Watertown is making Common Street safer for pedestrians

Common Street just got safer for pedestrians.

Residents traveling down the street will notice bright orange traffic cones directing cars into a new roundabout at the Common and Orchard streets intersection. Travel further down the street, and residents will notice a new traffic signal at the Spring Street intersection.

These changes are one piece of a larger complete streets project that the Town and the Department of Public Works has undertaken to make traffic conditions in the area safer. (Complete streets are streets that are designed to enable safe use for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, commuters, etc.)

Making safety a priority

The decision to reconstruct Common Street came to the forefront in 2015. Prior to this, town administrators had discussions about the street’s sidewalks and pavement conditions, as well as various safety concerns in the area.

Town Engineer Matthew Shuman said the project was designed to address multiple issues and concerns. Common Street is a major throughway. It is also an access point to Watertown High School and, with the many students in the area, there is heavy pedestrian traffic.

In 2015, a public works subcommittee began meeting to discuss how the town could improve the street. The major concern, Shuman said, was getting students to and from school safely, and slowing down traffic at the Common and Orchard Streets intersection.

The town settled on concept that added two noticeable features: the roundabout at the Orchard and Common Streets intersection, and the traffic signal at the Spring and Common Streets intersection. The design also included a northbound bike lane, road repaving, new curbing, and utility improvements.

This article was originally published by the Watertown TAB on September 20, 2019. Read the full article here: https://watertown.wickedlocal.com/news/20190920/watertown-is-making-common-street-safer-for-pedestrians