Presentation at 2014 Massachusetts Sustainable Communities and Campuses Conference

1. ACCESSIBILITY TO WAMSUTTA MILL COMPLEX AND
WHALE'S TOOTH STATION IN NEW BEDFORD
Alex Lapointe
Undergraduate Student
Department of Political Science
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts USA 02747-2300
alapointe1@umassd.edu

2. IMPORTANCE
 Whale's Tooth Station is expected to be
converted into a SouthCoast Rail stop
 Also plan to develop a bus terminal
 The Wamsutta Mill Complex currently houses 250
apartments but lacks recreational assets

3. THE ISSUE - ROUTE 18

4. POSSIBLE CHANGE #1 – WAMSUTTA ACCESS
FIGURE 1: A possible off-ramp split to allow easier access to Wamsutta. The first Route 18 exit onto Weld
Street and Purchase Street intersection (highlighted with the red arrow) and the possible off-ramp split
connecting to Logan Street (highlighted by the orange arrow). This design allows for quicker access to
Wamsutta for those traveling southbound on Route 18.

5. POSSIBLE CHANGE #2 - INTERSECTION
FIGURE 2: Route 18 proposed intersection. Northbound and Southbound traffic illustrated by the
orange arrow, eastbound and westbound traffic connecting Purchase Street and Acushnet Avenue in
red, and Acushnet Avenue traffic toward Whale's Tooth Station illustrated with the green arrows.

6. ANALYSIS
Figure 1 Simulation
• Showed that traffic had the potential
to impede access
• Implementing the new off-ramp
allowed those travelling to Wamsutta
to access it quicker
• Drivers completely bypass the
intersection and possible trouble area
Figure 2 Simulation
• The intersection functioned effectively
• None of the vehicle queues became
significant
• Access was only increased for Whale’s
Tooth Station; access was actually
hindered for Wamsutta
• Not an ideal design; need access to
both locations

7. CONCLUSION
• Access could be
increased and a
connection between the
two locations could be
maintained with a third
design
• Further study and
simulation is necessary,
but this design should be
considered by the city