Hello and good morning!

There is still time to register for tonight’s meeting to get all your questions about the upcoming Route 3A paving project answered. MassDOT spoke to the Select Board at their October 24 meeting. Here’s a recap of that conversation, in case you missed it.

• MassDOT plans to begin this project, which involves paving and restriping the area of 3A between BHS and Cook Street in Billerica, in late spring of 2023.

  • The plan is to keep the current striping patterns at “signalized intersections” - so the cars will still be able to spread out in two lanes at these intersections, turning lanes at these intersections will be preserved, etc.

  • The areas that are not currently marked as two lanes - you know, the wide areas where folks try to drive two-by-two even though there’s really not quite enough room? - will be a clearer one lane, and dedicated bike lanes will be added. (In some areas, such as the Town Center and the intersection with Wilmington Road, bicycles will instead be allowed on sidewalks.) There will be continuous bicycle and pedestrian access, and some new crosswalks will be added - the kind with the flashing yellow lights.

  • Traffic studies suggest no significant increase in travel times with this plan and also no significant benefit to having a turning lane rather than bike lanes.

The sense I got from watching the presentation to the Select Board is that the design decisions for this project have already been made and this meeting is just informational. I suspect there will be time for questions, but I’m not sure how much input they’re looking for from the community (though I do know that there is plenty of input to go around). Register for this meeting here. I’m going to try and attend and provide an update tomorrow, but I’ve got a long day ahead of me, and I’m not feeling my best. So it’s possible I’ll be in bed by meeting time. If anyone wants to volunteer to be a surrogate note-taker, I welcome any support.

Today in Burlington

Meetings and Events

• 6:30 PM - That MassDOT meeting is happening (see above). Here’s the registration link again.
• 7:00 PM - Planning Board will discuss the proposed project at 59-63 Middlesex Turnpike (the current location of Shell and the abandoned D’Angelo building) by Nouria Energy. They’ll also continue talking about amending the Town Center Design Rules and Regulations. (Join online)

Looking Ahead

There are some cool events going on tomorrow and this weekend, and I wanted to let you know about them today while they’re fresh in my mind. I’ll remind you as they come up, too, provided I remember myself. I am highlighting two events from the library, but please know there are literally dozens of events each week/month at the library for people of all ages and you should definitely check out the calendar to see what’s there for you and your family.

• Friday, November 18 - story and craft at the library. Toddlers (18-36mo) at 10:30 and preschool age (3-6y) at 11:30.
• Friday, November 18, at 4:00 PM - Turkey cookie making event at the library for grades 6-12.

Friday, November 18, at 7:30 PM -

North Shore Rock and Mineral Club Annual Auction at the Senior Center. This event is open to the public!

• Saturday, November 19, at 8:30 and 11:00 AM - Essex North Shore Technical School Open House.
• Saturday, November 19, from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM - People Helping People Thanksgiving Food Drive at United Church of Christ.
• Saturday, November 19, from 1:00 PM-5:00 PM - Simonds Park Accessible Treehouse Grand Opening. There will be fireworks! (Note: I made a mistake with the date of this event in the Weekly Buzz. Saturday is the correct date.)

That’s it for me for now. I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Nicci