MassDOT Addresses Confusion, Gridlock After Storrow Drive Lane Change
BOSTON (CBS) – MassDOT is addressing the confusion and gridlock that a new lane pattern is creating on Storrow Drive.
Those who often drive Storrow Drive West are noticing a change between Leverett and Charles Circle. Some of them say it is only making traffic worse, no matter the time of day.
"I don't think it makes sense the way they did it. Storrow Drive is crazy as it is especially in that spot when you are getting off the tunnel and the other lane is merging. I don't know it's weird and it might promote a little more chaos," Eunice Dumornay said.
The lane change on Storrow Drive was put into place Thursday. Barely five days later, MassDOT is realizing it's not going as planned.
"First off, I want to acknowledge that the change that we made on the Storrow striping has not gone certainly as smoothly as we had hoped," Jonathan Gulliver, the MassDOT Highway Administrator explained.
Gulliver says the change was meant to make the left lane, traditionally an exit only lane, a travel lane.
"People are still trying to jockey for position they are going into a single lane when there is that left lane open," Gulliver said.
However, the change also eliminated the far right lane.
"Silly. It's making congestion for the tunnel here," Mohammad Harfoursh added.
Overnight crews added arrows on the roadway to try to alert drivers more clearly.
"The way it's on the ground, it's confusing. There is not enough time before the merge happens or before you even see that it is happening. So you have to merge within split seconds," Dumornay, said.
Gulliver, didn't want to say this was a mistake just yet, saying it usually takes drivers roughly ten days to get used to this kind of change. Drivers though didn't hesitate.
"I think it was a mistake," Dumornay said.
"I don't think it's promising," Harfoursh added. "I don't think it will be beneficial."
However a promise was made to drivers Tuesday afternoon.
"If it does not work, we will reverse it back to the old configuration," Gulliver said.
MassDOT reminds people this is part of a pilot program and they will continue to monitor the traffic patterns and driver behavior for the next few days.
With the hope, a final decision can be made by the end of this week or early next.