- 4/30/2010
Newport Daily News on April 30, 2010
GUEST VIEW
Town Center concept is all about safety
By Carol A. Dietz
Because of the large number of accidents along the section of East Main Road from Portsmouth Town Hall to the intersection of Turnpike Avenue, this area — Town Center — has been identified by the state Department of Transportation as a “High Hazard” location in need of reengineering. Police records indicate that in the period between 2007 and 2009, there have been an average of more than 2 ˝ accidents a month on this stretch of road, as well as the death of one pedestrian and serious injuries to another. This year, through March, this area has experienced an increase to four accidents per month, with one pedestrian recently being sideswiped while trying to cross at the light at the intersection of Turnpike and East Main Road.
A federal appropriation has been received through Sen. Jack Reed’s office to do the engineering of the safety improvements proposed by the DOT and — since it was secured through the efforts of the Town Center Committee at the direction of the Portsmouth Town Council — the town is assured it will be proactively involved in the decision-making process and plans for the proposed modifications. The DOT has other priorities and limited funds, so it behooves us to work intimately with it to ensure road improvements are undertaken with the best interests of the town and the safety of its citizens in mind.
This appropriation will bring the road safety engineering project close to a “50 percent development stage” and, in the process, will detail the ramifications of design elements including roundabouts, wider travel lanes, shoulder areas, safe crosswalks and sidewalks, determining if and how they will work. When completed, this effort will put the road into the “construction” category of the state’s Transportation Improvement Program, meaning it is ready to be built pending funding. The town will have input throughout the process.
Dating back to 2003, there have been numerous public meetings as well as contact with businesses and residents in this area of town. There have been two public workshops, most recently at the high school, where the DOT made a presentation to several hundred people and received overwhelming support from the people attending. Smaller town-wide and neighborhood presentations have been made, including one open to everyone at the library. Also, meetings have been held with the Portsmouth Business Association, the Portsmouth Rotary Club and the Portsmouth Garden Club and, at every turn, the committee has received the permission of the Town Council to go forward with any and all of its actions. As to development possibilities in the area, nothing is being done by the Town Center Committee to foster more growth. It has always gone forward with ideas and potential scenarios to improve that area with the best interests of the town and its residents in mind. The town does not own or control any land in the area along East Main Road. Any new development will come about through private investment. The town, through the committee’s hard work, has placed itself in a position to control what is built and what it will look like. Plus, new zoning regulations have been put in place that clarify conditions under which properties in the area, which have long been zoned as commercial, can be developed.
The committee also looked into alternative ways for the property owners to handle their water runoff and wastewater, including a common septic system in several locations near the Town Center, not just the property along Turnpike Avenue. And there have been initial reviews of ways to beautify and create a sense of place in the Town Center area, including sidewalks, safe crossing areas, a planted median down the middle of the road, better curb cuts and architectural design guidelines, to name just a few.
But none of this is a fait accompli, since everything depends on the safety of the roadway.
The town needs the release of the $950,000 to make East Main Road safe as soon as possible. No more studies are needed. The DOT has determined that the next step is the engineering design in order to refine the details of the plan. But the citizens once again need to be heard as to what they would like to see happen in this area. We invite everyone who lives in Portsmouth to become a part of this process. Hear what the DOT has to say at the upcoming workshop about our road and how we can make it safe.
Please come to the Town Council workshop on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Portsmouth Town Hall Council Chambers.
Carol A. Dietz is chairwoman of the Portsmouth Town Center Committee.
We invite everyone who lives in Portsmouth to become a part of this process. Hear what the DOT has to say at the upcoming workshop about our road and how we can make it safe.
