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Report dock,
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Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, fic.
Study Findings
To improve vehicular mobility, strengthen transit, pedestrian, and bicycle
connections, and to enhance accessibility for residents and businesses, the City
should consider converting some of the Downtown’s one-way streets to two-way
flow. However, changing the circulation patterns of several streets at the same time
can be disruptive and therefore it would be best to implement these types of actions
over time. Some of the actions could be implemented now, some in the future, and
some would be best implemented as part of future roadway reconfiguration projects.
Walnut Street Oval
Reconfiguring the Walnut Street Oval would not only afford the City an opportunity
to enhance access to the Downtown from the west (complimenting the Broad Street
Parkway), but it would also provide a tremendous opportunity to both encourage
redevelopment and introduce a more pedestrian friendly appeal to the area.
A range of reconfiguration alternatives were considered. Although each option has
its advantages and disadvantages, the dual roundabout option would appear to
provide the best opportunity to enhance vehicular and pedestrian mobility while
encouraging area redevelopment.
Advancing the roadway reconfiguration, solely as a City improvement project,
would be costly and as result could take many years. However, if there was an
opportunity for this type of roadway reconstruction project to be constructed by the
private sector as part of a larger redevelopment plan where the City and one or more
property developers worked together, this type of project could advance much
quicker. To advance this concept, the City should share the reconfiguration concept
with interested area property developers and initiate discussions with them in an
effort to spark interest in the area's redevelopment opportunities.
Water Street
If one or more private developers, in collaboration with the City, were to advance a
pedestrian friendly redevelopment plan for the Walnut Street Oval area, it would be
advantageous to provide continuous pedestrian connectivity to the Nashua River at
Water Street. This could be done by converting the western segment of Water Street
to a pedestrian corridor. Full vehicular access and egress would be maintained for all
businesses on Water Street by way of the traffic signal controlled Main Street
intersection. The pedestrian corridor, which would connect to Factory Street, would
not only provide access to pedestrians and bicyclists, but it would provide an
aesthetically pleasing area with landscaping, benches, and great views of the River.
Study Findings
