Traffic Study Commissioned by Anti-Casino Group: I-495, I-90 Sections will Fail or Get Worse

A traffic study commissioned by the MetroWest Anti-Casino Coalition criticizes the traffic analysis prepared for the Foxwoods Massachusetts casino for focusing almost exclusively on Milford, and not the impact of casino patrons on surrounding sections of I-495 and I-90.

The study by RSG Transportation of White River Junction, Vermont, released to media Friday, finds that casino traffic will result in failing or worsening conditions in key segments of I-495 and I-90. It states the proposed mitigation, even in Milford, will be insufficient to handle the expected traffic flows.

The overview describes the proposed $100 million collector-distributor roads that will provide the Milford casino site with highway access as an expensive "driveway" that will not expand capacity on I-495.

"While the casino claims the proposed I-495 collector road system as mitigation, this project is needed by the casino developers to provide access to the casino site and will not increase capacity on I-495," wrote David Saladino, director of transportation planning and engineering for RSG. "It is essentially a very expensive extension of the site driveway that will allow tens of thousands of cars to access the casino site each day, further degrading already congested sections of I-495 and I-90."

RSG was hired by the Metro West Anti-Casino Coalition this summer to evaluate the July 9 traffic impact study prepared for Foxwoods by Tetra Tech. The coalition is a group of surrounding communities to Milford, including Holliston, Hopkinton and Medway.

Tetra Tech, based in Framingham, reviewed traffic conditions at 20 intersections within a three mile radius of the casino site. Its report found that 91 percent of Milford casino traffic will come from cars traveling on I-495. Fridays and Saturdays will be the peak days for casino traffic. On those peak days, according to a filing with the state, casino traffic could reach 27,078 vehicle trips on Fridays and 33,559 on Saturdays.

Responding to the RSG report, Sean Reardon, project engineer for Tetra Tech, said many of the issues raised in the study will be addressed by Foxwoods in its meetings with the state DOT, which has to review the casino plan.

"Similar to the previous water studies, the information presented in the RSG report covers many of the same issues that were addressed during the review by Milford’s transportation consultant Tighe and Bond and in discussions with MassDOT and FHWA," Reardon wrote, in statement.

"The report identifies well-known traffic concerns that currently exist that will be considered as the Project and all its transportation-related impacts and mitigation is thoroughly reviewed by MassDOT," he said. "The areas discussed in RSG’s report are almost exclusively roadways and intersections subject to MassDOT jurisdiction and we are confident that any traffic-related issues will be adequately addressed through the MassDOT review process."

In its study, Tetra Tech found the project will impact local roads in Milford, to a lesser extent than the highway. Route 16 into Holliston would have the most impact because a new access to the highway will be created by the Foxwoods entrance road and collector-distributor road.

In a meeting at Milford High School in July, both Tetra Tech and the traffic engineer hired by the town to review its report agreed that most casino visitors will use the highway, because most of the potential customers live at least 30 minutes away from Milford. The traffic counts for the casino are derived based on the population in the region older than age 21, and the number of seats at tables and casino games in the facility.
 
The region expected to produce traffic for the Milford casino includes about half of Rhode Island, portions of Connecticut and southern New Hampshire and the area of Massachusetts that includes Worcester, Lowell, Boston and other points within about an hour's drive, according to a development map presented in July.

Milford voters will decide on Nov. 19 whether to approve a host community agreement between Milford and the casino developer, Foxwoods Massachusetts. The  agreement calls for traffic mitigation measures, in addition to the collector-distributor system on I-495.

The improvements include installation of a stop light and turn lanes on Route 16 at the new entrance road to the casino, signal timing changes on Route 16 in Milford to account for more eastbound and westbound traffic, and a new left turn lane at eastbound Route 16 at 140, near the Milford Regional Medical Center.

Under the plan, Purchase at Dilla Street will get new pavement markings on Dilla to remove the exiting yellow painted "island" and replace it with white lines. This would increase the left-turn queue by 100 feet, according to the agreement.

In its analysis, RSG found none of these measures would be sufficient to alleviate traffic. Of the Dilla at Purchase re-striping, the consultant reported: "The applicant proposes no roadway widening at this location and no actual capacity will be added by this low-cost change."

In analyzing the impact on I-495 and I-90, the consultant hired by the MetroWest Coalition reviewed the recently completed state DOT improvement plan for I-495 and Route 9. The consultant found that the I-495 southbound casino traffic — for the segment south of I-90 — would exceed the traffic counts for all other development accounted for in the study, which anticipates traffic through 2035.

"While the Mass DOT study indicates significant improvements would be needed at this [I-90 at I-495] interchange with comparable traffic increases projected for the casino, the casino did not investigate impacts here and proposes no mitigation to accommodate increased traffic flows through this critical interchange," the report states.

In addition, 24 percent of the casino traffic is expected to come through an already-failing section of I-90 — at I-95 and Route 128, RSG stated.