Project Summary

Engaged under the Department’s Engineering Design and Review Services (EDRS) master services agreement, Assignment No. 5 is an aggressive response to provide corridor improvements along this identified High-Risk Rural Roadway. Webster Street (Route 16) is four miles long and situated in a rural setting. In attempt to alleviate the high fatality rate, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds have been secured. 

Effective roadway improvements should solve existing deficiencies identified within the corridor. A key first step was to perform a Road Safety Audit (RSA) which assembled the Town of Douglas, MassDOT, emergency responders, Hoyle Tanner, and other project stakeholders to identify perceived safety concerns. For Webster Street, the pavement surface was recognized as a primary contributor to crashes throughout the corridor. To that end, MassDOT advocated a project to make pavement surface, shoulder, marking, and signage improvements. A Hot-In-Place-Recycling (HIPR) of asphalt pavement was chosen for this project to maximize the pavement section while limiting cost. Permitting included coordination with MassHighway to complete the NEPA process as well as permits for impacts to wetlands per the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act (WPA) and the USACE General Permit. 

During project scoping, a practical approach to roadway treatments was adopted to advance the project through environmental permit requirements, the “Healthy DOT” policy, design exceptions, and pavement design, along with a streamlined design process to shorten delivery time.