McKenna Seeks Action on Winthrop Ave Bumpout

City Council Vice President Joanne McKenna is monitoring the continuing concerns being expressed by Beachmont residents in Ward 1 about the bump-out on the Parkway (Route 145) and Winthrop Avenue leading in to the Beachmont section of the city.

McKenna first brought the traffic situation about the bump-out – which is an extension of the curb in the area – to the forefront at the Sept. 17 Council meeting.

“I do not have any problems with the new curbing, but I do have a problem with the bump-out that is going in to Beachmont on Winthrop Avenue,” said McKenna. “I privately inquired about my concerns and I was assured that everything would be fine and the lights are going to coordinate with the traffic on Winthrop Avenue.”

McKenna said traffic problems continue to plague the area.

“Just the other day two trucks were trying to make the turn to go in to Beachmont and traffic was backed up on the Parkway, so they couldn’t make the turn,” explained McKenna. “It’s just so ridiculous. You hire these people for $100,000 to do traffic studies and they put a bump-out. You don’t even need bump-out because HYM [Investment Group] is going to do a 30-foot sidewalk. The distance between the crossing island going across that streets is going to be minimal.”

McKenna said she envisions “major problems” with the bump-out that will create traffic snarls during certain times of the day. The Ward 1 councillor also expressed dismay that she wasn’t invited to a public meeting about the traffic situation.

“I am the ward councillor and that’s my side [of the roadway],” said McKenna. “I just think I should have been informed about what was going on there before they did it.”

Councillor-at-Large Dan Rizzo agreed with McKenna, saying the traffic situation (bump-out) on Winthrop is “dangerous and it’s unnecessary, and it’s already causing problems.”
Rizzo encouraged his colleagues to view the bump-out in person. “It’s worth a ride down there,” said Rizzo, who has also received calls from constituents about the situation. “This really needs to be looked at. The workmanship down there is at best, suspect.”

 

Mayor Arrigo issues statement about

traffic situation on Winthrop Avenue

Mayor Brian Arrigo said he is aware of the traffic situation on Winthrop Avenue and the concerns expressed by Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna at the Council meeting. The mayor issued the following statement regarding the traffic situation:

“The situation on the Parkway and Winthrop Avenue is a work in progress. While the bump-out is one element of the temporary inconvenience that motorists always confront during road construction, we need to be patient and allow the work to be completed. We should keep in mind that the design of the Parkway improvement was NOT done on a whim. The objective is to decelerate eastbound traffic as it travels from the Parkway on to the narrower, single-lane Winthrop Avenue, an area where pedestrian activity is substantially more prevalent.

In its final configuration, the Parkway/Winthrop Avenue reconstruction will include signalization, road markings, and signage, all of which are anticipated to ease the traffic flow and make the area safer for motorists and pedestrians. Only when the project is nearer completion can we make a more informed judgment.”