Traffic Committee Approves Rt. 3 Lane Restriping

The Coventry Traffic Calming Committee met on Wednesday to hear a presentation from the RI Department of Transportation regarding a recommended "road diet" on Route 3 from the Harkney Hill Rd. intersection to Exit 6 on the West Greenwich town line.

RIDOT performed a traffic study after Representative Lisa Tomasso had initially requested that the idea of introducing a left turn lane be considered for the area. 

“The traffic study I requested last year showed that the average speed of motorists along that portion of Route 3 was far higher than it should have been,” said Representative Tomasso. “That’s how serious accidents happen. Now, making room for that center turn lane will result a narrower, five-lane road. The purpose is two-fold, first, to naturally reduce the speed of those traveling through the area and second, to protect those wanting to turn in and out of the businesses and neighborhoods along the stretch.”

During initial discussions, the restriping of the roadway would include two travel lanes and one left-hand turn lane.

"When planning for a three-lane road, the problem we ran into was the width of the road," said Steven Pristawa, Principal Civic Engineer from the RI State Traffic Commission. "The roadway is 64-feet wide and our concern is the confusion that would result from people seeing the wide section of pavement outside of the marked lanes. It would be the same width as a travel lane, likely causing people to think they can travel in it. When you have shoulders that wide, it tends to lead to bad decision-making."

The preferred solution, which was approved by the Committee 5-1, is to restripe the stretch into a five-lane roadway. The changes will add a 12-foot wide center turn lane, while maintaining two 11-foot travel lanes in each direction. This would leave room for a 4-foot wide bicycle-tolerant shoulder on each side. 

Committee member Arthur Fillo Jr., who voted against the project, argued that the five-lane plan would make it difficult for right-hand turns, and that a wide shoulder would make more sense for that purpose.

Business owner Lou Raptakis agreed, stating that several businesses in the area, such as and Coventry Petroleum need wider shoulders to maneuver large delivery trucks that frequent the lots.

"Everything is a give and take - safety versus mobility," said Pristawa. "No matter which way you decide, you'll probably never have a perfect roadway. We really feel that 12-foot shoulders cause problems, and that the five-lane model will work best for both towns. Taking left-turners out of through-traffic is always a safety benefit."

Pristawa also explained to the Committee that RIDOT will come back periodically to check the progress of the changes and said that if they were not working, the roadway could be changed back to its original format or another solution could possibly be attempted.

Aside from Coventry Traffic Calming Committee approval, West Greenwich Town Administrator Kevin Breene also endorsed the project. 

"Lisa Tomasso worked pretty hard on this plan and the DOT did a study down here and explained to us several weeks ago why it would have to be five lanes," Breene explained. "They also said it would be a cheap project for them to do, so it would be completed quickly."

At Wednesday night's meeting, Pristawa said that the project would take two or three nights to complete, with the current striping being ground away the first night and the new lanes marked, followed by the yellow turn lanes being painted. Any additional work would be completed during a third evening.  

"I think it is a good idea to try it out and see if it works," Breene went on to say. "It has gotten busier and busier over the years and it is hard to make left-hand turns in that area. Hopefully this makes it easier for everyone who uses that road."

According to RIDOT, the improvements are scheduled to be made by the end of September.

Editor's Note: In error, it was originally reported that Arthur Capaldi voted against the project - the correct committee member was Arthur Fillo Jr.