Longtime concerns about the safety of the intersection of Boston and College avenues have resulted in a state-approved plan to reconfigure and update the street this summer, making it safer for both drivers and pedestrians.
Two students sustained minor injuries last week after being hit by a van while attempting to cross the street. The four-way intersection, which many students cross daily to get to Cousens Gym, Halligan Hall, Curtis Hall, and the Eliot-Pearson Center for Child Development, has long been considered a dangerous location.
With only flashing red and yellow lights to guide drivers, the intersection can become a veritable free-for-all, and cars often speed through with little regard to right-of-way rules. The two streets also meet at an angle instead of a traditional cross, making it difficult for drivers to see other approaching vehicles and pedestrians.
These problems should be resolved soon, though, as years of discussions between Tufts, Medford, and the state have resulted in a plan, approved by the Massachusetts State Highway Department, to reconfigure the intersection. A bid for the construction job will be announced in early March, and work is scheduled to begin over the summer.
The traffic transportation consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., of Watertown, Mass., was hired by the city of Medford to design a plan to improve three intersections in Medford, including the site where Boston Ave. and College Ave. meet. The city also participated in drawing up the design.
According to Philip Lindsay, the firm's senior project manager, the plan will consist of putting in stoplights with individual phases for cars entering from all four directions and a separate phase for pedestrians. New signs will be erected and there will be some resurfacing of roads.
"Basically, the entire intersection is being upgraded," Lindsay said.
Members of the Tufts community have long complained about the danger of the intersection, but the issue was lost in the web of bureaucracy for some time. Collaboration with the city of Medford about 12 years ago led to the hiring of a traffic consultant to design a new plan for the intersection, but nothing came of the effort.
"We have lobbied the state and city for some time to make the intersection safer," Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel said. "Everyone was very pleased with [the plan], but it just sat on the shelf for years."
While the intersection was a top priority for the Tufts community, for years there remained other, more dangerous locations for the city to upgrade. The issue was further complicated because College Ave. crosses railroad tracks that run behind Curtis Hall, placing the street under the jurisdiction of both state and city.
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate has become vocal in its concerns about the intersection, and Treasure Michele Shelton has been in communication with state and local officials about the problems. "It's been an ongoing issue since at least 1985," she said. "I'm really happy that things are finally getting done and that Tufts students' safety won't be at risk anymore. That's the important thing."
The design process included four steps, beginning with initial data gathering and field research at the intersection. A Design Public Hearing was held in March 1999 at the Medford City Hall, and the final design has since been agreed upon. According to Lindsay, the bid was originally going to be advertised on Feb. 17, but because last-minute details still needed to be finalized, announcement of the project was postponed. Typically, a bid for construction of this type is publicized for a minimum of 30 days.
The Highway Department will have the final word on which contractor gets the bid. "Based on their review of the project, they will award the contract to the lowest qualified bidder," Lindsay said.
The funding for construction will come largely from federal aid. Much of it will be drawn from federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) program funds, which are used for projects to improve the overall traffic operation of roads. According to Lindsay, the city of Medford paid for design fees provided that the state would contribute to construction fees. He estimates that the project will cost a little less than $313,000.
Construction on the intersection should begin sometime during the summer and will be supervised by the Massachusetts Highway Department. "Depending on when they start, it will hopefully be completed by the end of the fall," said Deputy Director of Public Affairs of the Massachusetts Highway Department Steve Young. "This is a fairly simple traffic improvement."
