Changes could include new access to post office
Townspeople have been asked to weigh in on a draft report and its recommendations for improving traffic on Ayer Road between Route 2 and the Ayer town line, the so-called Ayer Road corridor. One of the report’s short-term suggestions is to close the Ayer Road entrance to the post office and make the present side entrance on Lancaster County Road the only access point.
At their June 5 meeting, the selectmen heard consultant Kevin Johnson of CDM, Inc. present some of the firm’s findings about the Ayer Road corridor, including data collection and analysis results, possible future traffic conditions, suggestions for short-term improvements, and long-term improvement options. The selectmen are urging residents to look at the report, available online or at Town Hall, and provide feedback as soon as possible.
Johnson’s presentation, “Ayer Road Draft Functional Design Report,” concentrated on the section of Ayer Road between Old Mill Road and Route 2. The report’s introduction cited the town’s 2002 Master Plan and the town’s desire “to rehabilitate Ayer Road in context with a ‘village center’ approach, welcoming all corridor users including pedestrians and bicyclists as well as the motoring public.”
Of particular interest to the selectmen was the volume of truck traffic on Ayer Road. Heavy vehicles constitute 9 to 15 percent of weekday traffic, which, according to Johnson, is much higher than average road usage.
Based on data from the Harvard police, Johnson said, there were 24 collisions in the past three years: seven at the entrance to the buildings where Dunkin’ Donuts is located, six at the entrance to the post office, four at South Shaker Road, and twelve at Poor Farm Road; five of the accidents involved deer. The only intersection on Ayer Road that could be a “candidate for traffic signal installation based on volumes” is the one at Poor Farm Road, although Johnson did not recommend a signal at this time.
The bridge over Bowers Brook near the post office is in need of repair, according to the Massachusetts Highway Department, although it does not present a safety hazard at this time, Johnson said.
If the decision is made to close the Ayer Road entrance to the post office, the facility would instead be accessed via its entrance on Lancaster County Road, which would become one-way leading from Ayer Road to the new post office entrance. Drivers heading north on Ayer Road could turn left onto Gebo Lane and then right onto Lancaster County Road to access the new main entrance. To determine whether this alteration would work before making any permanent changes, Johnson recommended closing the current entrance to the post office using barrels. The post office’s current exit onto Ayer Road would not be changed.
Among the other potential short-term, lower-cost Ayer Road improvements and safety features identified in the report are adding signs to warn drivers of intersections and deer crossings; trimming vegetation to improve visibility; re-grading along the sides of corners at Gebo Lane, Poor Farm Road, Lancaster County Road, and others; realigning the intersections of Ayer Road–Gebo Lane and Ayer Road–Poor Farm Road to be more right-angle junctures; and repainting the left-turn lane at the entrance to Dunkin’ Donuts, which has faded.
The supplemental Chapter 90 funds that the town is using for this $45,000 study must be expended by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, so the selectmen are seeking input as soon as possible, said Department of Public Works Director Richard Nota. The final report, Nota said, will be “substantially complete” on June 30 but could be improved upon later, if necessary.
