Nashua Downtown Master Plan
allel alternate route to the Main
Street crossing of the Nashua River,
one of the most problematical traffic
“bottlenecks” in the City.
* The proposed Parkway provides a
large increment of new access to the
Millyard district, enabling travel
between the Millyard and the north
side of the Nashua River without
requiring the use of Main Street.
However the Master Plan team
developed an alternative which better
meets the goals of the City and Down-
town.
Although in agreement with the funda-
mental premises of the Broad Street
Parkway, the Master Plan team identified
several challenges with the current
design as proposed:
* Road Type A limited access road is
fundamentally at odds with the char-
acter of Nashua, and indeed with
cities in general. Limited access roads
are most appropriate where mobility
— higher speed travel over longer dis-
tance — is paramount. In contrast, the
primary purpose of arterial streets
within the city is access, i.e. distribu-
tion to as many intersecting streets
and fronting properties as possible,
and the provision of frequent oppor-
tunities for pedestrian crossings. The
limited access feature of the proposed
Broad Street Parkway, therefore, is
fundamentally at odds with the exist-
ing character of Nashua streets, and
with the desired character for new
streets within the system.
* Design Speed The proposed Broad
Street Parkway has a design speed of
40-50 miles per hour. This high
75
(bottom left}
The proposal provides a
bigh-speed link between
Broad Street and the
Millyard, but does little
for regional through-
tr
(bottom right}
The preferred
alternative will provide
access to redevelopment
properties and will
improve congestion at
Railroad Square created
by regional through
te
Exit 6
ny,
5, %
Ye
Se, pe
oe
Broad Street oe
Broad Street
Exit 6
