WESTFIELD — With the project to improve the Servistar Industrial Way and Barnes Airport Drive intersection on Southampton Road starting construction in about a year, the state Department of Transportation is inviting residents to learn more about it at a public hearing set for Feb. 25.
“It is another step in the process of assisting traffic flow by remodeling a dangerous intersection at Servicestar Way and Southampton Road, and the new entrance used by the Massachusetts Air National Guard Base,” said Mayor Michael McCabe about the project.
The purpose of the meeting, which is being held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 25, in the Council Chambers of City Hall, is to describe the project and associated impacts while recording public input for consideration of the project’s design, according to MassDOT.
The existing intersection will be rebuilt as a single-lane “peanut-shaped roundabout,” according to MassDOT. They are also called dog bone- or hourglass-shaped roundabouts.
Pedestrians and bicyclists will be accommodated via shared-use paths around the outside of the intersection, according to MassDOT.
“MassDOT and the folks at the 104th Fighter Wing are being proactive with the city by initiating a roundabout that will incorporate the entire footprint of Servicestar Industrial Way and the access road servicing the base,” McCabe said.
A peanut roundabout operates the same as a traditional circular roundabout. Its shape is unique in order to minimize the roadway footprint and impacts to adjacent residential properties, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. The design also includes a mountable paving stone curb to accommodate larger vehicles like trucks or farm equipment.
It also forces vehicles to slow down by requiring constant steering turns, which improves safety over traditional intersections by reducing speeds below 30 miles per hour, according to MassDOT.
The nation’s first roundabout was built in New York City in 1906, but it fell out of use until 1966, when the first modern roundabouts began popping up throughout the nation.
There are two examples in the commonwealth of a peanut roundabout: One in Cambridge at Inman Square and another at Kelly Square in Worcester.
There is also one planned for Chicopee at the intersection of Granby Road.
The project is expected to take up to three construction seasons to complete.
“There will be some anticipated growing pains during the construction phase, but it will reduce the overall speed of travel on Southampton Road, while still allowing traffic to flow relatively freely and reduce the severity of accidents in this high traffic volume corridor,” McCabe said.
The $8.9 million project is being funded through the state’s 2027 Transportation Improvement Program for the Pioneer Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization, which approves federally funded projects in Hampden and Hampshire counties.
A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. The state is responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be presented at the hearing.
