Traffic Commission: Signal equipment delays are holding back Waltham’s traffic

Many city intersections are slowing down traffic because of fixable issues with their equipment, according to traffic engineer J. Michael Garvin.

Although traffic volumes have gone down in much of Waltham over the past decade, many intersections are still creating bottlenecks for passing cars. “The largest source of delays at traffic signals across the city is inefficient or broken traffic signal equipment, including detection signals,” Garvin told members of the city’s Traffic Commission on Thursday. 

However, two commission-approved projects to improve traffic signalization have come to a temporary halt at Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy’s desk.

One of these projects is a $365,000 funding request that Garvin submitted to the mayor in March. This funding was earmarked for vehicle detection system repairs at eight traffic signals — three intersections along Main Street, four along Lexington Street and the intersection of Beaver Street and Waverley Oaks Road.

Garvin’s report said these repairs were part of the city’s long-term capital improvement plan. “If we are serious about improving traffic operations in Waltham, then securing adequate funding must be part of the solution,” he told commissioners.

Director of Wires Tim Kelly said he requested $35,000 for these repairs in his department’s requests for the FY2027 budget, arguing the rest should be payable through the city’s traffic mitigation fund.

“We have a ton of money in mitigation funds,” Kelly emphasized. “The money is there.”

Commissioners voted to take stock of what other projects are drawing from the mitigation account and, if feasible, request funding from the account for the traffic signals.

Meanwhile, another string of signal improvements prompted by the West End traffic study also got a red light from the mayor. Garvin said McCarthy won’t allow the project to go to bid until the traffic engineering department completes improvements at the Beaver Street railroad crossing and at the intersection of Main Street, Gore Street, Barbara Road and Warren Street.

“It’s disappointing because this study goes back years, we finally got it done — and now progress is just being halted,” said Ward 7 Councilor Paul Katz. 

The upcoming Green Street connector road, designed to ameliorate traffic in the West End, promises some additional hope of improvements for the area. Still, Katz asked commissioners to consider additional signage and intersection improvements: “That’s all I can ask for at this point,” he said.

Additionally, the Traffic Commission:

• Approved a traffic plan for National Grid to replace gas mains underneath Main Street, a requirement for the City Council’s approval of the project. The commission asked National Grid to delay the project until next year after the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority finishes parallel construction projects on Felton Street.
• Approved two fast food locations for Cava and Sweetgreen, who plan to occupy a building at the 1265 Main St. plaza near the Market Basket.