Asleep at the Switch…The Route 30 Bait and Switch

At the May 2018 Town Meeting voters approved Article 17, which authorized approximately $1 million in design fees for a Route 30 roadway improvement project that included a 5-foot sidewalk. Four years later, Weston has been presented with a project that bears little resemblance to what was described to and approved by voters.

The proposed thoroughfare requires massive removal of trees and relocation of stone walls, and creates significant safety issues.

The current project proposes the addition of 3.7-mile and 10-foot-wide secondary corridor running along Route 30 instead of the sidewalk that residents had approved. The new design will require the removal of an estimated 238 trees (likely to be higher when the budget is updated) and the relocation of stone walls. It would fundamentally change the character and beauty of this important scenic road. This “shared use path” concept would be used by both pedestrians and two-way bicycle traffic along the south side of Route 30. It will have major impact on abutters and create safety issues for anyone crossing or entering Route 30 as well as anyone using the path. The new design also proposes adding two traffic signals at Winter St. and Oak St, which will certainly create more traffic backups along Route 30, Highland, Winter, and Oak streets during rush hours.

This project has had too little attention and public discourse since 2018.

Had the Select Board exercised proper oversight, major deviations from the plan that was approved in 2018 could have been discussed well before significant design funds were spent. The way this project has been handled feels like a “bait and switch,” expanding the scope well beyond what was approved by the voters. The Select Board has again been Asleep at the Switch – not communicating the new concept and certainly not seeking meaningful feedback from voters – and now we find ourselves with this huge project barreling down on us.

Rationale vs. Reality

The Traffic and Sidewalk Committee stated in several public meetings that they embarked on the project because it had been a while since Route 30 had been resurfaced and they felt that the Town should apply for some TIP (transportation improvement program) funding for it. To be eligible for the TIP funding, projects need to accommodate both pedestrians and bicycles.

The original project was viewed by voters as relatively costless to the Town, meaning that after Weston invested nearly $1 million in design and engineering, the State would bear the actual construction cost, then estimated at $8 million (now estimated at about $17 million.) The shared-use path design came into play only after Mass DOT enhanced design guidelines for bicycle accommodations in early 2020. Once the revised guidelines were promulgated, the designer pushed the current shared-use path design.

Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations are an important consideration of a roadway project, but those accommodations must be well-suited to the context in which they are placed. Given the numerous safety, environmental, and streetscape impact concerns associated with this bi-directional shared use path, this project is chasing state dollars at the expense of Weston residents.

The scale and design of the current proposal accommodates the requirements of Mass DOT, not the betterment, safety, or needs of our Town.

The reality for Route 30 in Weston is that there is nothing at either end to bike to – certainly not business commuting destinations – so there is no practical transportation benefit. The eastern end of Route 30 meets the Route 128 (Interstate 95) overpass, which does not have bicycle accommodations. Similarly, the western end of Route 30 has two lanes through Natick and Wayland and no bike lanes. That would mean there is no bike lane connection for cyclists once arriving at either end of Weston’s Route 30.

Town leadership has failed us in communication, transparency, and voter input.

When the expanded scope of this was proposed, Select Board should have communicated with and sought meaningful input from all residents – especially with those residents most affected by the enlarged design – before spending Weston funds on a project with such an expanded scope.

When the design for this project was 25% complete, a design hearing was hosted by Mass DOT. The project scope has not only grown well beyond the original vision, more importantly, it has grown to be more harmful than helpful to the Town. Moreover, there has been no update or ongoing communication for residents regarding the status or next steps of the project, to allow for questions, comments, or concerns. The public process has been inadequate and opaque.

We can still make a difference!

It is highly unlikely that this project will be brought back to voters, despite its transformation from what was presented in 2018, unless significant further design fees are needed that require another Town Meeting vote to authorize additional Town funding.

It should be incumbent on the Select Board to explain, immediately, the status of the project, what influence voters can have on the project, and how concerned residents might proceed.

We urge you to write to the Massachusetts Planning Organization (MPO) expressing opposition to this project.

The MPO is the authority that prioritizes and approves funding for regional transportation projects, and comments from residents are helpful in the decision-making process.

Send an email (or forward this email) or mail a letter with a note expressing your opposition to this project to:

Ethan Lapointe,
Program Manager, TIP
Central Transportation Planning Staff
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Suite 7550, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116,
Project File No. 608954.

Email: elapointe@ctps.org