• Select Board approves safety improvements at Elm Square identified through Road Safety Audit;
• Approves rescission of special speed regulations on 16 streets to reduce their speed limit to 25 miles per hour, consistent with statutory townwide speed limit; and  
• Receives update on Sidewalk Master Plan.

ANDOVER, MA – Transportation safety was a significant focus of the Andover Select Board as it met on Tuesday, August 15 in the School Committee Conference Room at the Andover Public Schools Administrative Offices. The Board considered several key measures intended to make roadways safer for all users, approving changes to Elm Square recommended by the recently completed Road Safety Audit, and applying the 25 mile per hour townwide speed limit to 16 additional streets with speed limits that were previously unaltered due to special speed regulations. The Town’s commitment to pedestrian safety was further underscored by the Board’s adoption of a “Vision Zero” resolution which affirms the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and sever injuries.

During the meeting, the Select Board also reviewed the Town’s Sidewalk Master Plan, approved amendments to the Town’s Land Disposition Agreement with Minco for 11 Lewis Street, and approved a series of license applications for local businesses. 

Elm Square Safety Improvements
In May, a Road Safety Audit (RSA) of Elm Square was initiated in coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as a component of the Town of Andover’s broader effort to assess and implement transportation safety improvements in the intersection. An RSA is a formal examination of existing conditions at a specific roadway or intersection conducted by a multidisciplinary team with the goal of identifying safety improvements that will reduce the frequency and severity of crashes.

Following a comprehensive RSA process facilitated by TEC, Inc. (TEC), a civil engineering firm specializing in transportation infrastructure, and guided by MassDOT standards, a final report detailing the audit’s findings was released earlier this month. The report contains a series of 88 recommendations to be considered for improving the conditions of Elm Square. 

At a community forum held on August 7, Town Manager Andrew Flanagan announced that the Town intends to pursue the following immediate action items identified through the RSA:

• Implementation of exclusive pedestrian phasing (traffic is stopped in all directions when walk signals are activated), in place of existing concurrent pedestrian phasing (walk signals are provided while the adjacent street traffic is operating);
• Conversion the left lane on North Main Street southbound to an exclusive left-turn lane;
• Addition of signage and striping at slip-right lanes;
• Relocation of Central Street crosswalk further to the west (away from the intersection);
• Elimination of two parking stalls on Elm Street near High Street;
• Installation of "No Turn on Red" signs on Main Street northbound and North Main Street South bound approaches; and
• Development of criteria for >4 foot offsets for stop lines and placement of "Stop Here on Red" signs at stop lines where possible.

 Sam Gregorio of TEC presented an overview of these changes to the Select Board. According to Gregorio, TEC conducted extensive analysis to determine the impact of the proposed modifications to vehicle traffic flow through Elm Square. Based on this assessment, the introduction of exclusive pedestrian phasing is anticipated to have a negligible impact during morning commuting hours, and is expected to reduce vehicle delays during evening commuting hours. Conversion of the inner lane on North Main Street southbound may increase vehicle queuing by up to 14 vehicles during peak commuting times. TEC and Town officials will actively monitor the impacts of these changes following their implementation.

The Select Board voted to approve these immediate actions on Tuesday. Approval of the modifications from MassDOT is also required due to a Traffic Control Agreement (TCA) that applies to Elm Square and portions of Route 28. The Town anticipates that this approval will be issued without delay given MassDOT’s participation in the process thus far. Implementation of these measures is expected to take place within the next several weeks.  

25 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit
In 2022, Town Meeting voted to opt-in to Chapter 90, Section 17C of Massachusetts General Laws, establishing a speed limit of 25 miles per hour in thickly settled areas and business districts. The Select Board subsequently voted to implement the measure on a Townwide basis. The adjusted speed limit is intended to make Andover streets safer for drivers and pedestrians, and to reduce the risk of serious injury in the event of a motor vehicle accident.

At the time of the measure’s implementation, 34 roadways throughout Andover had special speed regulations on file with MassDOT and were thus exempt from the reduced townwide speed limit.

The Select Board voted to approve a proposal produced by an internal working group of Town staff to rescind special speed regulations on 16 streets throughout Andover. To be effective, the proposed rescission must be authorized by MassDOT. The Town intends to notify the Department of its decision to rescind the special regulations this week. Once approved, the speed limit on the 16 identified streets will be reduced to 25 miles per hour, consistent with the statutory townwide restriction. Speed limit signs that reflect the previous speed regulations will be removed from these streets.

According to Deputy Town Manager Michael Lindstrom, speed limits will continue to exceed 25 miles per hour on just 12 streets where it was determined that special speed regulations should not be rescinded given their functional class and vehicle volume. These streets are Bypass Road (Route 125), Chandler Road, Dascomb Road, Harold Parker, Haverhill Street, Jenkins Road, Lovejoy Road, Lowell Street, North Main Street (principal arterial), North Street, River Road, South Main Street.

Six other roadways with special speed regulations already had speed limits in place of 25 or 20 miles per hour, and were therefore not included in the list reviewed by the Select Board on Monday. 

During discussion of speed restrictions, Town Manager Andrew Flanagan shared that the Town has purchased 20 radar activated speed signs that will be deployed to strategic locations throughout town, which is expected to raise public awareness of the new townwide 25 MPH speed limit.

Sidewalk Master Plan 
The Select Board received an update on the Sidewalk Master Plan, a comprehensive effort to strategically enhance Andover’s sidewalk network, provide an improved level of service, and inform decisions related to sidewalk maintenance and rehabilitation efforts. 

 Margot Schoenfelder of Environmental Partners, a consulting firm hired by the Town to facilitate the Sidewalk Master Plan, provided an overview of the planning process, which was initiated by the Town in 2021.

According to Schoenfelder, the initial phase of the process involved a comprehensive inventory of sidewalks throughout the community. Through this phase, 59.5 miles of sidewalk infrastructure was inventoried, along with 1,002 curb ramps. The majority of sidewalks and curb ramps were determined to be in good or excellent condition during this assessment. Twenty two and a half percent of sidewalks were determined to be in poor condition, all of which were recommended for replacement through the plan.

The development of the Sidewalk Master Plan benefited from significant public input. A public comment map was launched in June 2022, through which members of the community could weigh in on existing sidewalk conditions and contribute suggestions regarding where additional sidewalks are needed. Over 1,000 comments were gathered through the tool. Environmental Partners also conducted a pedestrian usage analysis to identify priority pedestrian destinations and network gaps. 

Using the insights garnered through this multifaceted assessment, a five-year capital plan for sidewalk improvements was produced. The plan identifies a list of sidewalks slated for replacement or extension each year. On average, the plan recommends dedicating 65 percent of funding for sidewalk reconstruction, and 35 percent for construction of new sidewalks over the next five years. 

Town Engineer Art Martineau emphasized that the Sidewalk Master Plan is intended to be flexible to accommodate evolving Town needs and availability of resources. Other infrastructure priorities, such as water and sewer projects, may impact the timing and feasibility of sidewalk projects. The plan is designed to account for these considerations. 

The plan recommends expending an average of $1.55 million annually over the next 5 years. Town Manager Andrew Flanagan explained that the Town is positioned to fund the first several years of the plan’s implementation, as funding has been appropriated to sidewalk projects for the last several years but was not expended while the Town awaited the results of the Master Plan. Flanagan anticipates that the recommendations of the Sidewalk Masterplan will be incorporated into the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

Other Actions 

• The Select Board adopted a resolution affirming the Town’s commitment to the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries and endorsing “Vision Zero,” a comprehensive and holistic approach to achieving this goal.
• The Board approved an amended and restated Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) with Minco Development Corporation for 11 Lewis Street, also known as the Old Town Yard. The LDA was previously approved on June 12, 2023. The amendments do not substantially change the LDA, but add a form license agreement for the community building included in the project as an exhibit in the document, and reconciles title and boundary issues related to the parcel.
• During the announcement portion of the meeting, Select Board Chair Melissa Danisch noted that the Andover High School Building Committee recently voted to request the Select Board to call a Special Town Meeting to appropriate $1.3 million for schematic design of the AHS building project. Danisch stated that the Select Board will consider this request after an upcoming joint meeting with the Finance Committee, School Building Committee, and School Committee, at which the financial implications of the project will be examined. That meeting is expected to take place in late September or early October.
• The Select Board considered and approved a series of license applications filed by local businesses, including liquor licenses for two new restaurants: Akita Ramen, which opened earlier this year in Shawsheen Plaza, and The Autograph, which is expected to open in the coming months at 89 Main Street.  
• A schedule for upcoming Board Meetings was approved. The Board is set to meet on September 18, September 27, October 16 and October 30. 

The full meeting can be viewed online through AndoverTV.

The Select Board is scheduled to meet next on Monday, September 18.