Needham working group presents three Great Plain Avenue redesigns; debates over parking, traffic diversion and business impact

Consultants for the Envision Needham Center working group on Wednesday presented three conceptual redesigns for Great Plain Avenue — a 4‑lane option, a 2‑lane plan with turn pockets, and a 2‑lane‑only layout — saying the work is driven primarily by needed drainage upgrades and ADA compliance and that the town wants public input before the Select Board decides next steps.

Karen Fitzgerald of TOOL (subcontractor to the Apex engineering team) told attendees the corridor requires larger drainage pipes to address flooding the town experienced in 2023 and that the project area runs roughly from Linden Street to Warren Street along Great Plain Avenue. "The predictions are there'll be more of those events as the years go by," Fitzgerald said, arguing new underground infrastructure and more room for green infrastructure will increase resilience.

The consultants laid out tradeoffs among the alternatives. The 4‑lane option preserves the existing cross section and carries the lowest conceptual cost, estimated at about $12,300,000. The two 2‑lane alternatives — one that preserves some turning pockets and one that eliminates turning pockets entirely — were both estimated at roughly $15,200,000. Those two options would shorten pedestrian crossing distances and create wider sidewalks (in some areas to as much as about 16–20 feet), but the models predict some drivers would divert to alternate routes during peak times.

On traffic modeling, Fitzgerald said the team used 24‑hour counts collected on Sept. 9 and aggregated origin‑destination data to simulate driver behavior. The model predicts that during peak hours the 2‑lane‑only alternative could divert about 120 vehicles per hour in the AM and as many as 200 vehicles per hour in the PM to other routes; the 2‑lane with turn pockets was modeled to divert roughly 100 vehicles per hour with an estimated 2‑ to 3‑minute increase in travel time through the corridor at peak periods. "There is no scenario where there would be no diversion," Fitzgerald said, adding that the model reflects real‑time travel behavior and routing apps that drivers use.

Safety metrics, Fitzgerald said, favor the 2‑lane alternatives: both would reduce crossing distances and lower the "level of traffic stress" for pedestrians and bicyclists. She noted the corridor recorded 113 crashes between 2018 and 2022, about 35% of which were sideswipe collisions, and that 12 of those crashes resulted in injury. The consultants also highlighted a single pedestrian fatality in the area in 2007.

Residents and business owners pressed the panel on multiple fronts. Several speakers warned that removing travel lanes or the Dedham Avenue right‑turn "slip lane" would slow traffic, divert vehicles into residential side streets and hurt downtown retailers who rely on curbside customers. "Cutting it down in size is not going to help that problem," said Bill Linehan, a Needham resident. Business owner Liz Hay said a large share of customers drive in from outside town and warned diversion could reduce foot traffic.

Town staff and consultants responded that much of the work is unavoidable because of the required drainage and ADA upgrades and that the Select Board will receive the working group’s final materials and the survey results before deciding whether to advance design. "We have had it on the town's list for over 20 years to upgrade the drainage infrastructure in that area," said Karis Lustig, director of public works. She said the town will present the results to the Select Board and seek funding authorization through Town Meeting if necessary.

Speakers also raised public safety concerns. The town said it has met with police and fire departments; staff said the fire department tested turning maneuvers and could navigate the redesigned corners in the mockups, and that police suggested design adjustments such as lane width buffers to accommodate emergency apparatus.

On parking, the consultants said current on‑street supply in the project area is about 98 spaces and that alternatives would shift where spaces are located — the projectwide total ranges presented in materials span roughly 89–110 spaces depending on loading‑zone choices and alternative. Staff said detailed curb‑management and loading‑zone plans would be developed during later design phases.

A question about how much the town has spent on the study drew varied figures from the audience and presenters; town staff told attendees the study work to date has cost on the order of several hundred thousand dollars and that Freedom of Information requests with accounting details have been fulfilled. The working group said the conceptual cost estimates are preliminary and would be refined during design.

Consultants and staff pointed to needhamma.gov/encproject for full materials and said a townwide public survey will be open through Feb. 22. "Please take the survey," Tim Bulger, chair of the Envision Needham Center working group, said at the close. The working group will meet in early March to review survey results, prepare a summary for the public and forward a recommendation and the full record to the Select Board, which will hold a public hearing and determine next steps.

No formal votes or motions were taken at the information session.