Merrimack Police Chief Mark Doyle and Gordon Leedy of VHB Consultants met with the Town Council on Thursday evening to deliver a tentative traffic plan for the grand-opening celebration and Ribfest, after residents and officials alike expressed concern over potential congestion due to the influx of people. The Merrimack Premium Outlets hired Leedy to create a traffic mitigation plan for opening weekend.
The outlets will hold a three-day celebration, lasting from June 14-17 and Ribfest will run from June 15-17. The pair said shuttles will run between the two major events. After eight years of planning and hurdles, the $100 million Merrimack Premium Outlets shopping center will finally open. More than 100 stores will occupy 12 buildings, along with three proposed eateries, a hotel and a bank.
The Merrimack Police Department has asked for assistance from neighboring law enforcement agencies to help with the traffic flow during this weekend, including the Nashua Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department, Bedford Police Department and the New Hampshire State Police. There will be two officers posted at the mall’s entrance who will be in charge of directing traffic.
“They will be the ones calling the shots,” said Councilor Paul Micali, who has participated in meetings with local law enforcement and representatives from the outlets and Ribfest.
Command centers will be posted at both events, with interoperable communications available, Doyle said. Leedy noted that there will also be between 10 and 15 volunteers on-site at the outlet mall equipped with walkie-talkies who will be able to communicate with the command posts and officers.
According to Leedy, the plan is to keep traffic heading to Ribfest east of the F.E. Everett Turnpike and vehicles driving to the outlets to the west of the turnpike. He also spoke of a “push” factor, which is utilized when congestion occurs. He said that if there is traffic backed up on a public road, officers will be able to redirect traffic on-site to the mall or to the overflow parking areas.
Temporary signage will be posted along Industrial Drive, where the mall is located, and also on Routes 101 and 101A and the Everett Turnpike. There will also be “no parking” signs erected on Camp Sargent Road, Green Pond and Industrial Drive, that could stay up for the weeks following the opening, Leedy said. Doyle added that his officers will be posted along Industrial Drive after the mall’s opening to continue to monitor and help direct traffic if needed.
There are 3,100 parking spaces on-site at the outlet small and there are close to 900 additional parking spaces available for overflow parking, Leedy said. The latter is available in the parking lot of the mall, along with 600 spaces located at 40 Continental Drive and even more parking located at the old TI building.
“The people at the outlets were very cooperative, very understanding and very receptive to suggestions made by the police department,” Merrimack Town Council Chairman Tom Mahon said.
He asked Micali to address the issue of overtime and explain to those in the audience Thursday night how it will be handled financially. Micali said all of the overtime accumulated that weekend will be paid for by the Merrimack Premium Outlets and the Ribfest’s sponsor, the Nashua Rotary West.
Doyle noted that once this plan is finalized, he would like to hold a dry run of directing traffic the weekend before the festival and grand opening. He also said that this plan will be used in the future for major events at the Merrimack Premium Outlets.
While Doyle, Leedy and others are working to nail down this traffic plan, there are upcoming meetings with the Nashua Police Department, sheriff’s department, Bedford Police Department, Ribfest representatives and the head of security at the mall. The duo said they would present the final plan to the Town Council when it is finalized.
No comments:
Post a Comment