Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 22, 2019 Minimizing casino impact on traffic Revere and Saugus collaborate on Route 1 & Route 99 improvements as Everett casino nears completion By Mark E. Vogler he City of Revere and Town of Saugus seek an additional $425,000 from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) to lessen the burden of the traffic impact officials in both communities expect from June’s anticipated opening of the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett. A joint application for a 2019 Transportation Planning Grant submitted to the commission late last month shows both communities are preparing for the worstcase scenario for the project’s impact on the Route 1/Route 99 interchange, which is locatT ed less than five miles from the casino site. “If the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program proposed as part of the proposed project underperforms and does not meet estimates, the traffic impact to this critical interchange may increase significantly,” warns the 12-page document signed by Revere Mayor Brian M. Arrigo and Saugus Town Manager $2.54 GALLON GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602 Fully Licensed & Insured $3.39 Scott C. Crabtree. “As neither Revere nor Saugus has been recognized as a Surrounding Community to the Encore Casino, the grant is sought in order to provide the means for these communities to continue jointly and cooperatively, to pursue measures to mitigate anticipated casino traffic impacts. In the process, some negative conditions that pre-date the casino may be alleviated,” the grant application notes. Significant traffic increases projected The casino project, according to the application obtained by The Advocate Newspapers, is expected to generate the following daily and peak hour vehicle trips: Friday Daily – 36,846 Friday Daily Net New – 20,130 Emergency Service Available 24/7 SPECIALIZING IN KITCHEN & BATHROOM REMODELING * Heating * Cooling * Electric * Tile All Estimates Done By Owner * Drain Cleaning 781-FIX-PIPE (349-7473) • crnplumbing@gmail.com Friday PM Peak Hour Net New – 1,358 Saturday Daily – 43,930 Saturday Daily Net New – 23,982 Saturday Peak Hour Net New – 1,810 “The weekday average daily traffic near the interchange is over 120,000 vehicles on Route 1 and almost 27,000 vehicles on Route 99,” the grant application states. “The interchange is noted regionally as experiencing mobility and safety issues (Long Range Transportation Plan of Boston MPO, July 2015). This casino is expected to increase traffic through the Route 1/ Route 99 interchange.” The City of Revere is listed as the lead applicant in the grant application. Revere city officials are expecting to get a response from the Gaming Commission in July, according to Nicholas Romano, aide to Mayor Arrigo. “This is the second year participating in a joint effort with the Town of Saugus, focusing on starting the Route 1 project,” Romano told The Saugus Advocate. “The grant will enable us to collect valuable traffic data, assess the current conditions and suggest preliminary design concepts to improve the roadway,” he said. Meanwhile, after being contacted by The Saugus Advocate, Crabtree issued a press release updating the progress of previous MGC grants obtained by Revere and Saugus. The press release announced that the preliminary design for elements of the Route 1 Improvement Project is underway, funded by a $275,000 MGC Joint Transportation Planning Grant awarded last year to the Town of Saugus and City of Revere. MONTHS AWAY: The Encore Boston Harbor casino-resort is expected to open in June.(Advocate file photo) “Saugus officials have spent years researching and identifying traffic and overall infrastructure improvement needs on Route 1 and Route 99,” the press release says. “With the new Encore Boston Harbor casino undergoing construction in Everett and the current traffic congestion on Route 1 and Route 99, Saugus officials teamed up with the City of Revere and applied for funding assistance from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to begin making necessary capital improvements to this well-traveled infrastructure,” it continues. Following up on previous grants MGC awarded the two communities a $150,000 grant in 2017 to engage a transportation planning specialist. The work included an update of the Route 1 Project’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). A primary focus was on the transportation aspects and justification for the project (capacity issues, collision issues, access issues and overall deficiencies of the current facility). Following months of addiMINIMIZING CASINO | SEE PAGE 6
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