EASTHAMPTON — With safety in mind, the City Council is petitioning the state for permission to lower speed limits by 10 mph on Northampton Street, or Route 10.
“We need to be thinking about the safety of our residents, our motorists, our pedestrians, and everyone else accessing the road,” said Councilor Owen Zaret, chair of the public safety committee.
That corridor has undergone substantial development in recent years, with River Valley Co-op, Cumberland Farms and Starbucks all being established, and the proposed $26-$30 million mixed-use residential and commercial center at the former Tasty Top site currently under consideration.
The move to lower speed limits is also being prompted by a crash in August 2022 in which a driver struck and killed two city residents crossing Route 10 near Burger King.
With that in mind, City Engineer Dan Murphy wrote a proposal that creates three distinct zones for speed reduction, including: reducing speed from 35 mph to 25 mph between West Street and Florence Road, reducing from 40 mph to 30 mph between Florence Road and Aubuchon Hardware, and 45 mph to 35 mph from Aubuchon to the Northampton city line.
“I just thought it made sense to make this request, put it to the state and see if they’ll honor,” Murphy said, adding that the city recently heard from the state that two crossings will be put in: one by Mountain View, and one near Valley Apartments.
The request comes as plans are in the works for a major redesign of the busy corridor from West Street to the Northampton city line.
One of the intersections along that stretch of state highway, at West and Northampton streets, has often been cited as among the most dangerous in the region, according to state crash data.
MassDOT said earlier this year that the scope of the project will improve accommodations for all road users and follow a “complete streets” design. In addition to resurfacing and widening the road for improved bicycle accommodations, the project would include new and reconstructed sidewalks for improved pedestrian access, and new wheelchair ramps.
Additionally, there will be places for buses to stop, along with a crosswalk, “which was a big reason we had the fatalities,” according to Murphy.
Maddie Fabian can be reached at mfabian@gazettenet.com.