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Traffic rotaries, those chaotic circles that epitomize Boston driving at its worst, are a remnant of a more civilized era. In a more leisurely past, automobiles spun gently around leafy circles on the way to outings at the beach or picnics at the park.
When more or less equal amounts of traffic are entering from each road, rotaries can work well. But as traffic flow increases, rotaries become lopsided, with bigger roads dominating. Today, rotaries are inefficient and dangerous, obstacles in the great commuting race. They handle too much traffic and generate too much confusion. And they're magnets for minor accidents, because most drivers have no idea how to negotiate a rotary or who has the right of way. (For the record, the cars already in the rotary do.)
So Massachusetts is beginning the long goodbye to its 80 rotaries. Over the next 10 years, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, highway planners will phase out the most dangerous of them, replacing them with overpasses and underpasses, traffic lights, and diamond interchanges. Rotaries are an idea imported from England, and few other parts of this country have them. That's why some Bostonians will miss them, including Karen Cord Taylor, the editor and publisher of the Beacon Hill Times and author of Blue Laws, Brahmins and Breakdown Lanes: An Alphabetic Guide to Boston and Bostonians. "I love them, because you can sort of careen around them," Taylor says. "It's sort of wonderful to come across something so distinctive in the United States. To take them away would take away the sense of place, of being in New England."
Notes: The "10 worst rotaries" are those with the highest number of accidents between 1993 and 1997. Leverett Circle, at the intersection of Storrow Drive and Interstate 93 in Boston, is not on the list because it's under the jurisdiction of the Central Artery Project, or Big Dig. It is slated to be eliminated in the next three years, replaced with a four-lane bridge to Storrow Drive and another a? new I-93 bridge over the Charles River.
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By Ricki Morell
1) REVERE
Mahoney Circle
Accidents: 170
Problem: This crossroads for much of the North Shore's traffic is considered the worst rotary in Massachussetts. It's actually a rotary cut-through with traffic signals added in an attempt to control the growing volume of cars. The dangerous mix comes from the intersection of local and regional traffic on Routes 60, 1A, and 16, and Beach Street. In addition, the rotary must accommodate pedestrians (including high school students) and emergency vehicles. "The result is delay, frustration, accidents, and general undesirable quality of living conditions in the city of Revere,'' says a 1997 report on how to redesign the circle.
Solution: Grade separation. The planned redesign would eliminate the rotary, but possibly keep a traffic light. Route 60 would be depressed slightly, and the other roads would cross Route 60 via bridges.
Cost Estimate: More than $25 million.
Time frame: Construction to begin in three to five years, should take two or three years to complete.
2) Chelmsford
Route 3, Drum Hill
Accidents: 110
Problem: Route 3 goes under the rotary, Route 3A cuts across it, and three smaller roads feed into it. It's near Lowell and is crowded with commuter traffic from southern New Hampshire. "There are too many things happening at once," says Stanley Wood, a highway design engineer with the Massachusetts Highway Department.
Solution: A diamond interchange, possibly with traffic lights. The rotary will be eliminated as part of the Route 3 Add-a-Lane project, which aims to turn Route 3 into a six-lane road from the New Hampshire line to Route 128.
Cost estimate: The Route 3 Add-a-Lane project will cost about $200 million
Time frame: Expected to begin in 2000
3) WALTHAM
Route 128 at Route 20
Accidents: 95
Problem: Route 128 goes underneath Route 20, making it difficult for cars to merge onto the rotary. Cars must weave and cross in front of one another.
Solution: Mass. Highway is studying a redesign, which could be combined with construction of a new MBTA commuter rail station.
Cost estimate: None yet.
Time frame: Possibly within eight years.
4) Woburn
Route 38 Rotary
Accidents: 77
Problem: Route 128 goes over this rotary interchange and Route 38 goes under it. Sight distances are too short for safe merges, resulting cross-movements and weaves.
Solution: Study underway.
Cost estimate: None yet.
Time frame: None yet.
5) CONCORD
Route 2 rotary
Accidents: 57
Problem: This classic rotary is plagued by a simple problem: too much traffic. Routes 2 and 2A intersect here, along with some ?? local roads. The rotary becomes unbalanced - the traffic flow is predominantly in one direction - because Route 2A carries more traffic than the other legs.
Solution: Mass Highway is working with the Route 2 Advisory Committee to come up with an alternative. Among the proposals being considered: grade separation, eliminating the rotary by slightly depressing Route 2 and putting local roads over it; or make a conventional intersection with traffic lights, which some? most? say isn't the best alternative.
Cost estimate: $50 million
Time frame: Construction could start around 2005 and take three years to complete.
6) Agawam
Rout 5 at Route 57
Accidents: 39
Problem: This rotary near Springfield has six legs all coming together in the circle. It has too many entry points and a more effective means of controlling traffic flow needs to be found.
Solution: A redesign is being studied in conjunction with the replacement of the Route 5 SouthEnd Bridge.
Cost estimate: $80 to $100 million for redesigning rotary and bridge.
Time frame: Within 8 years.
7) Bourne
Sagamore Rotary
Accidents: 32
Problem: This rotary is the gateway to Cape Cod and is under pressure to move traffic efficiently. Weekend beach traffic is the main concern. The rotary connects Route 3 and Route 6 to the Sagamore Bridge, one of two bridges that cross Cape Cod Canal. Two local roads also feed into the rotary.
Solution: Grade separation at the Route 3/Route 6 interchange. Route 3 would go over and Route 6 would go underneath. The state is in the process of selecting consultants. Locally, there's some controversy because the plan would cut off direct access from the highway to local businesses.
Cost estimate: $25 million.
Time frame: Construction could begin in 2 to 3 years and take 2 to 3 years to complete.
8) Revere
Route 1 Rotary/Copeland Circle
Accidents: 30
Problem: This intersection of Route 1 and Route 60 is overloaded with North Shore traffic. Traffic backs up into the rotary because Route 1 loses a lane in each direction as it leaves Boston.
Solution: Planners proposed to add a lane in each direction to Route 1 in Saugus, to relieve traffic flow into the rotary. But the town of Saugus objected and the plan was killed. A lower North Shore transportation study is exploring other alternatives.
Cost estimate: None yet.
Time frame: None yet.
9) Dedham
East Street at Route 128
Accidents: 28
Problem: This is an eight-leg rotary with a high volume of traffic. Route 128 goes under East Street in an interchange rotary.
Solution: As part of the Route 128 Add-A-Lane project from Wellesley to Randolph, the rotary will get what planners call "geometric improvements." Sight lines will be improved and curves smoothed out to make it safer.
Cost estimate: The total for the add-a-lane project is $80 million to $100 million.
Time frame: Construction is expected to begin in 4 years.
10) Bourne
Route 28 Bourne Rotary
Accidents: 22
Problem: The Bourne rotary on Cape Cod connects Route 28 and Route 6 and leads to the Bourne Bridge over Cape Cod Canal. It's a classic rotary with too much traffic.
Solution: A study looking at grade separation between Route 28 and Route 6 is projected to be completed in December. Less costly ways to make the rotary safer are also being considered. The developer of Canalside Commons, a proposed mixed-use development at the rotary , may be involved in improvements.
Cost estimate: $20 million for grade separation.
Time frame: None yet
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