Worcester Plans Big Road Safety Upgrades, First For New Department

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester's new Department of Transportation and Mobility has released its first set of plans targeting three wide, speedy and dangerous roads in the city for safety upgrades in the coming months.

Worcester Commissioner of Transportation and Mobility Steve Rolle sent the city council a packet of plans this week for upgrades aimed at improving safety for all road users along Burncoat, Grove and Stafford streets. The work would get underway this season alongside the city's annual repaving projects.

Rolle took charge of the new department last summer, forming the city's first ever transportation organization outside the umbrella of the Department of Public Works and Parks. The goal of the DTM: safety, equity and sustainability, Rolle has said.

The plans sent to council this week will mean major changes for some of the most heavily used roadways in the city — routes where drivers often speed, putting other road users like pedestrians and cyclists at risk.

One of Rolle's proposals targets Stafford Street, the wide corridor where a driver hit a 5-year-old girl and her mother in a crosswalk in April 2022. She died a month after the collision, leading to a push for change along a road where drivers cruise at speeds approaching 50 mph. The driver who hit Candice Asare-Yeboah has been charged with vehicular homicide.

Here are some improvements coming soon to Worcester streets:

Burncoat Street: Mountain Street to Randolph Road (2 miles)
Main problem: Speeding, with about 15% of drivers at 38 mph or higher on average.
Proposed improvements: Newly marked lanes with a maximum width of 11 feet; new accessible curbs and sidewalks; up to five new crosswalks with rapid flashing beacons (minimum of 3), including near Thorndyke Road Elementary; possible new street trees where sidewalks are at least 8 feet wide. The department is also planning to meet with residents in May and June about "how best to allocate street space" with bike lanes a possible option.

Grove Street: Forest Street to Holden Street (0.35 miles)
Main problem: More travel lanes than needed, which leads to speeding and aggressive driving.
Proposed improvements: Reducing four travel lanes to two; fully accessible sidewalks; a rapid flashing beacon at the Morgan Landing park; new bike lanes and parking near the park. Addition of flashing beacon at Nelson Place also possible.

Stafford Street: Heard Street to the Leicester line, and Main Street to Heard Street (1.5 miles)
Main problem: Speeding, with about 15% of drivers at speeds near 50 mph. The street also has crashes at double the statewide average for similar roadways. In five years, eight crashes have happened involving bicyclists or pedestrians.
Proposed improvements: Lines will be repainted to thin the travel lanes to 10-1/2 to 11 feet (road is 44 feet wide); on-street parking will be consolidated to one side only; bike lanes will be added along the length of the corridor with a buffer between parked cars and traffic; new crossings will be added, including curb extensions to increase pedestrian visibility; up to seven rapid flashing beacons will be added at crosswalks, but four at minimum.

Other projects: Worcester is also planning upgrades along Mill and Main streets, although full details were not part of what council is set to review.

In his memo to council, Rolle noted that DTM raced to get these three streets designed in time for resurfacing in the spring and summer months. But he expects to add more than 12 miles of bike, pedestrian and traffic-calming measures as part of future resurfacing projects.