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Northampton staff outline $3 million plan to rebuild North Elm Street, with signals, bike lanes and a reopened school bus loop
Summary
City public works presented a roughly $3,000,000 design for North Elm Street and Route 9 to add two signalized intersections, continuous bike lanes, new sidewalks and a dedicated school bus loop; residents and commissioners pressed staff on lost parking, pick-up circulation and whether physically separated bike lanes are feasible.
A proposed $3,000,000 North Elm Street corridor project that would add two traffic signals, continuous bike lanes and a reopened school bus loop drew detailed questions from commissioners and residents at the Transportation and Parking Commission meeting on Dec. 17.
Donna Lascaglia, director of public works and chair of the commission, presented engineering renderings developed with Foss & O'Neil and said the project responds to multiple traffic-calming requests and a fatal crash on Oct. 8, 2021, at Woodlawn Avenue and Elm Street. "The budget for this project is sitting at about $3,000,000 right now," Lascaglia said, noting utility corridors and constrained rights-of-way limit options.
Why it matters: the proposal targets a busy school corridor where students, parents, bicyclists and buses mix for short periods each school day. The plan would resurface North Elm from Riverside Drive to Route 9, install signalized intersections at North Elm/Elm and Woodlawn/Route 9 with pedestrian signals (staff are studying exclusive pedestrian phasing), add 5-foot bike lanes on both sides where feasible, and reconstruct sidewalks on portions of Milton and Elm.
Key elements: the design would
- resurface Route 9 between 50 and 330 North Elm and install coordinated signals at two intersections; - create five-foot buffered bike lanes with a painted 3-foot buffer rather than physically separated lanes, after trials of removable posts and bollards failed under deicing and traffic; - add a five-foot concrete sidewalk on the south side of North Elm and a 10-foot sidewalk on the park side of a proposed bus loop; - reestablish the school bus loop as a one-way, bus-only exit to Route 9 with a raised crosswalk and study whether a controlled gate for emergency access is feasible; and - remove some on-street parking on the school/inbound side of Route 9 to make room for the bike lanes (that change would require a city-council vote).
Staff said roundabouts were studied but are not feasible in the corridor because constrained rights-of-way and protected parkland (Article 97) block expansion. "We cannot make the grades work," Lascaglia said of a roundabout alternative at one intersection.
Points of contention: several residents and commissioners urged stronger bike protections and raised operational concerns.
- Alex Bowman (Market Street) criticized the design as "locking in a car dominant approach" and urged more traffic calming and permanent separated bike lanes rather than painted buffers. - Benjamin Spencer (Rust Avenue) warned that a painted bike lane without physical separation in front of the high school "is going to be full of cars," and called for year-round maintenance if separation is provided. - Commissioner Diana Foster and other parents asked how parent pick-up circulation will work if parking is removed and recommended a drop-off lane inside the lot; Lascaglia said DPW is discussing circulation with school administrators and is contemplating an on-site drop-off lane.
On separation and maintenance: staff described a trial of flexible poly posts and other removable bollards that degraded under vehicle impacts and deicing operations, and said anchoring devices drilled into asphalt caused pavement deterioration by admitting water that freezes and thaws. For that reason staff are not proposing drilled-in removable bollards on reconstructed pavement and said the harsh winter maintenance environment in New England constrains options.
Transit and operational details: staff said eastbound bus stops may be moved about 100 feet south and that reopening the bus loop requires intersection control at Woodlawn (a traffic signal) because prior closure reflected vehicle conflicts in an uncontrolled environment. Lascaglia said a design exception to the Complete Streets Ordinance will be sought where sidewalks cannot be added on both sides due to steep slopes.
Budget and timing: Lascaglia said many engineering and budget details remain, signal equipment lead times are long, and construction will likely coexist with school sessions. She estimated staff will return to the commission and relevant subcommittees with ordinance packages and appropriation requests within about three to four months and will publish an FAQ summarizing comments and responses on the city's website.
Next steps: the commission will review ordinance changes required for stop signs, turns and parking restrictions; DPW will prepare an FAQ and a design-exception request; and the city will need to approve budget appropriations and any parking-elimination ordinances before bidding and construction.
The commission did not take any final votes on the corridor design at the meeting; the public comment record and engineering responses will be compiled for future hearings and council action.
