Chandler Street & May Street Improvements

The project will reconstruct about ½-mile of Chandler Street between Hamill Street and Worcester Dual Language Magnet School, as well as short portions of May Street extending south to Hamill Street and north approximately 500 ft beyond the northly roundabout.

Citing concerns with speeding and traffic safety, the Worcester City Council, neighbors and area stakeholders began advocating for the project as early as 2016, and the TIP project was officially launched at the end of 2017. The project is intended to improve traffic operations at both May Street intersections with Chandler Street, address deteriorated pavement and sidewalk conditions, and enhance safety and mobility for all users.

Speeding along Chandler Street has been a longstanding issue. The corridor’s excessively wide roadway encourages higher speeds than are appropriate or safe for a neighborhood with schools, recreational fields, residences, and a university campus. The applicable speed limit is 20 mph during school hours, and 25 mph at other times. The observed average speed on Chandler Street is 33 mph, while 15% of vehicles - about 1750 vehicles per day - exceed 38mph, confirming prevalence of excessive speeding on the corridor.

Higher speeds increase risk for everyone, but the impact is especially dangerous for pedestrians. Today, several intersections lack crosswalks entirely, and where crosswalks do exist, they are typically very long and require pedestrians to cross both directions of traffic at once. Without a median refuge to pause mid‑crossing, pedestrians must identify gaps in two traffic streams moving at higher speeds, making safe crossing difficult, especially for children, older adults, and visitors to Worcester State University.

The proposed improvements directly address these issues by redesigning the corridor to manage travel speeds, shorten and enhance pedestrian crossings, and improve safety for all users.

Project improvements will deliver a range of important benefits for corridor users and residents:

Safer and easier vehicle turns at May Street: Redesigned intersections will make movements between Chandler Street and May Street easier and safer. Today, vehicles turning from May Street often face more than two minutes of delay during peak periods - conditions rated Level of Service (LOS) F. With the project in place, these movements will instead experience less than 25 seconds of delay at the busiest times, with all intersection movements forecast to operate at LOS A, B or C (good) conditions throughout the day.

Better speed management: Speeding is a well‑documented issue on Chandler Street, with about 15% of vehicles exceeding 38 mph. The new roundabouts and lane layouts will help slow traffic and create a calmer, safer environment near schools, ballfields, homes, and Worcester State University.

Improved pedestrian safety: Crosswalks will be added at key locations, crossing distances will be significantly shortened, and visibility approaching crosswalks improved. Crossings on Chandler Street will be limited to one lane at a time, and Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and raised crossings will be provided at roundabout approaches and other key crosswalk locations.

New pavement and sidewalks: Roadways will be reconstructed and resurfaced, restoring the pavement to excellent condition (current pavement conditions range from fair to poor). New sidewalks will be constructed to current accessibility standards.

Enhanced streetscape: New landscaping, median islands, and lighting will create a more welcoming, pedestrian‑friendly corridor.

The project considered upgrading the two May Street intersections to improve traffic control by either implementing traffic signals or roundabout. Roundabouts were selected because they provide well‑documented safety and traffic‑flow advantages over signalized intersections.

Studies consistently show that modern roundabouts significantly reduce both the number and severity of crashes for all users. Their design reduces vehicle speeds, improves sight lines, and eliminates conflict points. Compared to traffic signals, roundabouts keep traffic flowing at a steady, but managed pace, rather than stop and go, and eliminate hazards associated with red light running. Crashes that do occur tend to be more minor due to lower speeds and occurrence at glancing angles.

Crosswalks at roundabouts are set back from the circulating roadway, so drivers can focus on pedestrians separately from the task of entering the roundabout. Shorter crossing distances and slower vehicle speeds make crossing easier and safer. On single‑lane roundabouts, pedestrians only cross one lane at a time, greatly simplifying the crossing process. To further enhance safety, the project includes features such as Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and raised crosswalks to increase driver yielding and improve visibility.

Under most conditions, roundabouts also improve traffic flow relative to signalized or stop-controlled intersections. Traffic analysis conducted for the Chandler Street and May Street Improvements project confirmed that roundabouts would result in better traffic flow compared to signalizing the May Street intersections.

On-street parking will be provided on both sides of Chandler Street and May Street. The project will provide a total of 81 on-street parking spaces within the area, which is 21 fewer than today. This reduction is a very small amount relative to the thousands of on‑street and off‑street parking spaces provided nearby.

The decrease in spaces is primarily due to removing parking near intersections and within 20 feet of crosswalks to comply with safety best practices and engineering standards. Similar parking changes would occur under other improvement options, such as installing traffic signals.

Although most of the project will be built within the existing right‑of‑way, five parcels will require permanent easements. These easements do not affect any buildings and mostly involve non‑residential properties:

• 265 May Street (May Street School): 961 square feet along the frontage to relocate the existing sidewalk to better accommodate on-street parking and loading spaces.
• 485 Chandler Street (Parking lot owned by the Worcester State Foundation): 701 square feet of property along the frontage.
• 280 May Street (former Temple Emanuel property owned by the Worcester State Foundation): 7,341 square feet at the west end of the property to accommodate the intersection layout.
• 525 Chandler Street (Worcester Dual Language Magnet School): 36 square feet to address an existing utility pole encroachment.
• 310 May Street (private residence): 28 square feet to address an existing sidewalk encroachment.

Additionally, the project will need to secure temporary easements during the construction period to facilitate construction of the project and to adjust walkways, driveways and other private property features so that they interface smoothly with the public street.

All affected property owners have been notified by certified mail and offered consultations with the project team. Appraisals, negotiations, and compensation are carried out in accordance with prescribed federal and state procedures.

Project construction is funding through $10.1 million in federal and state Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) funds. The City is responsible for funding design and right-of-way acquisition, which to date has totaled approximately $980,000.

The City of Worcester is responsible for designing the project and securing all necessary right‑of‑way, including temporary construction easements. This work must follow all state and federal requirements for TIP‑funded projects, and MassDOT participates throughout the design process to ensure compliance. Once design is complete, MassDOT manages the bidding and oversees construction, including contractor selection and construction administration.

During construction, traffic will be maintained through phased work zones and temporary lane shifts. Except for brief disruptions, one travel lane in each direction will remain open throughout the project to accommodate corridor traffic and maintain access to homes, schools, recreational facilities and Worcester State University. Pedestrian access will be preserved with temporary accommodations where necessary and clear signage to guide people safely through the area. While the construction contractor will determine the specific phasing and traffic management approaches, preliminary traffic management plans showing the anticipated sequence are included in Sheets 35-43 of the 100% Design Plans.