Public Information Meeting #1
February 24, 2016
6:00 – 8:00 PM
For more information, visit the study website:
www.mass.gov/massdot/arsenalstreet
Study Purpose
The Arsenal Street Corridor Transportation Study will evaluate existing and future multimodal transportation conditions along the Arsenal Street corridor in the Town of Watertown and its surrounding communities. This
study will develop and analyze alternatives that are intended to improve transportation conditions with a primary focus on the bus service along Arsenal Street and locations where the bus service ties into other crossing bus
routes. Alternatives will also be examined and evaluated for their impact on vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian use, land use, and cost, as well as in the context of impact on existing users of the transportation network.
1
Public Information Meeting #1
February 24, 2016
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Study Specific Goals, Objectives, and Evaluation Criteria (continued)
Study Specific Goals, Objectives, and Evaluation Criteria
GOAL/OBJECTIVES
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Goal: Improve mobility and traffic flow
 Decrease congestion and reduce delays*
 Improve system reliability
 Minimize local street impacts
 Maintain emergency vehicle and first responder mobility
Goal: Enhance safety*
 Identify, eliminate, or mitigate locations and situations that pose
hazards*
 Verify that the transportation infrastructure meets current design
standards*
 Identify structurally deficient infrastructure
Goal: Improve accessibility and connectivity for all modes
 Explore ways to reduce auto dependency*
 Seek opportunities to improve existing public transportation
services*
 Coordinate existing transit services
 Improve bike and pedestrian connections*
 Promote active transportation*







Average speeds
Delays/Level of service
Travel time improvements
Traffic demands by functional classification
Vehicle-miles traveled (VMT)
Vehicle-hours traveled (VHT)*
Transit on-time performance
 3-year crash data analysis
 High crash corridors/locations (vehicles, bikes,
pedestrians)*
 Geometric design review
 Severity of crashes
Transit travel time improvements
Transit service/schedule enhancements
Mode share*
Expanding ridesharing opportunities*
Quality and location of pedestrian/bicycle
accommodations*
 Auto ownership





Goal: Meet transportation goals while supporting economic development and improving quality of life
 Support existing and projected economic development
 Impacts to businesses (access improvements, VMT,
 Minimize negative economic effects to tax bases, and seek
increased jobs creation)
opportunities to enhance local and regional economic activity
 Tax base impacts (effects on jobs and employment)
where possible
 Impacts to residential/ schools/community facilities*
 Improve non-motorized access and connectivity between
 Qualitative indirect effects on adjacent minority and
business centers and employment centers*
disadvantaged populations (environmental justice)
 Improve access to the regional highway system
 Site access/Access management
 Avoid/minimize/mitigate social equity impacts
 Reduce travel time, improve wayfinding, enhance
 Incorporate healthy community design features*
system performance reliability*
 Prioritize alternatives by identifying their health value*
 Consider both short and long-term health benefits*
GOAL/OBJECTIVES
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Goal: Meet transportation goals while minimizing impacts to the environment
 Support smart growth, anti-sprawl initiatives*
 Impacts to natural environment (wetland/habitat/open
 Avoid/minimize/mitigate impacts to the natural environment
space/historic areas/conservation areas/others)
 Minimize greenhouse gas emissions*
 Estimated reduction of greenhouse gas emissions*
 Reduce CO and particulate matter impacts*
 Estimated reduction of CO and PM*
 Minimize transportation-related noise impacts along the corridor*
 Effects of alternatives on NOx and VOC*
 Effects of alternatives on sound levels*
Goal: Develop a range of multi-modal recommendations that support ongoing changes and have lasting benefits
 Identify solutions that include both short-term and long-term actions  Improved level of service, reduced VMT/VHT to 2035
to improve traffic flow, mobility and operational efficiency*
 Mode share, trip distribution by roadway functional
 Identify solutions that are cost-effective in the context of state
classification*
transportation planning
 Preliminary costs
 Identify solutions that comply with MAP-211 and incorporate
 MAP-211 compliance and sustainable growth
sustainable growth principles*
compatibility
 Identify solutions that meet criteria for federal funding
 Federal agency funding assessment
 Identify steps necessary to advance priority projects
Goal: Encourage consensus through an open and inclusive process
 Document and consider the input of the Working Group and the

public

 Attempt to reach reasonable consensus on study recommendations 
 Keep adjacent communities and the public informed throughout the
study

 Provide opportunities for public comment throughout the study

 Encourage feedback from traditionally underserved population(s)
Goal: Develop recommendations that target demonstrated needs
 Quantify or qualify the needs – such as safety, traffic flow, reliability
– as clearly as possible
 Provide justification for any additional recommended actions over
and above what analyses show is necessary
 Documentation of analyses and recommendations
throughout the study (Task 1 through Task 6)
* Denotes public health goal, objective, or criteria
1 This objective and evaluation criterion will be adjusted to reflect MAP-21, Grow America, or similar transportation funding bill passed in congress for Fiscal Year 2016
* Denotes public health goal, objective, or criteria
2
For more information, visit the study website:
www.mass.gov/massdot/arsenalstreet
Develop and implement Public Outreach Plan
Develop study website for public access
Ensure transparency by posting study documents on
the website (including meeting notes)
Form a diverse Working Group for the study
Encourage consensus
Contact Us: Michael Clark, MassDOT Project Manager
michael.clark@state.ma.us (857) 368-8867