At an eagerly anticipated workshop, RI DOT officials presented results of a traffic study on Turnpike Ave near the high school to the Portsmouth Town Council, members of the School Committee, a dozen residents, and Sen. Levesque and Reps Loughlin and Amaral. In unanimous votes, the Council approved short-term improvements to signage and made the decision to narrow the street from four lanes to two from East Main to Rt. 24.

RI DOTs Bob Roccio provided an overview of the data they had collected: Turnpike sees an average traffic volume of 14K vehicles per day (VPD) travelling at an average speed of 43 mph (despite posted speeds of 35 and 30 in the school zone.) "Speed is an issue," Roccio said.

However, based on their analysis, simply adding crosswalks would not be the solution. "It's a behavioral issue," he said. Pedestrians may assume that if a car in the slow lane stops, the rest of traffic will follow. Also, since Turnpike has no raised median, there is no safety area for walkers who only make it part of the way across.

The long term solution the DOT proposed is to add roundabouts -- like the ones slated for installation just south in the Town Center -- at Dexter and the school. In the meantime, Roccio described a short-term package of additional signage, reduced speed (25, to continue the speed limit from East Main), education programs, and, most significantly, narrowing Turnpike from four 11-foot lanes to two 13-foot lanes with 9-foot shoulders.

No construction is planned, rather, "It's just in paint," Roccio said, which would allow DOT to make it happen "As soon as the weather breaks."

State Sen. Charles Levesque asked if reducing the lanes would be a problem, given that the average number of cars is less significant than the morning and evening peaks. "You're absolutely right, " said Roccio.

"That's the first time anyone's said I'm right in this room in about 14 years," Levesque noted, to scattered applause.

Roccio reassured everyone that even with highly peaky traffic the plan was sound. "Reducing four to two lanes with up to 16K VPD works okay," he said, citing DOT experience with a stretch of Rt. 2.

After getting a thumbs up from Chief Hebert, and a few clarifying questions, the council voted unanimously to adopt the recommendations, and made a separate motion to remove the marked crosswalk on East Main from Patriot Drive to the Dunkin Dounts parking lot, where some underclassmen tend to park and walk to PHS.

After Loughlin and Amaral offered a thanks to Chuck Levesque for taking the lead on pushing the process along, the meeting adjourned about 8:20.