'Choke point' redesign gets funding boost
One of the fastest-growing business transportation hubs in Massachusetts is one step closer to an overhaul.
Last week, Representative James P. McGovern, Democrat of Worcester, announced that he had secured $285,000 for planning, designing, and engineering of a new interchange for Interstate 495 and Route 9 on the border of Westborough and Southborough.
The interchange already serves 5.8 million-square-feet of commercial space, and provides direct access to more than 3 million-square-feet of additional office space in Southborough and Westborough that has been permitted for future development.
"That is a lot of jobs and lot of people commuting to those jobs," said Paul Matthews, director of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, a nonprofit regional advocacy group that has been pushing for improvements to the interchange for years.
"We can't overstate how exciting this is, and how much we appreciate Congressman McGovern's leadership on this," said Matthews.
Approximately 58,300 vehicles use the interchange daily, but regional planners from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council have predicted that by 2030 the number will grow by 25 percent to 73,000 vehicles.
McGovern earmarked design funding in the $410 billion federal omnibus spending plan signed into law last week by President Obama.
The plan allocated about $1.2 million in transportation funds for the Worcester area, including money for the interchange project, said McGovern's spokesman, Michael Mershon.
It is not clear how long the interchange study and design process will take. It is hoped that federal highway funding will be available to help pay for the new hub, said Mershon.
Vera Kolias, Southborough's town planner, said improvements to the interchange would "absolutely" improve traffic conditions in an area that could see considerable development in coming years.
"The interchange is a choke point," said Kolias. "If anything happens at those ramps, it backs up Route 9."
"It's a big deal," she added. "We've been talking about it for years."
Potential development areas near the interchange include 110 acres of privately-owned land, another 50-acre site that currently houses a
EMC filed plans with the towns calling for a campus expansion from about 700,000 square feet to 2.2 million square feet.
The company secured approvals from both towns' planning boards to build a road through the subdivision, but has not gotten the go-ahead from either's conservation commission.
Even if the conservation commissions do approve that proposal this spring, EMC spokesman Patrick Cooley said there are no immediate plans to build the road or to file for additional permits for building construction.
"We don't have immediate plans for developing the location, but if our growth plans down the road warrant it, we'll develop it," Cooley said.
