Gill Initiates Traffic Relief for Winthrop Drivers

On Monday, October 7 last week, Town Council President Peter Gill initiated a solution with the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) designed to provide measureable relief for the intense morning rush hour traffic congestion endured by Winthrop motorists and bus passengers leaving the town for Boston and other destinations. The traffic congestion has been an issue for many years but has clearly intensified since Labor Day. The core of the problem stems from increased regional traffic simultaneously arriving at the Bennington Street/Saratoga Street intersection in East Boston whose traffic signal is required to continually process complex traffic movements.

President Gill asked the Boston Transportation Department to consider the feasibility of adjusting the signal light timing sequence in order to provide additional time for the Saratoga Street traffic flow which affects not only Winthrop traffic but also that of the Bayswater Street neighborhood in East Boston. Mr. Gill asked former BTD Commissioner and Winthrop resident John Vitagliano to coordinate the proposed signalization changes and evaluate the results with the transportation department.

After one week the new signal timing has demonstrated significant reduction in morning rush hour traffic congestion for Winthrop and East Boston motorists, as well as for the many residents who depend on the Paul Revere bus system for public transportation connections.

President Gill commented that he was extremely pleased with the traffic improvements resulting from his initiative and that he would continue monitoring the situation with an eye toward further refinements. He expressed his appreciation to Senator Anthony Petruccelli for his support of the traffic congestion reduction program.