State to Correct Traffic Signal Issues on Chelmsford Street
The signals are not coordinated, causing major back-ups on Chelmsford Street.
The state this week will work to coordinate traffic signals on Chelmsford Street to alleviate the major back-ups clogging up traffic, Town Manager Paul Cohen told selectmen Monday night.
Chelmsford Street is a state roadway and as such, the signals are not controlled by the town, Cohen said.
However, Cohen said he has been in touch with the state Department of Transportation on the issue.
"The detectors are in the wrong mode and ther eis a problem in coordinating traffic as you head toward Lowell," said Cohen. "The state will be working on it again this week."
Kathleen
8:55 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Thank goodness they are fixing the lights on 110.
Now they should check out the lines on the street. I have not yet figured out how to take a left onto Evergreen Stree from 110 with the markings that were put on the Road. Also if you are at Market Basket and heading towards Chelmsford there are new lines in the road that come way out making it weird to bear right onto Dalton Road, it goes from two lanes to one and then back to two, makes it tough to just bear right and slide over to Dalton Road...
Donna Reed
9:05 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Hopefully fixing the lights on Rte. 110 will ALSO help alleviate the traffic on Rte. 4/North Road. It is now 9:00am Wednesday morning, and I've just spent 20 minutes getting from the lights at Parkhurst St./North Road to Erlin Road. It's grid-locked trying to get to Chelmsford Center....it's that way EVERY weekday during rush hour, mornings AND afternoons. It's actually rather RIDICULOUS considering all that was done to widen Rte. 3. A good percentage of the traffic we're dealing with is from NH.
And, as for the new lines added on 110 as you leave Market Basket and heading towards Dalton Road? I ignore them.
Jeff Apostolakes
10:13 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Nancy, True.... Most of the issue along Rte 4 from drum Hill to Bedford center are those north of chelmsford trying to bypass Rte 3 to get to 128 by back roads. Unfortunately its not going to go away . Towns bordering Major Routes experience the same...... Ex there are residential neighborhoods of of concord rd in Billerica that are heavily traveled to get from RTE 3 to Rte 4 to avoid the jam during the afternoon rush hour from Concord rd in Billerica to Drum Hill.........Rte 119 from Littleton to townsend is a parking lot..Just creepy
Kathleen
10:22 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
LOL
I too try to ignore the lines added as I leave Market Basket to go up Dalton.
I find if I try to follow the lines,the way they are designed, I almost get in an accident as the folks that are used to just bearing to the right and staying there do so, if I do as the lines say I almost get in an accident with folks that are still bearing right.Who designed that?? It is not safe.
John Doe
9:16 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Donna, traffic from NH has been significantly cut since back in the early 2000's mostly due to all the lights.
Unfortunately these lights are also a huge inconvenience to residents during non-rush hour traffic. But every year Chelmsfords population increases, as does westfords and billericas. This leads to more cars needing the same roads. Rt. 3 is still a parking lot during rush hour, it just doesn't back up till exit 29 instead of backing up at exit 32. Also, don't forget, NH expanded the highway already. Mass might be starting to, but the intersections of rt 3 and 95 are unchanged and that's the part that causes the entire backup.
Jeff Apostolakes
10:45 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
John correct me if I am wrong but I belive that the last census reports that growth has been pretty stagnant in Chelmsford. I think it may have even dropped by about 100 since the 2000 census. That aside, yes while the lights may cause an inconvenience ,another factor is that Chelmsford not only is a bordering town to major routes but basically is a bordering town to Tax free NH. I am sure that has some impact even on the weekends. I would caution to say that the population increase in Chelmsford is the cause. If there is one single event that takes place on any major roadways, (weekdays or weekends) Chelmsford is impacted such as billerica, Bedford etc. Speaking of growth..perhaps other towns growth impacts the volume through Chelmsford...again I point to the Chelmsford census. Maybe we should put a few of those coyotes in the middle of the roadways to ward off some ( Little light humor) Thanks for listening
Brad Rigby
12:30 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Jeff, you are correct that Chelmsford's net population decreased slightly between 2000 and 2010 censuses, though only by about 56 people (and with some ups and downs from year to year). There was about 4% growth during the 1980s and 1990s, and of course the town had grown a great deal during the '50s and 60's. There HAS been grrowth in Westford (almost 6%) and Billerica (a little over 3%) from 2000 to 2010.
Jeff Apostolakes
1:02 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
thank you Brad for the helpful information that you have provided
Kathleen
1:39 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Thanks for all the info but I am still concerned about the street lines between Dalton Road and Market Basket.
Check it out next time you decide to turn into Evergreen Street, cause you can't if you are heading from Chelmsford center towards Lowell. If you come from Market Basket and head towards Chelmsford and try to bear right at Dalton it is a nightmare too, if you try and follow the lines then you have folks driving up on the right hand side of you to bear right onto Dalton and you get cut off.
Bad design for sure !!!!