08-12-2018, 04:41 PM
(08-12-2018, 02:37 PM)Chicopee Wrote: Not to be 'that guy', but wouldn't it be prudent to wait and see what kind of development will take place at the existing terminal site before we consider closing roads?
Look at how Gaukel fits into the rest of the transportation network. Note that there are no left turn lanes at either end, except off of King to allow buses to get in to the terminal. It runs for two blocks, ending with a T-junction at each end. There are no driveways on Gaukel, except for a couple of parking lot entrances immediately next to Hall’s lane and of course the transit terminal. In short, it contributes almost nothing to motor vehicle connectivity, but would be a very wide and pleasant pedestrian connection if pedestrianized. As pointed out by others, the development at the terminal can use the adjacent streets on the other three sides of the site for motor vehicle access. There is no point in it connecting to Gaukel because the traffic would just have to turn off immediately onto one of 3 streets, 2 of which are adjacent to the site anyway.
I have to say, this is one case where I’m about 99.5% sure that closing it to motor vehicles is the right thing to do. There really is absolutely no downside.