Recognizing that traffic from one third of Berkshire County, including the urban center of Pittsfield, is funneled through the downtown area of Lee on its way to I-90, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is performing a Study that is not only a Traffic Study but also takes into consideration ramifications and impacts of the various alternatives considered.

Traffic Study Component: The Study will assess the impact of traffic on downtown Lee, including the existing level of service (LOS).

Alternatives Study Component: In order to assess the optimum means of improving the level of service, identification and analysis of a wide range of alternatives, both internal and external to downtown Lee is required.

The traffic congestion and resulting impaired regional mobility in this area have been identified in both the Berkshire MPO’s Regional Transportation Plan (2003/ 2007) and MassHighway’s North Central Berkshire Access Study/MIS (2001).

1. Improve regional mobility and/or access to I-90 for motorists currently funneled through the Town of Lee with destinations elsewhere
2. Improve quality of life, mobility, and safety for motorists and pedestrians alike within Lee

The focus of this study is transportation, but it will also incorporate human and natural environmental elements within the specific study area. The study will also consider additional vehicular demand resulting from known and projected growth on Main Street in downtown Lee.

This study will use as much existing data from previous/existing work, such as the:

• Berkshire Region MPO 2003/2007 Regional Transportation Plan
• North Central Berkshire Access Study/MIS
• Berkshire Origin/Destination Survey
• Corridor access management techniques developed from previous Berkshire unified work programs.

If you have comments or questions about the Lee traffic study, please click here to fill out a comment form, or contact us via email.