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Select Board hears update on Highland Avenue South TIP project; design, parking and right‑of‑way tradeoffs remain
Summary
Town and consultant staff presented a pre‑25% design update on the Highland Avenue South project, saying a coordinated corridor project is required to fix repeated congestion, stormwater and pedestrian safety problems.
Town staff and consultants presented a pre‑25% design update for the Highland Avenue South transportation improvement project and said the corridor can be improved only by a coordinated, multi‑intersection effort rather than piecemeal fixes.
“Doing a project of this particular nature is just beyond the resources of the community to take on,” Karis (DPW) told the board, describing the 1.3‑mile corridor from Webster Street south to Great Plain Avenue. The town wants to address signal timing and intersection operation, pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, stormwater drainage and pavement condition together rather than in separate one‑off projects.
Why it matters: Highland Avenue is a principal arterial in Needham with changing context—residential, school, park and commercial zones—along about 1.3 miles that carry heavy traffic. The town seeks state and federal Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funds to construct a corridor project that would shift most construction‑cost burden away from local capital budgets but requires the town to fund full design and right‑of‑way acquisition.
Consultants from TEC presented a “10% level” concept that shows a mix of separated bike lanes, upgraded signals, raised crosswalks and stormwater upgrades. They said the corridor’s right‑of‑way (50–60 feet in places) constrains cross‑section options and can make it necessary to acquire temporary or permanent easements in limited locations. The draft concept includes areas where retaining today’s parking would be difficult if the town pursues raised, buffered, or separated cycling facilities.
The project is already in MassDOT’s project review process; the Boston MPO encouraged re‑application after a competitive MPO round did not fund Highland Avenue in the latest TIP cycle. TEC and DPW said they will reapply when the design is more advanced. Estimated 2025 construction cost in the materials is about $17 million (2025 dollars), with the town responsible for design and right‑of‑way costs and MassDOT/MPO typically funding construction (an approximate 80/20 federal/state split administered through MassDOT).
Board members asked technical questions about the Hillside Avenue/West Street intersection, existing crash history and whether a traffic signal is warranted there. Consultants said the intersection control evaluation supported signalization at that location. Members also pressed on parking impacts, tree preservation, and the need for more refined traffic and parking studies to compare specific alternatives. Consultants recommended additional targeted parking studies and another round of public engagement this fall; staff proposed to pause heavy outreach until a clearer set of alternatives and traffic models are available to present for public feedback.
Consultants and DPW staff asked the board for direction to continue the design and reapply to MPO/MassDOT when the project reaches the next design milestone.
