Washington Street (Route 138) Improvements

The primary goal of the project was to improve traffic operations and increase safety at the intersection of Washington Street (Route 138) and Union Street in Easton. This was achieved by installation of a new, fully-actuated traffic signal at the intersection. The roadway was widened at the intersection to provide two northbound through lanes, a single southbound through lane, and a southbound left turn lane to Union Street. The southbound left turn operates under protected/permissive operation via a 4-section signal head which displays a green arrow during the protected phase and a flashing yellow arrow during the permissive phase.

The project also introduced sidewalks and protected, signalized pedestrian crossings where none existed previously. Sidewalks extend to the project limits and allow connection to future improvements implemented by MassDOT along the Route 138 corridor.

The widening and sidewalk construction required construction of a number of retaining walls, including a wall retaining the parking area at The Pool Place on the southeast corner of the intersection. The project also included replacement and upgrade of a portion of town-owned water main, and replacement of the drainage trunk line from the intersection south to an outfall south of Dolly’s Way.