Main/Warren/Gore/Barbara intersection needs an overhaul
In September, I was one of the very few members of the public who attended the public hearing about the intersection of Main St on the far east end of Waltham, and I was appreciative of but underwhelmed by the proposal.
I fully support the addition of the crosswalk between John Brewer’s and the bus stop in front of the Gore Place fence — and I likewise appreciate the attempt to reposition the traffic lights to minimize confusion for travelers making the (currently ambiguous) continuous “right turn/left turn” heading north from Gore Street onto Warren Street, so I don’t want to do anything to slow down these much-needed safety improvements.
With that said, as someone who regularly uses this intersection both by car and by foot, I think we deserve a true overhaul of the city’s most confusing intersection! The city should better prioritize the north- and southbound Warren/Gore travelers. I understand that the city previously engaged with traffic engineers that offered less creative options (including one option that bizarrely proposed eliminating the separate right-turn lane from Gore Street east onto Main Street). I also understand that without disrupting the existing fence line of historic Gore Place there is not enough room for a “full” roundabout design.
However, I believe with even a little bit of creativity, this intersection could be significantly improved to provide additional pedestrian safety while also increasing automotive thru-traffic with a “modified” roundabout approach.
As one illustrative example, I’ve drafted a non-professional mockup of a traffic pattern that I believe would:
- Improve the north/south flow of Warren/Gore traffic
- Improve the eastbound flow of Main St traffic by implementing a “green by default” setting
- Maintain westbound Main St traffic roughly status quo
- Add multiple “flashing yellow” turn lanes to keep traffic flowing
- Improve pedestrian safety by shortening crosswalks and extending sidewalks along the south edge of Main St
- Discourage the two-lane “racetrack” along Main Street between the bridge over the railroad tracks and the eastern town line by adding bus lanes
Even though this design would eliminate the “immediate left” from Warren St onto Main St (a turn that I take regularly), I believe replacing the existing (painfully long) wait for a left turn arrow with a “green by default” roundabout-style loop would mean that drivers should not need to wait any longer than they already do in the existing light cycle.
Even if this is not a “perfect” intersection design, I think it would be much better than the proposal that stays exclusively within the existing traffic pattern. If anyone else has ideas to further improve this intersection, I would love to hear them!
Sean Diamond
https://www.sean.diamonds/
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Just having traffic go around does not make a roundabout. A roundabout has very specific design elements to control the speed and flow of traffic without traffic signals. The old-fashioned traffic circle at Lyman and Beaver Streets could easily be modified into one. But, as the article’s author acknowledges, creating one here would eat into neighboring property. The plan as shown makes northbound travel from Gore Street to Barbara Road much less convenient. That is especially an issue for bicyclists. Gore Street is wide, easy bicycling, and Barbara Road is a very lightly-traveled alternative to Warren Street. The problem might possibly be resolved in this design with a contraflow bike lane in the one-way stretch of Gore Street.
Eastbound traffic on Main street, except buses, is shown turning right onto Gore street from the left of the bus lane. There is an example of this in Cambridge. It’s a bit of a nightmare — my son and I could have collided with a bus in or car, see https://cyclingsavvy.org/2025/04/who-is-a-vulnerable-road-user/ . I expect that many motorists would simply use the bus lane in the Waltham example.
Sean, you point out an important need. However, I think we need to push this further as our problem isn’t just this one intersection; it’s our whole approach to roads, bikeways, and walkways. As Saul Blumenthal argued in his June piece “Waltham Needs a Transportation Planner,” we’re one of the only nearby cities without one. Crescent, Lowell, and now this intersection are all related problems that a planner would address. I know there is a Council Committee meeting tonight to consider a resolution on Improving Traffic and Safety Technology in Waltham. Our roads are in poor shape, and we need these council resolutions to lead to action items by the administration. It’s time to hire a transportation planner and think citywide about our roads instead of a problem-by-problem approach.