A second open house-style community meeting is set to discuss plans to make a stretch of Massachusetts Street from 14th Street south to 23rd into a multimodal corridor.
The City of Lawrence is conducting a study with a goal of better accommodating drivers, people on foot, wheelchair users, bicyclists and transit riders on that stretch of road.
The multimodal corridor study will include “safety, efficiency, and equity considerations for all modes of transportation,” according to a city news release.
“A roadway reconfiguration can improve safety, calm traffic, provide better mobility and access for all road users, and enhance overall quality of life,” according to the city website about the project. “A road reconfiguration typically involves converting an existing four-lane undivided roadway, like Massachusetts Street, to a three-lane roadway consisting of two through lanes and a center two-way left-turn lane (TWLTL).”
Potential safety benefits of a road reconfiguration include a reduction of rear-end and left-turn crashes; shorter distances for pedestrians to cross traffic; an opportunity to install pedestrian refuge islands, bike lanes, on-street parking and transit stops; traffic calming; more consistent speeds and more, according to the project website.
City staff members held the first open house about the project in October. The second is set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 in the library of Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, 1400 Massachusetts St. The library is on the second floor and there is an elevator available. People can come and go as it’s convenient with their schedules.
“Public input is critical to ensure that the project can consider the issues and concerns of the diverse users,” Michael Leos, a spokesperson for MSO, said via email.
City staff members are working to refine the concept and plan to hold another open house in March, according to the project website.
“The final report will recommend improvements that will be reviewed by the City of Lawrence Multimodal Transportation Commission, who will make recommendations with final approval by the City Commission,” Leos said.
The city will then look at potential funding and design through the rest of 2024, with construction to start at a later date, according to the project website.
The city received 86 responses to an online survey about the project in the fall. A second online survey will go live on Feb. 7 and can be accessed via lawrenceks.org/mso/mass-street-14th-to-23rd/, according to the release.
“The intent of this second survey to gather information on community values, preferences, and vision as it related to the projects,” according to the release.
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
