Everett Transit Action Plan Community Meeting
Meeting Summary
LOCATION OF MEETING: Edward G. Connolly Center, 90 Chelsea Street, Everett, MA
DATE/TIME OF MEETING: April 13, 2016, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
MassDOT:
Scott Hamwey, Office of Transportation Planning
Jennifer Slesinger, Project Manager, Office of Transportation Planning
MBTA:
Tom Quattromani, MBTA Service Planning
CONSULTANTS:
Dan Berez, Nelson\Nygaard
Ralph DeNisco, Nelson\Nygaard
Cynthia Lin, Nelson\Nygaard
Regan Checchio, Regina Villa Associates
Emily Christin, Regina Villa Associates
CITY OF EVERETT:
Jay Monty
Kevin O’Donnell
Tom Philbin
Catherine Rollins
Tony Sousa
PUBLIC ATTENDEES: see Attendance on page 7
PURPOSE:
This was the third community meeting for the Everett Transit Action Plan. The project team presented a
list of potential transit improvements (projects) and an initial evaluation of each improvement based on
project goals. Feedback will help the project team develop the draft recommendations, which will be
presented at the fourth meeting.
MEETING MATERIALS:
• PowerPoint presentation (posted on project website)
• Short and Mid/Long Term Project Prescreen Results Handout
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SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION:
Jennifer Slesinger, MassDOT Project Manager, thanked everyone for attending and reviewed the
objectives for the meeting. Ms. Slesinger explained the objectives and goals of the action plan, noting
that the recommendations will take into consideration the other development projects that are ongoing
in Everett. She also noted that the short-term recommendations can be a part of the MBTA Service Plan
and that long-term recommendations will be processed through the Focus40 process – the long term
capital plan for the MBTA. She showed the project timeline and noted that the next public meeting will
be in June, and that MassDOT plans to produce the Final Report in July.
Ms. Slesinger summarized the various outreach efforts that the action plan has done to date, and
outlined some basic facts regarding public transit in Everett. She listed the four categories of
improvements that were presented at the previous meeting: service improvements, new and expanded
services, major capital investments, and transit related improvements. Ms. Slesinger presented the
results on the online feedback tool that was distributed after the previous meeting. The online tool
asked for feedback on which types of projects respondents considered to be most important. She
explained that the results helped the project team develop more specific project ideas to be developed.
Ms. Slesinger explained that these projects were then put through a “prescreen,” which evaluated the
project ideas based on the goals and evaluation criteria, developed to date. Projects were rated on each
goal and then given at summary ratings. The projects were rated based on the following score system:
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“Fair” = lesser benefit for Everett
“Good” = achieves community goals
“Best” = greatest benefit for Everett
“Fair” = passes prescreen in response to community outreach
If the summary rating was “Fair,” the project did not pass the prescreen and will not be evaluated
further. Projects receiving summary ratings of “Good” and “Best” will be evaluated further. Ms.
Slesinger noted that the “Fair”score indicates that the project did not pass the prescreen initially, but
will be further evaluated because it was a project that the team recognized had strong public interest
and warranted further review.
Projects that passed the prescreen will next be analyzed more in-depth for feasibility and anticipated
consequences, and may not all be included in the final recommendations from the findings of further
analysis.
Short-Term Improvements
Ms. Slesinger reviewed the categories of short-term improvements that were developed after the
previous meeting: route modifications, route extensions, and transit emphasis corridors. She presented
the list of short-term project improvements and described the benefits of each. Details of each project
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are included in the PowerPoint presentation and a description of each project, along with its scoring, is
available as part of the handout.
Under the category of route modifications are two subcategories: “Enhance Local Access” and “Simplify
Main Street Service.” The route modifications projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
• Enhance Local Access:
o Route 109 to Salem Street – Good
o Route 110 to Sullivan Square – Good
o Streamline Route 112 – Best
o Gateway Center Shuttle – Good
• Simplify Main Street Service:
o Simplify Main Street Service – Good
The route extensions projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
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Extend Route 104 to Harvard Square – Good
Extend Main Street Service to Central Square (Route 107) – Good
The transit emphasis corridors projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
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Broadway Bus Only Lanes – Best
Off-Board Fare Collection Pilot at Sullivan Station – Best
Signal Re-Timing – Good
Unique Branding for Broadway and Main Street Services – Good
Bus Stop Consolidation – Best
New Shelters and Benches – Good
Enhanced Bus Stop Signage – Good
Real Time Information – Good
An attendee asked why the projects are proposing to make bus routes longer when there are already
issues with bus service. Ms. Slesinger said that transit priority corridors could increase bus speeds and
alleviate many of the current congestion problems.
A participant asked how the Wynn Casino development is being taken into account with the analysis of
these projects. Ralph DeNisco, Nelson\Nygaard Project Manager, said that the casino is not included in
the analysis of projects in the short-term. However, to test the medium and long-term projects, the
team is using a transportation demand model based on the year 2040, and the recommendations will be
developed in the context of the casino and other development projects.
Alex Train, a planner from the City of Chelsea’s Department of Planning and Development, expressed
opposition to rerouting or deviating service away from Admirals Hill and Soldiers Home. Ms. Slesinger
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said that any neighborhoods that would not be served directly by a streamlined Route 112 would be
evaluated further for appropriate service alternatives.
An attendee asked why the project team is proposing to remove Route 91 in the Extend Main Street
Service to Central Square project. Ms. Slesinger said that the new routing would replace Route 91 and
that it currently has low ridership, and concentrating service on Main Street would potentially allow for
increased service frequency.
A participant commented that there is heavy congestion near Sullivan Square every evening, and buses
are often backed up, so diverting Main Street service there could be problematic. Ms. Slesinger said that
one of the next ideas she will be sharing will attempt to alleviate that congestion for buses.
An attendee asked why traffic signal re-timing cannot be implemented right away. Ms. Slesinger said
that the City is working with Wynn to implement transit signal priority on Route 99.
Mid/Long Term Improvements
Ms. Slesinger reviewed the categories of mid/long term improvements that were developed after the
previous meeting: pedestrian/bike access, traffic demand management (TDM), Silver Line extension,
station improvements, rail capital projects and service improvements. She presented the list of mid/long
term project improvements and described the benefits of each. She noted that this information is also
described on the handout. She explained that these improvements are being evaluated mostly in the
Everett context as a part of this study, but if recommended for implementation, would be reviewed by
the Focus40 planning process, which will evaluate all MBTA project ideas in the context of the entire
MBTA system.
The pedestrian/bike access projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
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Northern Strand Extension – Best
Lower Broadway - Assembly Crossing – Best
Lower Broadway - Gateway Center Connection – Best
The traffic demand management (TDM) projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
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Create a Transportation Management Association (TMA) – Good
Ms. Slesinger noted that this would be a non-MBTA project, and could involve Everett
employers creating their own TMA or shuttles, or providing MBTA subsidies.
Route 99 Congestion Management – Good
Ms. Slesinger noted this could involve tolling on Route 99, but Everett residents could possibly
receive a discount.
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The Silver Line extension projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
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Revere Beach Parkway Busway – Good
Rail Right of Way and Busway – Good (removed from further analysis due to expected similarity
of model results to Revere Beach Parkway alignment which scored higher)
Broadway/Ferry Street Hybrid Service – Good
Rail Right of Way and Lower Broadway Bus Lanes – Good (removed from further analysis due
to expected similarity to Broadway/Ferry Street Hybrid service and duplication of service on
Lower Broadway)
While all four could be good projects, the project team determined that it only makes sense to advance
the two with the most ridership potential for further review.
The station improvements project and its prescreen score is listed below:
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Sullivan Square Reconstruction – Good
The rail capital projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
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Orange Line Spur to Glendale Square – Fair
Broadway Streetcar – Fair
Saugus DMU Service – Fair
New Infill Commuter Rail Station – Fair
River’s Edge Infill Station – Good
The service improvements projects and their prescreen scores are listed below:
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Additional Peak/Off-Peak Service – Best
Ms. Slesinger noted that there would be a need for a new maintenance facility to accommodate
adding any buses to the system, but rerouting could happen sooner if the MBTA finds that it can
transfer service from low performing routes to Everett as part of an upcoming service plan.
Express Route to Downtown Boston – Fair
Traffic congestion concerns and the potential need to for many riders to still make a transfer at
Haymarket to reach their final destination caused this to not appear to be a high impact project.
It will be further evaluated, however, as it was a project of interest in previous public outreach.
Ms. Slesinger reviewed the next steps for the project, which include testing the prescreened projects in
a traffic demand model. The project team will present draft recommendations at the next meeting in
June. She said the presentation for this meeting will be posted on the project website, and encouraged
attendees to share any further questions and feedback to her email (Jennifer.slesinger@state.ma.us) or
call 857-368-9800.
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Ms. Slesinger opened the meeting for additional questions and comment.
DISCUSSION:
An attendee commented that the escalators and elevators at Sullivan Square need to be updated, and
the handicap reserve seats should be monitored more closely to be open for passengers who need
them. Ms. Slesinger thanked him for his comment.
A participant asked how the project team is going to convince commuters to not use automobiles. Ms.
Slesinger said that there are several short-term mitigations to improve public transit in Everett, and
there are working groups like the Lower Mystic Working Group that is working to revitalize the
waterfront for pedestrians and bicyclists.
An attendee asked why real time information is not available at all bus shelters. Ms. Slesinger said that
real time information is one of the short-term projects being considered, and is already being installed
at many rapid transit stations.
Ms. Slesinger thanked everyone for their comments, and encouraged attendees to and share further
feedback with project staff.
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Everett Transit Action Plan Community Meeting
Attendance from sign in sheet
Karl Allen
Guerline Ally
Ray Bennett, Office of Representative Capuano
Stephanie Cheah
Brendan Cloyston
Carl Colson
Paul Dalrymple
James Dolan
Jarod Evenson
Judy Heaton
Bruce Kaplan
Eunice Kim
Andrea Leary
Jackie Miller
Belguedari Mohamed
Jo Oltman
Albert Puey
Jeffrey C. Raposo
Katie Rosa
David A. Senatillaka
Jeffrey Smith
Mike Stanley
Giuppi Tozzi
Marie Tozzi
Alex Train
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