BCAT News

One of Burlington’s most frequently asked questions – is Cambridge Street two or four lanes – appears about to be answered by the state.

During Monday night’s Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Paul Sagarino and DPW Director John Sanchez, said the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is set to bring plans to the town to make Route 3A two lanes, one in each direction, as well as embark on improving the conditions of the road and add bike paths.

“This is a long awaited project,” Sagarino told the board. “I’m sure you receive as many complaints as we do about the condition of the road.”

Sanchez said the project will include sections of Cambridge Street, a state owned road, from the bridge over the Shawsheen River to Burlington High School. He said the project does not include any widening of the road but will instead narrow the street in areas other than those around stop lights to make it a single lane in each direction.

“The biggest change that they’re proposing is to create a two-lane road,” he said. “Right now Cambridge Street is not wide enough for four lanes though that is how it is mostly typically driven but it’s not wide enough to legally do that. So the goal is to narrow it down to two lanes, one in each direction, with bicycle lanes on either side. The exception will be at stoplights where the road will look the same as it does today.”

Members of the board expressed concern that the change would increase traffic.

“Eight or nine years ago we had DOT engineers here and they predicted such a move would create enormous gridlock in Burlington if they chose to do such a thing,” said member Mike Runyan. “Has their philosophy changed?”

Sanchez said a lot had changed over the years and this plan would likely result in commuters finding other ways through town and that could be the subject of questions from the board when MassDOT appears before them.