Lowell Roundabout Project to Replace Crash-Prone Connector Intersection by 2030
A safety-focused infrastructure project will replace a dangerous, crash-prone, T-shaped intersection of the Lowell Connector and Gorham Street with a modern roundabout. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently held…
Concept Image: MassDOT
A safety-focused infrastructure project will replace a dangerous, crash-prone, T-shaped intersection of the Lowell Connector and Gorham Street with a modern roundabout.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recently held a virtual design public hearing to share plans for proposed roadway improvements along Gorham Street from the Lowell Connector to Father Ronan Terrace.
Per a (Lowell) Sun report, the project will reimagine the intersection of the Lowell Connector and Gorham Street from a conventional signal-based intersection to a modern roundabout. Gorham Street will be recontoured to carry two 11-foot travel lanes, one in each direction, and two bike lanes. The traffic signal at the intersection of Gorham Street and Highland Street/Elm Street will also be replaced with a new traffic signal.
The project began in January 2016 with a notice to proceed with a preliminary design, followed by a safety audit in June of that year. A preliminary public hearing was held in 2018. The design is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027, with construction starting in the spring of 2028. Officials expect that the project will be completed by 2030.
According to a (Lowell) Sun report, the project's price tag is about $11 million, split between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which will finance the majority of the work, and MassDOT, which will finance the remainder. The city will bear right-of-way expenses.
Current plans list 25 affected properties, which include three fee takings, five permanent easements, and 29 temporary easements required, per The Sun.
Assistant City Manager Shawn Machado said that right-of-way coordination will take place after the design development reaches 100%.
“The only information the engineers have right now is the 25% plan that is on the website,” Machado said to The Sun. “We don't have any information on any takings. That's usually not something that they would have until the plans are at 100%.”
