Traffic and Sidewalk Committee orders changes to Route 30 western segment design

WESTON -- October 23, 2024, Weston Traffic and Sidewalk Committee directs design changes on Route 30 western segment. At an Oct. 23 meeting on the Wellesley Street-to-Natick segment of the Route 30 reconstruction project, the committee directed consultant Bridget Meyer to shift the Pine Street crossing east of the intersection, where a.m.-peak left turns hit 164 vehicles and are forecast to reach 172, and to study consolidating Highland and Winter street crossings with a new north-side sidewalk. Chair Jay Doyle said diverting the shared-use path onto the MWRA aqueduct or down Brown Street could "throw the project off the TIP and jeopardize the entire project," which town-meeting figures put at roughly $18 million in federally participating costs. Member Linda Nelson pressed for safety study of two-way path designs, citing a Copenhagen finding that bi-directional cycle tracks carry roughly twice the crossing risk. Member David Sirull questioned the premise: "I hope we're not going to advertise to try and get more bikers on Route 30."