During a Public Hearing of the Transportation Chapter of the Hudson Master Plan, at the Wednesday, Jan. 10, Planning Board meeting, members voted to adopt the document with minor changes made.
Members and the planning department have been working on the document for several months and it will be used in the town’s Master Plan.
The introduction to the draft of Chapter V – Transportation states, “Land use and transportation are integral elements in the spatial layout and growth of a community. The dominant use of the automobile contributed to the transformation of the character of Hudson from rural to suburban during the latter part of the twentieth century. The rise in motor vehicle use has enabled residents to commute longer distances, businesses to improve services for their customer base, and communities to broaden their tax bases through economic growth. The rise in motor vehicle use has also created traffic congestion problems, especially along major highway corridors. The key to preserving and enhancing Hudson’s transportation network is to ensure that roadway capacity and regional connections are enhanced and maintained and that incremental improvements to the complete transportation network that includes transit, sidewalks, and bicycle routes, are implemented.”
The purpose of the Transportation Chapter of the Master Plan is to discuss strategies for an efficient and safe transportation system that will preserve the community’s character, accommodate growth, and increase the availability of transportation choices. This chapter includes a discussion of: 1) the existing transportation network, including the roadway classification system, existing traffic conditions, highway capacity, crashes, bridge conditions and travel patterns; 2) future traffic projections; 3) transportation solutions, including regulations, access management, community character guidelines, traffic calming and scenic road designation; 4) alternative transportation, including transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities; and 5) recommendations.
One of the subjects touched on in the transportation chapter, which was presented as a nearly 75-page document, was the plan for Hudson Boulevard, a road that has been discussed for over a decade that would alleviate traffic issues that have evolved in the southern part of Hudson, along Lowell Road from Nashua.
According to the document, “Hudson Boulevard has evolved as a scaled down southern segment of what was formerly known as the Circumferential Highway. Although this project was removed from the N.H. Ten Year Transportation Plan programming in 2005, it has since been re-added with preliminary engineering slated to start in 2024-2025. In contrast to the limited-access, high-speed expressway once envisioned, the project now is seen as an approximate 40 mph, controlled access roadway (no frontage) along the southern Circumferential Highway right-of-way between N.H. 3A and N.H. 111 with at-grade intersections and a parallel, separate multi-use path for bicycles and pedestrians. The estimated project cost is about $56 million as of the 2023-32 plan, increasing to $60 million in the 2025-34 draft. Traffic impacts of the project are presented later in the future year traffic forecast.”
A map provided in the document shows the proposed Hudson Boulevard roadway beginning on Lowell Road, directly across from the Old Sagamore Bridge from Nashua along the Circumferential Highway, crossing Burns Hill Road, Bush Hill Road, and Speare Road to Route 111.
The chapter also discusses the total miles of roadways in Hudson.
It says, “Based on the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (N.H. DOT) road mileage inventory, there are 194.4 miles of roads in the Town of Hudson.
The State of New Hampshire classifies roadways in two ways. The first is by a state funding category (the State Aid classification system) and the second is by federal funding category (the Functional classification system). The State Aid classification system was developed by the State of New Hampshire, as defined by RSA 229-231, to determine responsibility for construction, reconstruction, and maintenance as well as eligibility for use of state aid funds.”
In the Planned Intersection Improvements section, the document states, “At the request of the Towns of Hudson and Litchfield, a traffic study was completed to determine future impacts of the Circumferential Highway on traffic operations at various essential intersections within the local road network. The Hudson-Litchfield Traffic Study, 2002 was funded through a grant from the NH DOT. The engineering consultant firm of Vollmer Associates was contracted to evaluate existing and future traffic conditions at those intersections. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate traffic conditions over a twenty-year horizon and to consider improvements needed as a result of the impacts of the Circumferential Highway and the Airport Access Road in Manchester. The study identified specific needed improvements at the study area intersections. A number of these improvements have since been implemented. Table V-6 summarizes the remaining recommended improvements that have yet to be implemented. In 2019, the Planning Board commissioned design studies for the Belknap Road/Birch Street/N.H. 3A area but no construction has been planned.”
The recommended intersection improvements include:
Belknap Road – Extend Belknap Road from County Road to a new four-way signalized intersection with NH 3A and Birch Street; and construct sidewalk along the northern side of the Birch Street extension.
N.H. 3A/Birch Street – Add a left turn storage lane on the NH 3A southbound approach at the newly signalized intersection; and install raised island at the southwest corner of the intersection to better define driveway openings.
County Road – Convert the southern end of County Road to one-way northbound; and maintain existing two-way traffic from ball fields to Belknap Road.
Other areas cover in the document were: Existing Traffic Conditions, Trends and Level of Serces, Bridge Conditions, Vehicle Crashes, Travel Patterns, Through Traffic, Impact Fees, Road and Sidewalk Layout, Community Character Guidelines, Non-Motorized Transportation, Roadway Design and Safety, Passenger Rail, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and Impovements to Key Corridor .