Submitted by State Rep. Ken Gordon
Representative Ken Gordon (D-Bedford) and State Senator Ken Donnelly (D-Arlington) will host a public information session with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation engineers at 7 p.m. Monday, December 21, in the Selectmen’s hearing room at Burlington Town Hall.
They will discuss the four plans they provided to Rep. Gordon on behalf of the town last summer to revise the exit and entrance ramps that connect U.S. Route 3 to Route 128/I-95. MassDOT engineers Frank Suszynski of Highway District 4 Project Development and Hasmukh “Hardy” Patel of Highway Design will discuss plans to redesign the intersections.
The panel will refer to four engineering plans designed by MassDOT to replace or reduce the number of cloverleaf interchanges at Exit 32, near the Burlington Mall. They will point out the goals of the plans, the differences between them, and take audience questions. The congestion caused by slowing traffic at that intersection, together with the double lanes of traffic exiting the highway for Middlesex Turnpike or Route 3 cause backups throughout the surrounding towns.
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“We’ve been working to this for quite some time, I’m excited that our residents will have an opportunity to bring their questions and comments directly to MassDot about this issue,” said Rep.Gordon.
This is the first time that MassDOT officials will be able to explain the designs to the public, as well as to answer questions and to receive comments and concerns. In addition to discussing the four proposed plans, MassDOT will be available to discuss other ideas that could address the traffic that results from the multiple exchanges at the outdated ramps.
State Sen. Ken Donnelly (D-Arlington), whose district includes Burlington, is expected to be part of the conversation, as will several of Burlington’s selectmen.
“This is an issue we have worked on together, from the first day I took office,” said Gordon. “It is a concern for our residents, businesses and town government officials. It is wonderful that Burlington is at the epicenter of the expansion of Massachusetts’ high-tech and bio-tech industry. But with this expansion comes the challenge of managing the traffic that results. Addressing this intersection is an important step.”
The revisions to the intersection are not the only way Rep. Gordon has been working to improve traffic in and around Burlington and Bedford. He has been heavily involved with the Middlesex 3 Coalition’s effort to provide shuttle service to employees in the area to help bring the number of cars off the road.
“I am looking forward to this meeting as an important step toward addressing our traffic issues,” Gordon said.
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