Corridor and area planning studies are used to help MassDOT identify transportation issues and develop potential solutions along a specific corridor or within a general area of the Commonwealth. The studies identify the transportation issues by closely examining the existing and expected future conditions within each study area; including the design of the existing transportation facilities, transit services available, accommodation of non-motorized modes of transportation, traffic volumes, levels of congestion, and potentially unsafe conditions. After the issues have been identified, the Office of Transportation works with the public to develop potential alternative improvement scenarios to address them. These alternatives are evaluated and screened using evaluation criteria developed with the public’s input. Once they have been screened, a set of recommendations are developed to address the issue. These recommendations are generally grouped into two groups based on a number of factors including overall cost and expected impacts. The projects with relatively low costs and few impacts are generally more short-term with an expected implementation time frame of 5-10 years. The projects with a relatively high construction cost and more impacts are generally more long-term with an expected implementation time frame of 10+ years.
Grounding McGrath Study in Somerville Interstate 495/Route 9 Interchange Improvement Study in Westborough and Southborough Massachusetts Turnpike - Boston Ramps Study in Boston