By Jane Bradley Herlacher
(Editor’s note: This piece is in response to the March 7 Lincoln Squirrel article headlined “Repaving and more are planned for Route 2A.”)
As a homeowner living behind the Minute Man National Historical Park (MMNHP) ranger station for 35 years, I want to understand the MassDOT Route 2A Corridor Study Concepts. The study area is from the west side of I-95 in Lexington, along North Great Road and Bypass Road in Lincoln to Crosby’s Corner in Concord. For the past two and a half years, it has been disappointing that area residents were not identified as “stakeholders” and were not invited to the four stakeholder meetings. The only public link about the study is in the December 2020 issue of the Northside News. This lack of participation has never been the way Lincoln has been involved in projects of such importance.
At the October 2020 meeting, MassDOT announced that they were at the 25% design submittal stage and included the following concepts:
Traffic calming — Rotaries are proposed for Old Mass Avenue in Lexington and Hanscom Drive with slip lanes for bikes and pedestrians. Placemaking opportunities may enhance the road’s historic character, although nothing specific was shown or described.
Island treatments — Islands are suggested for the other roads even though they are designated scenic roadways exiting from rural residential areas which are separated by large reserved lands. Pedestrian/bike signs, not hardscape islands, are needed at just four proposed crosswalk locations (Brooks Road, Bedford Lane, Mill Street and Minuteman High School’s secondary driveway). No stop signs, only islands, were proposed for eastbound and westbound traffic on North Great Road at Bedford Road. The stop signs would more safely let pedestrians and bicyclists cross from the area’s only sidewalk, which is under the jurisdiction of MMNHP, not the Town of Lincoln.
Road widening — Since North Great Road is part of the Battle Road Scenic Byway and is an All-American Road (Massachusetts’s first and only federal designation as of February 2021), widening the corridor is inappropriate for this scenic road.
The repaving project must enhance the historic character of the MMNHP and the Battle Road Scenic Byway. Let’s consider:
- redesigning the intersections at Massachusetts Avenue and Forbes Road (Lexington)
- creating a rotary at Bypass Road (Lincoln) and Lexington Road (Concord)
- replacing 11 metal guardrails with wood ones
- eliminating the proposed sidewalk opposite Mill Street
- incorporating green space at exits of Mill Street and Bedford Road instead of painting the asphalt
- lowering the speed limit on North Great Road, not installing speed feedback signs
- removing the Route 2A designation from North Great Road and Bypass Road
Apparently the project is delayed because a presentation of the 25% design stage at a public meeting is now planned for Fall 2021 (not Fall 2020). At that time, will MassDoT seriously consider suggestions from Lincoln citizens? Lincoln has seen the benefit from full citizen participation in the outcome of the recent Route 2 project. Now we all ask for an open and transparent process for this project, too.
”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.