Take two on street
Published on September 17th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham DPW Director Bob Grover knew something was awry on the first day of school when he walked out of his Pine Street office and immediately spied Franklin Street traffic backed up from the high school.
According to Grover the redesign of Franklin Street, combined with a handful of other factors, caused him to remark that "day one was a horror show."
"The first day was really horrible, but there were a bunch of things going on," said Grover, who then reeled off a laundry list of events that routinely gum up the thoroughfares of Stoneham. "There was an accident on I-93/128, it was raining so everyone got a ride to school, the typical first day of school kinks, Melrose has their end of Franklin Street under construction, and it was trash day."
According to Stoneham safety officer Larry Rotondi, trash collectors were "backing down Emery Court at 7 a.m. on the first day of school, and backing up traffic everywhere."
As a result, the trash contractor has been advised to choose a different window of time to collect garbage on Franklin Street during the school year.
What it boils down to is a thirty to forty-five minute trip for commuters attempting to travel down Franklin Street between 7:30-8 a.m. School and town officials both agreed that the traffic in the following weeks hasn't been as bad as the fateful first day, but could still be improved.
"My perception is that it was better the second week of school," said Stoneham Super-intendant Dr. Joseph Connelly. "According to Stoneham High School Principal Tom Ryan, it hasn't been a problem the second week of school. Larry Rotondi has re-sequenced the traffic lights to keep the cars from backing up."
Connelly also hadn't heard of any problems spilling over into the commute of Colonial Park School students.
In addition to the random factors that conspired to jam up the first day traffic, the lights at the end of the Stoneham High School driveway represented a more persistent problem.
Franklin Street, in its current configuration, provides only one lane of travel for motorists travelling easterly on Franklin Street to the high school. If even one vehicle is heading straight into Melrose from Stoneham and catches the red light, the high school-destined cars are stacked in a traffic quagmire.
According to Grover and Rotondi, the problem can be addressed first temporarily and then on a more permanent basis.
"We took some measurements and agreed that we could do it (put a stack lane for 3-4 cars heading east into Melrose)," said Grover. "Mass Highway state engineers were also there with us, but they said they couldn't do the work under their current contract."
"We could ask the State to make the change, but it could take...well, I'm not going to get into it," added Grover of slightly altering the $3 million Franklin Street facelift. "Once the street is turned over to the town, we can make whatever changes we want."
Grover estimated that the Town of Stoneham could accept Franklin Street and take ownership of the road by Oct. 1. The town would then grind down the thermal plastic cross-hatch (striped island) in the middle of the intersection, construct two 11 foot traffic lanes, and high school commuters will be to make the right into the high school.
Connelly hoped that some signage could also ease the potentially troublesome traffic spot.
"I'd like to see a right lane for right turn only sign. Unless there's a sign there, you'll also get the occasional motorist stuck in there that's going straight," said Connelly, who said he was otherwise pleased with the first full week of school. "It can't hurt the traffic flow; it can only help it."
The DPW Director estimated that the "almost cosmetic" work would cost a "ballpark" of $1000-2000.
"It'll be taken care of," said Rotondi. "The Town Fathers know about it (the traffic problem)."
Perpetually concerned resident John DeGeorge questioned the fiscal wisdom of accepting a roadway from the state that immediately needs improvements.
"I fault the State for not picking up these issues before construction," said DeGeorge. "The Town shouldn't accept this road from the state because when he (Grover) says we're going to fix it later...he's saying we're going to pay later."
DeGeorge finds that the disparate lines, "whoop-de-doo striped islands" and markings in the road are both costly and pointless, and preaches more effective use of the solitary straight traffic line. In addition, DeGeorge opines that the flow to the high school should have been priority number one.
"I'm no expert," said DeGeorge. "In the transcript, it was emphasized quite a bit by me and others that we maintain as much flow into the school as possible, so that cars could make a right turn into the high school."
According to Grover, the traffic consultant's report didn't illustrate morning traffic travelling from Stoneham past the high school to Melrose. The town was more concerned with traffic travelling west on Franklin Street from Melrose.
"I can't figure out why there's that many headed into Melrose, you know what I'm saying," said Grover. "The traffic counts didn't show a heavy flow to Melrose in the morning."
Heavy flow or no heavy flow, however, in its current configuration traffic backs up if one car heading east into Melrose is stopped at the light.
The high school traffic director is currently dealing with the snafu until the town can permanently address the problem, and Rotondi is hoping people won't dwell on the problem.
"All these Monday morning quarterbacks come around and say we should have done this or that," said Rotondi. "We know we have a problem, and we're trying to resolve it. People are going to have to try to find alternate routes unless they want to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic."
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