Public Comment Period is Now Open until December 31, 2023

Below, please indicate your preferred design option for the intersections of Tremont Street at School Street and Tremont Street at Grove Street below. You are also welcome to submit your comments directly to the Assistant Transportation Director, Christina Hodge, at chodge@salem.com. We will compile and review all comments before determining the next steps for the project. Thank you for participating in this public process. (Note that the original comment period deadline was December 15th, but it has been extended through the end of the month.)

Traffic & Parking Commission Meeting 11/15 at 6pm via Zoom

The Tremont Street design alternatives (as described in the section below) will be reviewed and discussed at the Traffic & Parking Commission Meeting on Wednesday, November 15th at 6pm via Zoom. We invite you to attend the meeting and give your public comments. If you are unable to attend the meeting, we will be opening a second round of design comments on this webpage. You are also welcome to submit your comments directly to the Assistant Transportation Director, Christina Hodge, at chodge@salem.com.

The meeting agenda with the Zoom information can be found on the City's website. Click here.

Design Alternatives are Now Available

The Traffic & Parking Deparment and the Project Engineers at BETA met with a group of abutters on Thursday, September 21, 2023. At this on-site meeting, three (3) design alternatives were reviewed and discussed. Additional neighborhood meetings and a Traffic & Parking Commission meeting will also be held before any decisions are made. Thank you for participating in this public process.

These alternatives can be found here: Design Option 1, Design Option 2, Design Option 2A. Descriptions for each alternative are provided below. We encourage you to leave comments regarding your preferred design. If you have questions, please reach out to Assistant Transportation Director, Christina Hodge, at chodge@salem.com. We will be accepting comments through October 30th. Additional opportunities to comment/give feedback will be provided at a future date.

For all options, there is only one design alternative proposed for the intersections of Bradford Street at Balcomb Street and Balcomb Street at School Street.

• Bradford Street at Balcomb Street Intersection:

  • Realign Bradford Street to intersect Balcomb Street at a perpendicular angle

  • Provide space for potential grass or plantings on the southwest corner (to be determined)

  • New sidewalks along both sides of Bradford Street

  • New ADA compliant ramps and crosswalk across Bradford Street

• Balcomb Street at School Street Intersection:

  • New sidewalks along both sides of Balcomb Street up to Bradford Street

  • New ADA compliant ramps and crosswalk across Balcomb Street at School Street

Design Option 1:

• Tremont Street at School Street Intersection:

  • Roundabout designed accommodating 40’ emergency vehicle (larger trucks could be accommodated with slight redesign and/or mountable truck aprons)

  • New ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks across each leg (due to driveway locations, some are shifted further back from the intersection)

  • Relocation of utility poles will be required to accommodate the design

  • Driveway access maintained at all residential and commercial properties

• Tremont Street at Grove Street

  • Slightly realigned Grove Street approach to meet Tremont Street at a perpendicular angle

  • New ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks across each leg

  • Apex style ramp provided for the southeast corner to keep Tremont Street east leg crosswalk closer to intersection, but apex ramps are not preferred as they can create challenges for those who are visually impaired

  • Relocation of utility pole on the southeast corner to accommodate design

Design Option 2:

• Tremont Street at School Street

  • Stop-controlled approach at School Street

  • The north corner of the intersection bumps out to reduce the width of the intersection while still being able to accommodate 40’ emergency vehicles

  • New ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks across each leg

  • Separate ramps have been provided for each crosswalk which results in the crosswalk on the west leg being shifted further from the intersection to accommodate the existing driveway locations

  • Driveway access maintained at all residential and commercial properties

• Tremont Street at Grove Street

  • Maintain existing geometry

  • New ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks across each leg; separate ramps have been provided for each crosswalk which results in east leg crosswalk shifted further west as a result of ramp transitions on the southeast corner

  • Relocation of utility pole on the southeast corner to new ramp design

Design Option 2A:

• Tremont Street at School Street

  • The same intersection design as Option 2, but the crosswalk on the west leg shifts closer to the intersection and is accommodated through the use of an apex style ramp (not preferred as they can create challenges for those who are visually impaired)

  • Driveway access maintained at all residential and commercial properties

• Tremont Street at Grove Street

  • Maintain existing Grove Street geometry, no realignment of the Grove Street approach

  • New ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks across each leg

  • Apex ramp provided for the southeast corner to keep Tremont Street east leg crosswalk closer to intersection

  • Relocation of utility pole on the southeast corner to new ramp design

Existing Condition Public Comment Period.

The comment period closed on June 30th. Thank you to all who provided comments and feedback. Click here to see the intersection evaluation presentation from the Traffic & Parking Commission Meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2022.