Although it’s a major gateway to Chelsea, the intersection of Pearl and Marginal Streets is the site of frequent safety issues and traffic congestion that generate air pollution, due to regional traffic and outdated infrastructure.
The City of Chelsea, through its Department of Housing and Community Development, has secured a key state grant to design and deploy an intelligent transportation system to alleviate congestion, reduce public transit delays, and improve air quality, with a focus on the Pearl/Marginal intersection and Williams Street corridor.
“The growing delays and chronic safety issues at the intersection of Pearl/Marginal, worsened by the Sumner Tunnel project, impact residents’ daily lives and exacerbate air pollution, while hampering local businesses,” said Alex Train, Director of Housing and Community
Development.”We’re grateful to partner with the Healey Administration to tackle this long-standing issue, in coordination with community partners.”
In coordination with the public works department, the Housing and Community Development department will use the grant from the state’s local bottleneck reduction program to oversee an intersection modernization program to mitigate congestion, improve air quality, and promote safety and accessibility for all users along the corridor. The city will get up to $500,000 from the state through the program.
According to city officials, the Pearl and Marginal intersection, which connects Chelsea to East Boston and Logan Airport, is a designated high-crash location prone to regular congestion. That congestion has notably worsened since the beginning of the Sumner Tunnel restoration project.
Presently, the City is stewarding the design and engineering of an intelligent, adaptive traffic signal system to improve operations at the intersection. Upon completion, this system will respond to evolving conditions to streamline traffic flow. As part of the project, numerous intersections along the corridor will be wirelessly connected to enhance operations.
This project will involve the introduction of a wireless system that will coordinate Pearl/Marginal with Broadway/Williams, Chestnut/Williams, and Spruce/Williams, enabling these intersections to function in a synchronized manner to improve traffic flow. Moreover, features will be added to give preference to MBTA buses and emergency vehicles, reducing public transit delays and improving emergency response times.
Lastly, the city will apply pavement markings, install signage, and operationalize remote technology to monitor traffic operations and promote safety.
Design for the project will continue through the summer, with work scheduled to begin in the fall with a targeted completion date of May of 2024.
Because the project is confined to traffic signal systems, construction should not result in major disruptions, nor significant roadway closures that will affect traffic, according to city officials.
District 6 City Councilor Giovanni Recupero recently requested some traffic mitigation measures in the area, including a stop sign at the intersection of Pearl and Essex.
At the time Train noted that there was a redesign project coming to the area and recommended stepped up enforcement and improved striping until the project gets underway.
The project was highlighted as a priority in the Beacham/Williams/Marginal Transportation Corridor Plan. In 2023, the City will relatedly pursue funding to modernize the intersection of Eastern and Crescent Avenues/ Concurrently, the design of operations and safety enhancements are underway for the area anchored by Eastern Avenue and Stockton Street, funded by a $2 million grant secured through the Safe Routes to School Program.