The Boston Globe
June 30, 2011
A potential traffic meltdown looms on a key stretch of Route 128 west of Boston unless steps are taken to get more commuters out of their cars and onto trains and buses, a new report warns.
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council projects a 77 percent increase in traffic over the next decade or two along the highway from the intersection with Route 3 to the Massachusetts Turnpike.
To make way for the
surge in traffic as new development and new jobs are created along the corridor, state and local officials need to look at a mix of short-term and long-term solutions, according to the Planning Council.
Route 128’s central corridor could see traffic
swell by 150,000 cars and trucks per day, depending on how quickly the area is developed. That’s on top of the current 200,000 vehicles that already use the highway each day, a number that is considered well above capacity, according to the council.
Read more: Traffic Surge on Route 128 predicted