Plans to ease congestion around Suffolk Downs proposed

REVERE – Revere residents and officials packed the Topsider Room at the Suffolk Downs Clubhouse Tuesday night to hear the proposed transportation plan for the possible resort casino that will invest $40 million into improvements with local and regional roadway infrastructure if Suffolk Downs earns a license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle presented the goals of Suffolk Downs to limit resort traffic to major roadways and improve conditions due mainly to congestion for resort visitors, commuters, and residents as part of the host agreement needed to develop the casino at the site.?If we?re fortunate enough to earn this license, we obviously want people to be able to visit here conveniently and pleasantly,” said Tuttle. He added that investment in the community will “far outweigh” the interests of visitors.View Suffolk Downs’ transportation reportTuttle and John Kennedy of the traffic study group Vanasse Hangen Burstlin, Inc. reported that they studied traffic patterns and compared the proposed traffic of the possible casino with that of Foxwoods Casino and Logan Airport. They showed in a PowerPoint presentation that the Caesar-branded casino slated for the Suffolk Downs site would be about two-thirds the size of Foxwoods and would draw about 5,000 cars less every weekday. They also reported that casino traffic would not effect the morning commute on Route 1A, with 55 percent of the casino traffic occurring during weekends, and daily with peak hours of 7 p.m.The plans included a flyover on Boardman Street for traffic going north on Route 1A.?The focal point of what we?re doing is to try to make improvements of the Route 1A and Boardman Street intersection,” said Kennedy. He added that the flyover would remove traffic from that intersection, eliminating half of the total peak evening traffic in that area, as well as decrease delays and improve safety.The other improvement Kennedy said would be added is a traffic signal at the on and off ramps from Route 1 to make Bell Circle less congested.Some residents didn?t think that would be enough. Revere resident John Dove said he was excited about what the resort casino would do for the community, but thought the plans didn?t take into account the traffic outside the circle. “The traffic going north on Route 1A from the airport to Lynn should be as if there?s no casino,” he said. Dove suggested that there be another flyover going over Bell Circle to alleviate some of the problem.Tuttle said, “Sometimes I think it would take NASA to solve the problem of Bell Circle.”Christine Robertson was concerned how Revere car insurance rates, already one of the highest in the state, would be affected by the development. “We?re the people that bear the brunt of it,” said Robertson of the traffic that will be added from the casino.Tuttle said he spoke with lawyers and insurance companies on the matter, and compared developments of the Big Dig and convention center in South Boston, an area that has lower insurance rates. “You may not like this answer ? but it?s the personal injury claims,” he said. “I can?t tell you that your car insurance rates are going to go down, but our developments don?t necessarily correlate with you insurance rates.”Other residents were excited about what the casino will mean for the city. Revere resident Gary Ferragamo said, “There?s way more positive than negatives with this project. The fact that they?re offering to do road improvements from 20 years back is amazing. To see a $1 billion project come to our sleepy little community is a dream.”Tuttle said that if the improvements to roadway infrastructure take more than $40 million, “we?re on the hook for it. We thought that was a fair number given the parameters. Some people would think that?s never enough, and some people would think that?s a fair start.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].