going over the curb in the northeast corner.
Because some westbound through travelers hug the lane line, it pushes over the vehicles in
the adjacent left turn lane even closer to the opposing Parker Street through traveling
vehicles.
As previously mentioned, the City can at little cost in the short term restripe the Parker Street
approach for one lane, which will help to keep Parker Street through travelers from coming
so close to left-turning vehicles waiting in the intersection. The City should also post a
horizontal alignment change through an intersection warning sign (MUTCD R1-10a) on
Parker Street at a minimum distance of 100 feet in advance of the intersection. A retro
reflective warning sign will help to alert even night time travelers on Parker Street of the
upcoming roadway curve. In the long term, the City should redesign the layout of the
intersection so that Route 114 westbound through traffic can flow much more easily from
Winthrop Avenue to Parker Street. This will involve creating a larger corner curb radius on
the northeast corner and providing a transitional taper on Parker Street. The relocated curb
will require a taking of all or part of the property on the northeast corner, which may be
costly.
Page 19
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
• Parker Street Approach Wide Lane – As mentioned earlier, the very wide lane on the
Parker Street approach is used on many
occasions as two lanes: as a left/through
lane on the inside and as an exclusive
right-turn lane or even as a through/right
turn lane on the curb side.
This
approach may have been striped at one
time for two lanes as evidenced by the
two loop detectors that exist side by side
near the STOP bar. Even though a lane
line does not exist, the approach is often
used today as two lanes and this forces
many through vehicles on the approach
to travel near the centerline. When the
through vehicles finally do travel
through the intersection, they do so in very close proximity to the Winthrop Avenue vehicles
waiting to turn left. They complete their journey through the intersection to the inside of the
two receiving lanes on Winthrop Avenue.
A low cost potential safety improvement in the short term could be the striping of the Parker
Street approach for one through/general purpose turning lane, which is 16 feet wide at its
widest point. This can be accomplished by painting or setting a retro reflective, single white
solid edge line, six feet from the curb. The one lane delineated by the edge line will
discourage right turning vehicles from forming their own lane near the curb and pushing
through vehicles to the inside of the approach and traveling close to opposing left turning
vehicles. The lane configuration and edge line should guide through traveling vehicles to the
middle of the two receiving lanes of Winthrop Avenue and further away from the left-turning
vehicles.
• Andover Street Westbound Approach Signal Indications – There is only one signal head
facing traffic traveling westbound
on Andover Street on the approach
to the intersection. The signal head
is located overhead and is mounted
on a mast arm support. Its visibility
is obstructed by the foliage and
branches of a tree growing nearby
in the northeast corner of the
intersection. According to the City,
there used to be another signal head
facing Andover Street that was
mounted on a post and located on
the northwest corner of the
intersection. However, the City
states that this post was knocked
down recently by a turning truck.
Page 20
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
In the short term, the City should trim back the branches that obscure the only available
signal head to the Andover Street westbound travelers. Because there should be a minimum
of two signal faces on every approach to
a signalized intersection, the City should
also in the short-term reinstall that
missing signal post on the northwest
corner of the intersection with a far side
signal head facing Andover Street. The
post should be installed in a relocated
position so as to avoid being struck by
turning trucks, but still within the cone
of vision for the operators of vehicles on
the Andover Street approach.
• Pedestrian Crossing Signal Heads –
During the site visit, it was noted that all
of the pedestrian push button detectors
that are out there work, however, one of
the pedestrian heads mounted on one of
the posts on the southeast corner was
rotated and facing the wrong way.
Pedestrians walking west on Andover
Street across Winthrop Avenue are the
ones that miss the pedestrian walk
indication when facing west at the
crossing. Additionally, because there is
the missing signal post in the northwest
corner, there are also two missing
pedestrian signal heads that were
supported on that post as well as a push
button detector.
This means that
pedestrians walking from this corner do not have the ability to call the exclusive pedestrian
phase to stop all traffic when making their crossing. Pedestrians walking to this corner do
not have “WALK” indications to guide them.
In the short term, the City should rotate the pedestrian signal head on the southeast corner to
face the correct way. (Following the RSA, on Monday, September 26, 2011, the City’s
signal maintenance group with the Lawrence fire department made that corrective action.)
Also in the short-term, the signal post on the northwest corner should be reinstalled with two
pedestrian signal heads mounted along with the two vehicular signal heads. The post should
be relocated to the back of the walk where there is a less likely chance that it will be struck
by a turning truck.
Page 21
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
• Pedestrians Crossing Against Traffic or Outside of the Crosswalks – It was observed
during the RSA that some pedestrians cross against vehicular traffic at the intersection, when
the traffic is given a green light. Some pedestrians will also make crossings outside of the
crosswalks near the intersection. The operators of vehicles, however, recognize that these
behaviors often occur and will yield to the crossing pedestrians.
If pedestrians continue to make crossings without activating the exclusive pedestrian phase,
then in the mid-term, the City should evaluate the use of concurrent pedestrian phasing that
comes up every signal cycle without activation or the use of a short (exclusive) leading
pedestrian interval before the concurrent pedestrian phasing. An evaluation should also be
made of the length of time given to the existing flashing “DON’T WALK” interval for the
pedestrian phase. The interval was measured as being 13 seconds long, which may be too
short for the slowest (15th percentile) pedestrians to cross Winthrop Avenue.
• Respect of the Red Light Indications During the Signal Phase Clearance Intervals – It
was noticed during the RSA that some vehicle operators traveling through the intersection
know that there is a significant length of time at the end of each signal phase in which red
light indications face every direction. The all red clearance portion of the signal change and
clearance intervals for both signal phases was measured as being 4 seconds long. Those
operators that have made many trips
through the intersection know of this
and some will enter and travel
through the intersection for the few
moments at the end of their signal
phase when there is that red
indication. However, this becomes a
dangerous guessing game as to when
the green indications are finally
given to the vehicles on the other
intersection approaches for the next
signal phase and if guessed wrong,
collisions may occur. From the
crash reports, it was found that a
couple of eastbound travelers on
Andover Street have collided with Winthrop Avenue through traveling vehicles because one
of the vehicles traveled through on a red light while the other had a green light.
The City should reprogram the controller with appropriate clearance intervals as soon as
possible. According to calculations from the Insitute of Transportation Engineer’s Traffic
Engineering Handbook, the 3 second yellow change portion of the change and clearance
interval appears to be appropriate for both signal phases. However, the 4 second red
clearance portion of the interval is too long and should be shortened to 2.5 to 3 seconds for
both phases. The resulting operations of the intersection, from a change to 3 seconds for the
clearance interval, is presented previously in Table 5. As shown in that Table, there is a
slight decrease to the average vehicle delay at the intersection during the peak hours because
there is less time given to the red indications and more to the green.
Page 22
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
• Andover Street Approach Sun Glare – City officials have noted that during the evening,
the sun setting in the west can cause glare to westbound travelers on Andover Street and
adversely affect their visibility of the overhead signal head on the intersection approach. The
inverse is most likely true during the morning with the rising sun for eastbound travelers on
Andover Street.
Visibility of the overhead signal heads, which are supported on the mast arm assembly, can
be enhanced during the morning and evening with backplates. The mast arm foundation
should be able to support this additional load. The City should do this in the short-term with
little cost.
• Emergency Vehicle Signal Preemption – City officials have noted that the Opticom
emergency vehicle signal preemption system at the intersection is missing a confirmation
beacon. The signal maintenance group can install this in the short-term.
• Heavy Trucks Turning To and From Andover Street – Andover Street to the west of the
intersection provides access to many industrial uses within the City. A high percentage of
trucks were observed during the RSA to turn to and from Andover Street. It was also
observed that right turning tractor trailer trucks from Andover Street must cross the
centerline of Winthrop Avenue and into an opposing traffic lane to complete their maneuver.
The same is true for long wheel based trucks coming from Parker Street turning right and
crossing the centerline of Andover Street. City officials noted that a turning truck from
Parker Street, most likely looking to avoid crossing the centerline of Andover Street, had
jumped the curb in the northwest corner and knocked down the signal post.
In the short-term, the City will reinstall that signal post in a relocated postion farther back
from the curb so as to minimize the likelihood of it being struck again. In the long-term,
larger corner curb radii can be incorporated into a intersection layout redesign by the City.
Ideally, a minimum 50 foot radius curb is large enough to handle 50 foot long wheel base
trucks turning at roads intersecting at right angles. However, to determine the necessary curb
radii for the intersection geometry, a WB-50 truck turning template was overlaid on top of a
scaled photograph of the intersection. Because of the way that Andover Street aligns itself
obliquely with Winthrop Avenue and because of the wide approach lane on Andover Street
and the two receiving lanes on Winthrop Avenue, it was determined that the existing
southwest corner curb only needs to be widened from its existing 25 foot radius to 30 feet to
handle (WB-50) trucks turning right. This may or may not necessitate a taking of a very
small portion of the southwest corner parcel property, depending on the extent of the
roadway layout limits. Because of the position of the centerline on Parker Street and
Andover Street, the existing northwest corner curb radius needs to be widened from its
existing 30 foot radius to 45 feet to handle turning trucks. The widening of the radius of the
northwest corner will involve a taking of a small portion of the property on the corner,
resulting in the loss of one parking space for the existing commercial use.
Page 23
Road Safety Audit—Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Summary of Road Safety Audit
All of the safety issues and their potential safety enhancements were discussed in the previous
section. Table 8 provides a summary of the potential safety recommendations that were
discussed by the audit team. The recommendations are categorized in order of safety payoff with
their associated 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 longterm (>3 years). The costs are categorized as low (<$10,000), medium ($10,001 to $50,000), or
high (>$50,001).
Page 24
Road Safety Audit— Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Table 8. Potential Safety Enhancement Summary
Safety Issue
Conflict management
between Winthrop Avenue
left-turning vehicles and
Parker Street through
traveling vehicles
Winthrop Avenue
westbound lane drop
Potential Safety Enhancement
Safety Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible Agency
Medium
Short-Term
Medium
City
High
Mid-Term
Medium
City
Stripe Parker Street approach for
one lane to move through traveling
vehicles away from left-turners. (2)
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Provide advance signing for
Winthrop Avenue lane control. (3)
Medium
Mid-Term
Medium
City
Perform a study of the merging of
the two westbound travel lanes to
one by striping.
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Provide advance signing for
Winthrop Avenue lane control. (3)
Medium
Mid-Term
Medium
City
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Redesign intersection; take all or
part of property on northeast
corner to widen the edge of
roadway for a larger corner curb
radius and transitional taper on
Parker Street.
High
Long-Term
High
City
Stripe Parker Street approach for
one lane of traffic, rather than the
current use as two lanes. (2)
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Post a Curve Ahead warning sign
on the Parker Street approach.
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Install far side signal post (with
existing phasing) for increased
visibility to left-turners.(1)
Provide either protected only or
protected/permitted phasing for
Winthrop Av. left-turning vehicles
with associated signal heads.
Repaint faded left turn arrow and
Winthrop Avenue approach
“ONLY” markings in left turn lane.
lane usage confusion
Remove sign clutter on Winthrop
Avenue approach so left turn lane
signs stand out.
Alignment of Winthrop
Avenue with Parker Street
Page 25
Road Safety Audit— Route 114 (Winthrop Avenue and Parker Street) at Andover Street – Lawrence, MA
Prepared by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Safety Issue
Potential Safety Enhancement
Safety Payoff
Time Frame
Cost
Responsible Agency
Parker Street approach
wide lane
Stripe Parker Street approach for a
narrower lane and a wide shoulder
separated by and edge line. (2)
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Trim tree branches to increase
visibility of mast arm signal head.
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Install signal post with second
head on northwest corner. (1)
Medium
Short-Term
Medium
City
Rotate pedestrian head on the
southwest corner post to face east.
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Pedestrian crossing signal
heads
Install signal post supporting two
vehicle heads and two pedestrian
heads and push buttons on the
northwest corner. (1)
Medium
Short-Term
Medium
City
Pedestrians crossing
against traffic or outside of
the crosswalks
Evaluate the use of concurrent
pedestrian phasing or LPI that
does not require activation.
Medium
Mid-Term
Low
City
Respect of the red light
indications during the
signal phase clearance
intervals
Revise clearance interval times to
the amount required based on ITE.
Medium
Short-Term
Low
City
Andover Street approach
sun glare
Install back plates on the signal
heads Andover Street.
Low
Short-Term
Low
City
Emergency Vehicle Signal
Preemption
Install confirmation beacon to
Opticom system already in place.
Low
Short-Term
Low
City
Reinstall signal post in relocated
position at the back edge of walk
on the northwest corner to
minimize likelihood of collision. (1)
Low
Short-Term
Medium
City
Widen northwest and southwest
corner curb radii to handle turning
trucks.
Low
Long-Term
High
City
Andover Street westbound
approach signal indication
Heavy trucks turning right
to and right from Andover
Street
Repeat potential safety improvements include: (1) Install signal post on northwest corner in relocated position with two signal heads and two pedestrian heads.
(2) Stripe Parker Street approach for one lane and a wide shoulder separated by an edge line.
(3) Provide advance signing indicating lane usage for Winthrop Avenue westbound vehicles.
Page 26
Appendix A. RSA Meeting Agenda
Road Safety Audit
LAWRENCE – Rt. 28 at Water & Canal/Rt. 114 at Andover
Meeting Location: St. Patrick’s Parish Hall
118 South Broadway, Lawrence, MA
Thursday, September 22, 2011
10:00 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!!
10:00 AM
Welcome and Introductions
10:15 AM
Review of Site Specific Material
• Crash, Speed & Volume Summaries– provided in advance
• Existing Geometries and Conditions
10:45 AM
Visit the Sites
• Drive to the intersections
• As a group, identify areas for improvement
11:30 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 the 22nd, participants are encouraged to drive
through the intersection 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
Participating Audit Team Members
Date:
Sept. 22, 2011
Location: St. Patrick’s Parish Hall, 118 S. Broadway, Lawrence, MA
Audit Team Members Agency/Affiliation
Email Address
Phone Number
Dan McCarthy
Lawrence Planning
dmccarthy@cityoflawrence.com (978) 620-3505
Andrew Wall
Lawrence Engineering
awall@cityoflawrence.com
(978) 620-3090
Promise Otaluka
FHWA – MA Division
promise.otaluka@fhwa.dot.gov
(617) 494-2528
Eugene Scanlon
Lawrence Police Dept.
escanlon@lawpd.com
(978) 794-5900
ext. 584
Bud Dorgan
Lawrence Fire Department mdorgan@cityoflawrence.com
(978) 620-3430
Chief Jack Bergeron
Lawrence Fire Department jbergeron@cityoflawrence.com
(978) 620-3400
Lisa Schletzbaum
MassDOT
lisa.schletzbaum@state.ma.us
(617) 973-7685
Tony Komornick
MVPC
akomornick@mvpc.org
(978) 374-0519
Jim Terlizzi
MVPC
jterlizzi@mvpc.org
(978) 374-0519
Appendix C. Detailed Crash Data
SUMMARY OF POLICE AND OPERATOR REPORT CRASH NARRATIVES
Intersection crashes involving Left-Turning traffic and Route 114 through traffic:
Angle/ (Northbound Left turn onto Andover Street with Southbound Through) (8/11):
708: Operator of Parker Street through traveling vehicle struck a Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicle and fled the
scene.
710: Operator of Parker Street through traveling vehicle was struck by a Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicle.
Police report indicates that the left-turning vehicle did not yield the right of way.
808: In police report, witness states that left-turning vehicle turned in an unsafe manner (failing to yield ROW).
812: Police report indicates that the operator of Parker Street through traveling vehicle struck a Winthrop Avenue
left-turning vehicle, however, the Parker Street vehicle operator indicates that the left-turning vehicle swerved into
the through lane to make the turn.
817: Operator of Parker Street southbound traveling was initially planning to take a left (with a turn signal
indication), but instead went straight and collided with a Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicle.
818: Operator of one vehicle arrested for DUI.
905: Left-turning vehicle struck in rear passenger side. Operator of left-turning vehicle left before police arrived.
906: Operator of Parker Street southbound traveling collided with Winthrop Avenue left-turning vehicle.
Angle/ (Andover Street eastbound through with Northwestbound Through) (2/3):
801: Winthrop Avenue through vehicle operator claims to have green light and Andover Street through vehicle
operator went through intersection on red.
803: According to the police report, a witness corroborates the Winthrop Avenue through vehicle operator claims
that he had a green light and Andover Street through vehicle operator went through intersection after the Andover
Street indication had just turned red.
Winthrop Avenue (northwestbound) Approach:
Rear-ends (8/9):
805: Car was rear-ended in the left-turn lane.
814: Operator of trailing car was distracted by a bee and rear-ended leading vehicle in the left turn lane.
820: Vehicle rear-ended another vehicle in the through lane when the lead vehicle stopped to allow a police car,
with its emergency lights flashing, to proceed through the intersection coming from Andover Street.
901: Vehicle rear-ended another vehicle in the left-turn lane.
904: Vehicle rear-ended another vehicle in the left-turn lane. Lead vehicle stopped to allow an unmarked police
cruiser, with its emergency lights flashing, to proceed through the intersection coming eastbound from the
westbound departure lane.
908: Car was rear-ended in the curb/through lane.
909: Vehicle rear-ended another vehicle in the left-turn lane.
912: Vehicle rear-ended another vehicle in the left-turn lane. Lead vehicle was stopped at a red light and the rear-
ending vehicle operator tried to stop, but could not.
Side swipe (1/1):
810: Operator of vehicle in left-turn lane on the Winthrop Avenue approach was behind three cars queued and
waiting to turn left and went into the through lane to go around, striking the side of a through traveling vehicle in the
curb lane/through lane. (Left lane driver confused and initially thought the left turn lane was a through lane?)
Parker Street (northbound) Receiving:
Side swipe (1/1):
813: Operator of vehicle in left-turn lane on the Winthrop Avenue approach traveled straight through and struck the
side of a bumper of a through traveling vehicle in the curb lane/through lane.
Winthrop Avenue Southbound Departure Lanes:
Ran Off Road (2/2):
903: Vehicle ran off the road and hit a utility pole.
907: Vehicle avoided drag racing vehicles and ran off the road and went through a fence at Top Donut.
Andover Street eastbound Approach:
Rear Ends (2/7):
807: Vehicle following too close.
911: Vehicle in front stopped for traffic and got rear-ended.
MassHighway Crash Report for LAWRENCE in the year 2007
Crash
Date
Crash
Time
Crash
Severity
Number Total
Total Manner
of
Nonfatal Fatal of
Vehicle Action
Vehicles Injuries Injuries Collision Prior to Crash
Property
damage
30-Jan­
only (none
2007
10:30 AM injured)
2
Property
damage
14-Feb­
only (none
2007
8:45 AM injured)
2
Property
damage
20-Mar­
only (none
2007
5:00 PM injured)
4
Property
damage
28-Mar­
only (none
2007
12:00 PM injured)
3
Property
damage
03-Apr­
only (none
2007
9:00 AM injured)
2
0
0
0
0
0
0 Angle
V1: Collision with
V1: Turning left /
motor vehicle in traffic
V2:Travelling
V1:Westbound / V2: Collision with
straight ahead / V2:Eastbound motor vehicle in traffic
V1: Travelling
straight ahead /
V2:Travelling
0 Angle
straight ahead
V1: Slowing or
stopped in traffic
/ V2:Slowing or
stopped in traffic
/ V3:Slowing or
stopped in traffic
/ V4:Slowing or
0 Rear-end stopped in traffic
V1:Eastbound /
V2:Southbound
V1:Eastbound /
V2:Eastbound /
V3:Eastbound /
V4:Eastbound
Road
Surface Ambient
Condition Light
V1: Passenger car
/ V2:Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires Dry
V1: Passenger car
/ V2:Passenger car Snow
V1: Bus (seats for
more than 15
people, including
driver) /
V2:Passenger car /
V3:Passenger car /
V4:Passenger car Dry
V1: Passenger car
/ V2:Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires /
V3:Truck/trailer
Dry
0 Angle
0 Angle
V1: Collision with
V1: Travelling
V1:Southbound motor vehicle in traffic
straight ahead / /
/ V2: Collision with
V1: Passenger car
V2:Turning left V2:Northbound motor vehicle in traffic / V2:Passenger car Wet
0
0 Angle
08-Jul­
Non-fatal
2007
4:50 PM injury
2
0 Angle
V1: Collision with
V1: Travelling
V1:Southbound motor vehicle in traffic
straight ahead / /
/ V2: Collision with
V1: Passenger car
V2:Turning left V2:Westbound motor vehicle in traffic / V2:Passenger car Wet
V1: Turning left /
V2:Slowing or
V1:Northbound
stopped in traffic / V2:Eastbound V1: Not reported / V2: V1: Passenger car
/ V3:Not
Not reported / V3: Not / V2:Passenger car
/ V3:Not
reported
/ V3:Not reported Dry
reported
reported
V1: Light truck(van,
V1: Collision with
mini-van, panel,
V1: Travelling
V1:Southbound motor vehicle in traffic pickup, sport utility)
straight ahead / /
/ V2: Collision with
with only four tires /
V2:Turning left V2:Northbound motor vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car Dry
V1: Collision with
V1: Turning left / V1:Westbound motor vehicle in traffic
V1: Passenger car
/ V2: Collision with
V2:Travelling
/
/ V2:Passenger
car Dry
straight ahead V2:Southbound motor vehicle in traffic V1:
Lig ht truck (van,
19-Jul­
Non-fatal
2007
11:30 AM injury
2
3
0 Angle
26-Aug­
Non-fatal
2007
4:55 PM injury
2
2
0 Angle
0
V1: Slowing or
stopped in traffic
/ V2:Slowing or V1:Eastbound /
0 Rear-end stopped in traffic V2:Eastbound
Property
damage
11-Oct­
only (none
2007
8:30 PM injured)
2
V1: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
/ V2: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
V1: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
/ V2: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
/ V3: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
/ V4: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
Vehicle
Configuration
V1: Collision with
V1:Westbound motor vehicle in traffic
V1: Turning left / /
/ V2: Collision with
V2:Turning left / V2:Westbound motor vehicle in traffic
V3:Slowing or
/ V3:Not
/ V3: Collision with
stopped in traffic reported
motor vehicle in traffic
Property
damage
16-May­
only (none
2007
7:40 PM injured)
2
3
Vehicle Travel
Directions
Most Harmful Events
V1: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
/ V2: Collision with
motor vehicle in traffic
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires /
V2:Passenger car Wet
V1: Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
V1: Collision with
V1: Travelling
motor vehicle in traffic pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires /
straight ahead / V1:Northbound / V2: Collision with
V2:Turning left / V2:Eastbound motor vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car Dry
Property
damage
10-Dec­
only (none
2007
4:50 PM injured)
2
0
0 Angle
16-Dec­
2007
10:17 PM Fatal injury 1
0
V1:Not
V1: Not reported reported
1 Not reported
V1: Collision with
pedestrian
V1: Not reported
Daylight
Daylight
Daylight
Daylight
Daylight
Distance
from
At
Nearest
Weather Roadway Roadway
Condition Intersection Intersection
Clear
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
Snow
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
Clear
ANDOVER
STREET /
PARKER
STREET
Rte 114
Clear
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
Rain
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
ANDOVER
Dark ­
STREET /
lighted
Cloudy/R PARKER
roadway ain
STREET
WINTHRO
P AVENUE
/
ANDOVER
STREET
Daylight Clear
Daylight
Daylight
ANDOVER
Clear/Cle STREET /
ar
Rte 114
ANDOVER
STREET /
WINTHRO
Clear
P AVENUE
ANDOVER
Dark ­
STREET /
lighted
Rain/Clo PARKER
roadway udy
STREET
Dusk
Cloudy
Not
Not
reported Reported
Not reported
5
WINTHROP
AVENUE /
ANDOVER
STREET
PARKER
STREET
Rte 114 /
WINTHROP
MassDOT Crash Report for LAWRENCE for the year 2008
Crash
Date
Crash
Time
Crash
Severity
Number Total
T otal
of
Nonfatal Fatal
Manner of Vehicle Action
Vehicles Injuries Injuries Collision Prior to Crash
28-Jan­
Non-fatal
2008
5:00 AM injury
2
Property
damage
only
(none
28-Jan­
2008
1:45 PM injured)
2
04-FebNot
2008
1:30 PM Reported 2
Property
damage
only
(none
04-Feb2008
3:50 PM injured)
Property
damage
only
07-Mar­
(none
2008
8:15 PM injured)
Property
damage
only
(none
12-Mar­
2008
4:00 PM injured)
28-Mar­ 10:25
2008
PM
2
2
2
Unknown 2
24-Apr­
2008
6:35 AM Unknown 2
12-May­
Non-fatal
2008
4:50 PM injury
2
14-May­
Non-fatal
2008
9:15 AM injury
2
Property
damage
only
(none
02-Jun­
2008
4:07 AM injured)
03-Jun­ 12:29
2008
PM
05-Jun­ 11:20
2008
AM
2
Non-fatal
injury
2
Property
damage
only
(none
injured)
2
05-Jun­
Non-fatal
2008
3:50 PM injury
3
02-Aug- 10:39
AM
2008
Property
damage
only
(none
injured)
2
24-AugNon-fatal
2008
1:46 PM injury
2
07-Dec­
Non-fatal
2008
1:20 PM injury
2
11-Dec­
Non-fatal
2008
4:30 AM injury
2
Property
damage
only
(none
12-Dec­
2008
7:45 AM injured)
2
3
0
V1: Slowing or
stopped in traffic
/ V2:T ravelling
0 Rear-end straight ahead
0 Angle
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:Not reported
V1: T urning left /
V2:T ravelling
straight ahead
0
0 Angle
0
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:Slowing or
0 Rear-end stopped in traffic
0
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:T ravelling
0 Rear-end straight ahead
0
0
0
1
2
0
1
0
5
0
1
1
1
0
V1:Eastbound /
V2:Eastbound
Distance
from
Road
Nearest
Most Harmful
Vehicle
Surface
Ambient Weather At Roadway Roadway
Events
Configuration
Condition Light
Condition Intersection Intersection
PARKER
ST REET
Rte 114 /
V1: Not reported
/ V2: Not
V1: Passenger car /
WINT HROP
reported
V2:Passenger car
Dry
Dusk
Clear
AVENUE
V1:Eastbound /
V2:Northbound
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic /
V2: Not reported
Vehicle T ravel
Directions
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires
Snow
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Light truck(van,
V1: Not reported mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
V1:Eastbound / / V2: Not
with only four tires
Dry
reported
V2:Eastbound
V1: Collision
with motor
V1: Passenger car /
vehicle in traffic / V2:Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
V2: Collision
V1:Northbound / with motor
pickup, sport utility)
V2:Northbound
Dry
vehicle in traffic with only four tires
V1:Westbound /
V2:Westbound
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic /
V2: Collision
with motor
V1: Passenger car /
vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car
Wet
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:T ravelling
0 Rear-end straight ahead
V1:Eastbound /
V2:Eastbound
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Light truck(van,
V1: Not reported mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
/ V2: Not
with only four tires
Wet
reported
Single
vehicle
0 crash
V1: T urning left /
V2:T ravelling
straight ahead
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic /
V2: Collision
V1: Single-unit truck
(2-axle, 6-tire) /
V1:Northbound / with motor
V2:Southbound vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car
Not
0 reported
V1: T urning left /
V2:Leaving traffic V1:Eastbound /
lane
V2:Southbound
0 Angle
V1: Not reported
/ V2: Not
V1: Passenger car /
reported
V2:Passenger car
Dry
Daylight Clear
3
WINT HROP
AVENUE
Dark ­
lighted
roadway Rain
PARKER
ST REET
Rte 114 W /
WINT HROP
AVENUE
Daylight Rain
PARKER
ST REET
Rte 114 /
WINT HROP
AVENUE
Dark ­
lighted
roadway Rain
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
PARKER
ST REET
Rte 114 /
WINT HROP
AVENUE
Daylight Clear
Daylight Clear
V1: T urning left /
V2:T ravelling
straight ahead
WINT HROP
AVENUE /
Clear/Cle ANDOVER
STREET
Daylight ar
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:T ravelling
straight ahead
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic / V1: Passenger car /
V2:Unknown heavy
V2: Collision
V1:Northbound / with motor
truck, cannot
V2:Northbound
Dry
vehicle in traffic classify
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:T ravelling
straight ahead
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:T ravelling
0 Rear-end straight ahead
V1: Entering
traffic lane /
V2:T ravelling
straight ahead
Dry
Dry
Wet
Wet
Dry
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic /
V2: Collision
V1:Southbound / with motor
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Northbound
vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car
Dry
V1: Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires /
V2:Light truck(van,
V1: Not reported mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
V1:Northbound / / V2: Not
with only four tires
V2:Northbound
reported
V1:Not reported
V1: Not reported / V2:Not
0 Rear-end / V2:Not reported reported
0 Angle
Daylight Cloudy
PARKER
ST REET
Rte 114 /
WINT HROP
AVENUE
V1: Collision
with motor
V1: Light truck(van,
vehicle in traffic / mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
V2: Collision
with only four tires /
V1:Northbound / with motor
V2:Southbound vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car
V1: Not reported
V1: Not reported V1:Northbound / / V2: Not
V1: Passenger car /
0 Rear-end / V2:Not reported V2:Northbound
reported
V2:Passenger car
V1: Passenger car /
V1: T ravelling
V2:Light truck(van,
straight ahead /
V1: Not reported mini-van, panel,
V2:T ravelling
V1:Westbound / / V2: Not
pickup, sport utility)
V2:Westbound
0 Rear-end straight ahead
with only four tires
reported
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic /
V1: T ravelling
V2: Collision
V1: Light truck(van,
straight ahead /
with motor
mini-van, panel,
V2:Slowing or
vehicle in traffic / pickup, sport utility)
stopped in traffic V1:Southbound / V3: Collision
with only four tires /
/ V3:Slowing or
V2:Southbound / with motor
V2:Passenger car /
0 Rear-end stopped in traffic V3:Southbound vehicle in traffic V3:Passenger car
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic /
V1: T urning left /
V2: Collision
V2:T ravelling
V1:Northbound / with motor
V1: Passenger car /
0 Angle
straight ahead
V2:Southbound vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car
0 Head-on
ANDOVER
STREET /
Cloudy/S WINT HROP
AVENUE
now
V1: Collision
with motor
vehicle in traffic /
V2: Collision
V1:Southbound / with motor
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Southbound vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car
Dry
V1: T ravelling
straight ahead /
V2:T ravelling
0 Rear-end straight ahead
0 Head-on
Wet
Other
V1:Eastbound /
V2:Northbound
V1: Not reported
/ V2: Not
V1: Not reported /
reported
V2:Not reported
Wet
Dry
V1: Collision
with motor
V1: Passenger car /
vehicle in traffic / V2:Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
V2: Collision
pickup, sport utility)
with motor
Wet
vehicle in traffic with only four tires
Distance
from
Nearest
Milemarker
Daylight Clear
Daylight Clear
WINT HROP
AVENUE /
ANDOVER
STREET
ANDOVER
STREET /
PARKER
STREET
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
Daylight Cloudy
PARKER
ST REET
Rte 114 /
WINT HROP
AVENUE
Daylight Cloudy
PARKER
ST REET
Rte 114 /
WINT HROP
AVENUE
Daylight Cloudy
WINT HROP
AVENUE /
ANDOVER
STREET
Daylight Clear
ANDOVER
STREET /
PARKER
STREET
Rte 114
WINT HROP
AVENUE
Rte 114 /
ANDOVER
ST REET
Daylight Cloudy
Dark ­
lighted
roadway Cloudy
ANDOVER
STREET /
PARK
STREET /
PARKER
STREET
ANDOVER
STREET /
Rain/Rai PARKER
STREET
Daylight n
10 feet N
from Rte
114
Milemarker
222.0
MassDOT Crash Report for LAWRENCE for the year 2009
Crash
Date
Crash
Time
30-Mar­ 12:45
2009
PM
Crash
Severity
Property
damage
only (none
injured)
2
Property
damage
only (none
01-May­
2009
8:00 AM injured)
3
Non-fatal
02-May­
2009
7:45 AM injury
28-May­ 11:10
2009
AM
1
Property
damage
only (none
injured)
2
Property
damage
08-Jun­
only (none
2009
7:15 AM injured)
2
22-Sep­ 12:15
2009
PM
Non-fatal
injury
2
Property
damage
04-Oct­
only (none
2009
1:50 AM injured)
1
Property
damage
28-Oct­
only (none
2009
3:40 PM injured)
2
Property
damage
only (none
28-Oct­
2
2009
5:35 PM injured)
Property
damage
16-Nov­
only (none
2009
9:19 AM injured)
2
21-Dec­ 12:40
2009
PM
0
Vehicle
Most Harmful Events Configuration
V1: Light truck(van,
V1: Collision with
mini-van, panel,
V1: Slowing or
stopped in traffic
motor vehicle in traffic pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires /
/ V2:Travelling V1:Southbound / V2: Collision with
Rear-end straight ahead / V2:Northbound motor vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car Wet
Distance from
Nearest
At Roadway Roadway
Intersection Intersection
PARKER
STREET Rte
114 /
WINTHROP
AVENUE
Daylight Cloudy/Rain
0
V1: Collision with
V1: Slowing or
stopped in traffic
motor vehicle in traffic
/ V2:Slowing or
/ V2: Collision with
stopped in traffic V1:Eastbound / motor vehicle in traffic V1: Passenger car /
/ V3:Travelling V2:Eastbound / / V3: Collision with
V2:Passenger car /
Rear-end straight ahead V3:Eastbound motor vehicle in traffic V3:Passenger car Wet
PARKER
STREET Rte
114 /
WINTHROP
AVENUE
0
Single
vehicle
crash
0
V1: Collision with
V1: Travelling
motor vehicle in traffic
straight ahead /
V2:Travelling
V1:Northbound / / V2: Collision with
Rear-end straight ahead V2:Northbound motor vehicle in traffic
Total
Number Total
of
Nonfatal Fatal Manner of Vehicle Action
Vehicles Injuries Injuries Collision Prior to Crash
Property
damage
only (none
injured)
2
0
0
2
V1: Travelling
straight ahead
Vehicle Travel
Directions
Road
Surface Ambient Weather
Condition Light
Condition
V1: Collision with
V1:Southbound motor vehicle in traffic V1: Passenger car Wet
Angle
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires Wet
V1: Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires /
V2:Light truck(van,
V1: Not reported
mini-van, panel,
/ V2:Not
V1:Westbound / V1: Not reported / V2: pickup, sport utility)
reported
V2:Eastbound Not reported
with only four tires Dry
0
Angle
V1: Collision with
V1: Travelling
motor vehicle in traffic
straight ahead /
V1:Southbound / V2: Collision with
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Travelling
straight ahead / V2:Northbound motor vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car Dry
0
0
Single
vehicle
crash
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
V1: Collision with
V1: Travelling
overhead sign
straight ahead V1:Southbound support
V1: Passenger car
V1: Collision with
V1: Turning left /
motor vehicle in traffic
V1:Southbound / V2: Collision with
V1: Passenger car /
V2:Travelling
Rear-end straight ahead / V2:Northbound motor vehicle in traffic V2:Passenger car
V1: Travelling
straight ahead / V1:Not reported
V2:Travelling
/ V2:Not
V1: Not reported / V2: V1: Not reported /
straight ahead reported
Not reported
V2:Passenger car
Angle
V1: Light truck(van,
mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
with only four tires /
V1: Collision with
V2:Light truck(van,
V1: Travelling
straight ahead /
motor vehicle in traffic mini-van, panel,
pickup, sport utility)
V2:Travelling
V1:Eastbound / / V2: Collision with
Rear-end straight ahead V2:Eastbound motor vehicle in traffic with only four tires
V1: Passenger car /
V1: Collision with
V2:Light truck(van,
V1: Slowing or
motor vehicle in traffic mini-van, panel,
stopped in traffic
pickup, sport utility)
/ V2:Travelling V1:Northbound / / V2: Collision with
Rear-end straight ahead V2:Northbound motor vehicle in traffic with only four tires
Wet
Wet
Wet
Dry
Dry
Daylight Rain/Cloudy
Daylight Clear
ANDOVER
STREET /
WINTHROP
AVENUE
Daylight Rain
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
Daylight Clear
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
STREET
PARKER
STREET /
ANDOVER
Daylight Clear/Clear STREET
ANDOVER
Dark ­
STREET /
lighted
PARKER
roadway Clear/Clear STREET
ANDOVER
STREET /
PARKER
Daylight Rain
STREET
ANDOVER
STREET /
PARKER
Daylight Rain/Cloudy STREET
PARKER
STREET Rte
114 /
WINTHROP
AVENUE
Daylight Clear
Daylight Clear
WINTHROP
AVENUE /
ANDOVER
STREET
Appendix D. Roadway Speed Data
Appendix E. Daily and Peak Period Traffic
Count Data
Appendix F. Crash Rate Calculation
Appendix G. Intersection Operations
Analysis Methodology and Results
OPERATIONS ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY
Level of Service
A primary result of capacity analyses is the assignment of level of service to traffic facilities
under various traffic flow conditions. Level of service is a qualitative measure describing
operational conditions within a traffic stream and the perception of these conditions by motorists
and/or passengers. A level of service definition provides an index to the quality of traffic flow in
terms of such factors as speed, travel time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, comfort,
convenience, and safety.
Six levels of service are defined for each type of facility. They are given letter designations from
A to F, with level-of-service (LOS) A representing the best operating conditions and LOS F
representing the worst.
Since the level of service of a traffic facility is a function of the traffic flows placed upon it, such
a facility may operate at a wide range of levels of service, depending on the time of day, day of
week, or period of year.
Signalized Intersections
The six levels of service for signalized intersections may be described as follows:
•
LOS A describes operations with very small delay; most vehicles do not stop at all.
•
LOS B describes operations with relatively small delay; however, more vehicles stop
than LOS A.
•
LOS C describes operations with higher delays. Individual cycle failures may begin
to appear in this level. The number of vehicles stopping is significant at this level,
although many still pass through the intersection without stopping.
•
LOS D describes operations with delay in the range where the influence of
congestion becomes more noticeable. Many vehicles stop and individual cycle
failures are noticeable.
•
LOS E describes operations with high delay values. Individual cycle failures are
frequent occurrences.
•
LOS F describes operations with high delay values that often occur with oversaturation. Poor progression and long cycle lengths may also be major contributing
causes to such delay levels.
Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation criteria used in the capacity analyses are described below.
Signalized Intersections
Levels of service for signalized intersections are calculated using the operational analysis
methodology of the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. The capacity analyses for these facilities
measures the average delay to drivers from signal control. This method assesses the effect of
signal type, timing, phasing, progression, vehicle mix, and geometrics on delay. Level-of­
service designations are based solely on the criterion of calculated control delay, also known as
signal delay. Control delay includes the initial deceleration delay, queue move-up time, stopped
delay, and final acceleration delay. Delay can also be a measure of driver discomfort,
frustration, fuel consumption, and increased travel time. Table A-1 summarizes the relationship
between level of service and delay. The tabulated delay criterion may be applied in assigning
LOS designations to individual lane groups, intersection approaches, or to entire intersections.
Table A-1
LEVEL-OF-SERVICE CRITERIA FOR
SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONSa
Level of
Service
A
B
C
D
E
F
a
Average Control Delay
(seconds per vehicle)
<=10
>10 and <=20
>20 and <=35
>35 and <=55
>55 and <=80
>80
Source: Highway Capacity Manual, HCM 2000;
Transportation Research Board; Washington, DC; 2000;
Exhibit 16-2, page 16-2.
Appendix H. Road Safety Audit References
Road Safety Audit References
Massachusetts Traffic Safety Toolbox, Massachusetts Highway Department,
www.mhd.state.ma.us/safetytoolbox.
Road Safety Audits, A Synthesis of Highway Practice. NCHRP Synthesis 336. Transportation Research
Board, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, 2004.
Road Safety Audits. Institute of Transportation Engineers and U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal
Highway Administration, www.roadwaysafetyaudits.org.
FHWA Road Safety Audit Guidelines. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
Administration, 2006.
Road Safety Audit, 2nd edition. Austroads, 2000.
Road Safety Audits. ITE Technical Council Committee 4S-7. Institute of Transportation Engineers,
February 1995.