The initial finding of a traffic study being completed as part of the new Marshall Middle School project, have identified a potential traffic impact at the corner of Brookline and Chatham streets, as a negative impact of the project.
The intersection, which is currently lightly traveled – could see cars exiting Brookline Street stacking ten deep, in order to make the turn on Chatham Street, according the draft findings of the study, which is being completed by Nitsch Engineering of Boston.
That kind of traffic would create a definite impact on the Brookline Street neighborhood that could also be felt on surrounding streets as well – to say nothing of the remaining industrial businesses that remain on Brookline and nearby.
City officials last week did not seem overly concerned with the early findings, largely because the findings are based on existing conditions of the street and intersection.
Among the possible solutions for this problem would be to make Brookline a one way during certain peak travel times or school hours.
That solution would move the traffic away from the problematic intersection and towards streets and intersection that can better handle the traffic flow.
Another solution may be to add a traffic signal at the intersection to allow swifter traffic flow, or to station a police officer to direct traffic during peak traffic, such as prior to school and after school hours.
Other city officials pointed out that even if conditions remain the same once the school is built, the increased traffic will still not be as bad as the traffic that already impacts other Lynn neighborhoods with schools.
The new school is scheduled to open to students in 2016 and it has been estimated that as much as 85 percent of the students will walk to school each day.