Saugus board satisfied with traffic plan for new Walmart

SAUGUS – The Saugus Planning Board held another public hearing for representatives from Walmart on Thursday night, and voted that new traffic and environmental impact studies would not be required for the project.Previous studies had already been done at the site on Route 1 before Walmart announced it would open a store there and Planning Board Vice Chairman Peter Rossetti said those still hold up for the current project.At the time of the original traffic study, the area was classified as a shopping center. Now it is considered a super store which generates less traffic.One issue raised was the potential for traffic entering the parking lot through the northern parking lot to back up into the 600-foot deceleration lane, but Rossetti said that would be a rare occurrence.?Maybe around Christmas time it may happen,” said Rossetti. “But the traffic study is saying it would take a lot of cars to do that.”Traffic Consultant Ron Muller, of Ron Muller & Associates, said the parking lot is designed to keep traffic flowing in and out continuously, and that a situation where the parking lot backs up is unlikely.?When you enter into the parking lot you can go either left or right,” said Muller. “None of those movements are inhibited in any way. It?s a free-flowing condition with nothing to stop cars other than the occasional car backing out.Overall traffic in the area is expected to increase by between .2 and .6 percent, according to Muller, which would be lower than the original traffic study. Muller said a slow economy over the last several years has seen traffic drop on and around Route 1, so if the current estimated increase holds true, traffic would still be lower than in the past.Drainage issues will be taken up at the Planning Board?s next meeting on Aug. 4 and Rossetti said he expects a final vote on the Walmart project on Aug. 18.