MassDOT To Present Plans For Burlington Route 3A Project

BURLINGTON, MA — State officials and contracted project staff will gather virtually on Thursday to discuss plans for an envisioned project impacting part of Route 3A between Burlington and Billerica.

The informational meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Officials are eyeing a 3.2 mile stretch of Route 3A between Burlington High School and the Shawsheen River in Billerica. Route 3A, also known as Cambridge Street is a state road. Under plans, the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is looking to resurface the road while revising traffic flow along the roadway itself.

Existing conditions, the state said in a recent project description, have confused drivers who may treat the corridor as either a two-lane road or a four-lane road due to an unclear lane structure.

A finished Route 3A project would solidify the road as a two-lane road with new bike lanes as well as upgraded sidewalks, bus stops and pedestrian curb ramps.

Peter Wroblewski, a civil engineer working on this project, addressed the Burlington Select Board last month, sharing some information on Route 3A plans.

He said the project will ultimately make the Route 3A corridor a safer route for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

Wroblewski further cited traffic studies that he said showed the project would likely not significantly impact traffic in the area, despite changes to lane markings.

Multiple Burlington town officials noted complaints about Route 3A under current conditions that state plans look to address.

Upcoming work, Town Planning Director Elizabeth Bonventre added, falls in line with town Master Plan recommendations to promote bike lanes and pedestrian accessibility, among other things.

Where discussion moved forward, though, some on the Select Board and in the general public last month questioned predictions that Route 3A work won’t impact traffic.

Wroblewski responded, saying project planners had looked at traffic data, opting against certain measures such as bike lane extensions in specific spots that he said would have led to increased vehicle travel times.

Burlington Police Traffic Sergeant Gerry McDonough spoke later in the meeting after Wroblewski's initial comments. Even with predictions of minimal traffic impacts, McDonough said, changes on Route 3A will require a transition period and an education effort involving local police.

“Folks have driven that corridor for decades understanding that it is two lanes,” he said. “We just want on the radar the impact that it’s going to have when that change goes from two lanes to one.”

At the street-by-street level, Wroblewski said the intersection of Route 3A and Winn Street in Burlington is one of the top 200 crash locations in the state.

Upcoming work won’t fully solve problems leading to local crash issues, Wroblewski continued. Project personnel have looked to document contributing factors at hand, though, to support any future intersection work, according to Wroblewski.

“(We’re) making sure that we’ve got it written down so that it can be addressed in the future,” he said.

The state is anticipating starting work on its Route 3A project at some point in the spring of 2023.

Those interested in attending Thursday’s Route 3A project meeting can register here.