mass dot survey on traffic usage for i-91 in springfield

5/24/2018 Mass DOT survey on traffic usage for I-91 in Springfield.

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Online Survey Summary

IntroductionThe Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is completing plans to rehabilitate the

deck of Interstate 91 (I-91), which runs on a viaduct, or elevated highway, through the City of

Springfield. The plan calls for keeping two lanes of traffic open through the phases of construction.

While this will allow a great deal of traffic to pass through the construction zone, MassDOT anticipates

designating alternate routes for drivers who choose to

avoid the area.

Online QuestionnaireMassDOT developed an online survey to get

information from users on where and when they

typically travel on I-91, other highways, and local

streets. The survey was a result of conversations with

the City of Springfield, Springfield Chamber of

Commerce, Business Improvement District and other

leaders on how to incorporate local and regional

travel issues in project planning. The survey was

available in English and Spanish. The questionnaire

was made available through links publicized by email

to the project database, and shared with employers,

chambers of commerce, community groups, media

and others.

The survey was available from April 2 to May 1, 2014. 2,995 people accessed the questionnaire. The

top referrer sites1

were a direct link to the survey (2,234), a direct email from MassDOT (352), and linksfrom media sources such as WWLP.com or masslive.com (264). Eighteen respondents accessed the

survey in Spanish.

While not all questions were completed in full by each respondent, the project team is confident that

the results provide a helpful snapshot of driver travel habits, destinations, flexibility (or lack of

1A referrer is the webpage a respondent visited immediately before beginning the survey.


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flexibility), commute lengths, and where they turn to gather information on commuting. The team will

analyze these results in conjunction with local and regional data from Mass Highway and the Central

Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS).

A word cloud featuring responses to feedback from the questionnaire.

While the advantages of online surveys are that they save time and can provide access to diverse group

of individuals, sample issues result. All of the demographic information provided by the respondent is

self-reported, and the non-response rate is difficult to estimate. For example, we do not know howmany people learned about the survey and chose not to complete it. There is a self-selection bias in

terms of who responds to the questionnaire; it is primarily people who already know about the project,

those who regularly have contact with one of the referring sources, and those who have the time and

inclination to participate. It is unlikely that a user of I-91 without these project or community

connections may even learn about the survey effort. Therefore, the results of the survey are not


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intended to be statistically significant, using scientific sampling methods. They do, on the other hand,

provide insight into opinions of some of the users.

Who Are the Respondents?

Nearly all of the respondents (approximately 94%) who accessed the survey use the identified travelroutes (see Table 1). Routes used the most frequently by respondents were I-91 in Springfield (80%), I-

291 (46%) and East Columbus Ave. or Hall of Fame Avenue (40%). 94% of respondents indicated they

use these routes for their work commute. Overwhelmingly, respondents indicated that they drive alone

(96%) and park at their workplace (86%)2.

Table 1: Routes Used in Typical Weekday (Monday-Friday) Travel

Response Chart Percentage Count

I-91 in Springfield 80.0% 2322

I-291 in Springfield 45.9% 1331

East Columbus Ave. or Hall of Fame Ave. (West

Columbus Ave.) in Springfield

39.6% 1148

Route 5 in Agawam or West Springfield 23.2% 673

Route 147 Memorial Bridge between West

Springfield/Springfield

17.3% 502

Main Street, Liberty Street, Dwight Street, or

Chestnut Street

29.3% 851

None of the Above 6.5% 190

Total Responses 2901

Respondents were also asked to identify their employers. The most common employers indicated by

respondents included MA Mutual Life Insurance (26%) and the City of Springfield (including school

employees) (19%). Other employers mentioned by over 1% of respondents included Accountable Care

Associates, Baystate Health, Babson Capital Management, Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, Disability

Management Services, Inc., Freedom Credit Union, and Hampden Bank.

An overwhelming number of respondents (79%) work in Springfield (see Table 2). Of those whoanswered "other," the most popular response was Enfield, CT, with 179 respondents (6%).

2Of the 318 drivers who do not park at their workplaces, 45% indicated they parked at the I-91 garage.


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Table 2: Primary Work Location


Chicopee 0.9% 23

East Longmeadow 0.7% 17Longmeadow 0.9% 21

Westfield 0.5% 13

Holyoke 1.7% 42

Springfield 79.4% 1929

West Springfield 1.3% 31

Agawam 1.2% 28

Other, please specify... 13.4% 325


Respondents provided their home zip codes in the survey, and that data was geocoded onto the map

below. While the majority of respondents are located in western Massachusetts, some respondents

travel from just outside of Boston to the east, from New Hampshire to the north, and from New York

City from the southwest.


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About the CommuteRespondents were asked a series of questions about their commute, intended to get a sense of their

typical hours of travel and how flexible those hours are. Tables 3 and 4 below depict the typical arrival

and departure times from work. Approximately 84% of respondents arrive at work between 7:00 AM

and 9:00 AM; the most popular arrival times are between 7:30 and 8:30 AM. The departure times are

spread out a little more, but the most popular departure times are between 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM for

approximately 47% of respondents. Very few respondents (12%) have commutes longer than 45

minutes, with 66% having commutes less than 30 minutes (see Table 5).

While the majority of respondents (61%) indicated that their work schedule is set, 39% say they are

offered some flexibility in their hours.

Table 3: Typical Arrival Time at Work


Before 7:00 AM 9.6% 232

Between 7:00 - 7:30 AM 18.7% 451

Between 7:30 - 8:00 AM 25.6% 617

Between 8:00 - 8:30 AM 25.0% 603

Between 8:30 - 9:00 AM 15.0% 361

Between 9:00 - 9:30 AM 3.2% 77

Between 9:30 - 10:00 AM 1.0% 23

After 10:00 AM 0.7% 182nd shift (afternoon/evening) 1.2% 29

3rd shift (overnight) 0.1% 3



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Table 4: Typical Departure Time from Work


Before 3:00 PM 3.2% 77

Between 3:00 - 3:30 PM 5.3% 127Between 3:30 - 4:00 PM 9.6% 230

Between 4:00 - 4:30 PM 16.4% 394

Between 4:30 - 5:00 PM 24.1% 580

Between 5:00 - 5:30 PM 22.7% 546

Between 5:30 - 6:00 PM 10.0% 241

Between 6:00 - 6:30 PM 4.5% 107

Between 6:30 - 7:00 PM 1.8% 43

After 7:00 PM 1.2% 30

2nd shift (leave work late at night) 1.0% 25

3rd shift (overnight, leave work in

morning)

0.2% 4


Table 5: Typical Commute Length


0-15 minutes 20.2% 487

16-30 minutes 45.4% 1096

31-45 minutes 22.2% 536

46-60 minutes 8.6% 207

61-90 minutes 3.1% 75

91-120 minutes 0.4% 10

More than 120 minutes 0.1% 3



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Traffic InformationRespondents were also asked about how they receive information about their commute or changes to

their commute (see Table 6). The most popular places to get the information were

newspaper/radio/television, colleagues, family or friends, through their employer, and "other" means.

Drilling down to those who answered "other," the most popular information sources were electronic

highway signs, Google Maps, and the Waze app.

Table 6: Information Sources about Commute


Colleagues, family, or friends 41.3% 963

Employer intranet/internal website 29.7% 691

Employer newsletter or bulletin 7.1% 166

PVTA website 0.5% 11

PVTA hard copy schedule 0.1% 3

PVTA alerts? 0.3% 8

Private transit carrier hard copy schedule 0.0% 1

Private transit carrier website 0.2% 4

Mobile app (you may specifiy name below) 9.6% 224

Newspaper/Radio/Television 66.1% 1540

Twitter, other (you may specify

organization below)

2.1% 49

Facebook (you may specify organization

below)

6.3% 147

Other, please specify... 13.4% 312


mass dot survey on traffic usage for i-91 in springfield

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