comprehensive campus transportation plan - University of ...

University of Massachusetts Lowell Campus Transportation Plan
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Providing access to transit is
important since other
transportation modes are often
not an option. UMass Lowell is
working to improve options and
services for the mobility-limited.
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Shopping / Entertainment
Shuttles - Residential students
have expressed the desire to
travel to off campus locations for
shopping and recreational
activities. Specific destinations
include the Burlington Mall and
Nashua, New Hampshire. UMass
Lowell transit service currently
services the Drum Hill Shopping
Plaza on weekends. Other
universities (e.g., Curry College)
provide charter buses for their
students to local shopping
centers and movie theaters.
The National Park Service, the City
of Lowell and the Lowell Plan are
working toward a future extension
of the existing trolley line in the
Downtown, with the participation
and support of the University. An
Alternatives Analysis draft report
was recently completed, defining a
proposed route, operations
framework and funding strategy for
this new transit concept for Lowell.
Federal and state funding is being
pursued to implement an early
phase of the project connecting
the Hamilton Canal development
area to the Gallagher Terminal/
MBTA commuter rail station. The
project’s overall proposed route
travels from Downtown along the
edge of East and North campuses,
and continues to the South
Campus. In this alignment the
trolley has the potential to serve
the University community on some
trips to and between campuses,
and to the Downtown.
C. Opportunities for
Infrastructure Change
The evaluation of existing
conditions for faculty, staff and
students to travel around and
between the UMass Lowell
campuses has identified key safety
and mobility issues, as well as
challenges presented by roadway
congestion. It has provided
information to identify
opportunities for infrastructure
changes that would address
existing issues. These include the
following special corridor
opportunities, as shown in Figure
21:
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UMass Lowell campus “main
streets” on each campus,
providing multimodal
accommodations at the heart of
the campuses
••
A priority inter-campus
connector corridor on Pawtucket
Street, also with a multi-modal
focus
••
A safety focus corridor on
Riverside Street to improve
pedestrian conditions along this
key connection to the North
Campus parking facilities
In addition, there are opportunities
for location-specific improvements
in the following categories:
••
Intersection and traffic capacity
improvements
••
Pedestrian and safety
improvements
••
Bicycle accommodations
••
UMass Lowell branding of
transportation routes and key
locations
The recommendations developed
from those opportunities are
presented in Section VI.
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
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