City of Methuen Master Plan

Transportation and Circulation
An analysis of household growth suggests that the increase in traffic volume throughout the City
would be higher than has actually been recorded. Since 1990, the number of households in Methuen
has increased about 17.5%, and this would be expected to be accompanied by a commensurate
increase in daily vehicle trips (about 22,500 new vehicle trips). However, traffic on local roads has
not increased by that much. A few local roads have seen large increases in traffic—Burnham Road
and Railroad Street, for example, but these roads had a lower base volume to begin with so the
percentage increase is overstated. For the most part, traffic volumes on local roads have increased at
a slower rate than households have increased. Two key factors are in play: Methuen’s excellent
highway access (routes I-93, I-495, 213, and 28) reduces the need for Methuen residents to wind
through a lot of neighborhood streets to access the highway system which helps reduce the impact
on local and neighborhood streets. In addition, smaller households drive significantly fewer miles
per year than larger households (four or more persons). Methuen has a high percentage of singleand
two-person households which translates into lower vehicle miles traveled than if the City were
dominated by larger households.
Table 35: Traffic Volumes
Route or Street/Location 1990–99 2000–06
Brown Street, east of Route 28 2,529 2,803
Forest Street, over I-93 2,772 3,492
110/Merrimack Street, east of I-495 16,592 17,195
Oakland Avenue, east of 113 4,389 4,896
Pelham Street, south of Hampshire Road 2,619 2,964
110/Haverhill Street, east of Route 113/Lowell Street 21,501 23,653
113/Pleasant Valley Street, east of Prospect Street 9,787 18,469
28/Broadway, south of Route 213 18,311 18,715
Burnham Road, north of Riverside Drive 2,529 5,477
East Street, east of Milk Street 7,800 13,435
Hampshire Street, north of Lowell Street 8,777 7,188
Howe Street, south of Rte. 213 16,223 24,364
Lawrence Street, north of East Street 16,245 16,167
Pelham Street, east of I-93 12,008 11,926
Prospect Street, north of Timber Lane 2,919 3,113
Railroad Street, south of Gill Avenue 4,270 5,561
Riverside Drive, east of Burnham Road 10,836 10,943
Tyler Street N/A 1,328
Woodland Street, Lawrence Line 6,247 6,994
Source: MassHighway, MVRPC, City of Methuen
The Merrimack Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) identified 29 sections of roadway
in the Regional Transportation Plan (2003) that experience congestion; of these, 7 are in Methuen (see
Table 36).
Table 36: Roadway Capacity and Congestion
Severity Roadway a.m.
Peak Hour
p.m.
Peak Hour
*** I-93 northbound
*** I-93 southbound
*** Rte. 110/113 at I-93
** Rte. 28 south of Rte. 213 to
Hampshire St.
* I-495 southbound
* Rte. 110/113 north of Rte. 113
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