mass dot survey on traffic usage for i-91 in springfield
DESCRIPTION
Results of MassDOT online survey of nearly 3,000 drivers on their usage of Interstate 91 in Springfield. The survey is part of the advance prep leading up to a $230 million overhaul of a part of the highway in downtown Springfield.TRANSCRIPT
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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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5/24/2018 Mass DOT survey on traffic usage for I-91 in Springfield.
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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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5/24/2018 Mass DOT survey on traffic usage for I-91 in Springfield.
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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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5/24/2018 Mass DOT survey on traffic usage for I-91 in Springfield.
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Table 2: Primary Work Location
Response Chart Percentage Count
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
Total Responses 2429
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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5/24/2018 Mass DOT survey on traffic usage for I-91 in Springfield.
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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
Response Chart Percentage Count
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
Total Responses 2414
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Table 4: Typical Departure Time from Work
Response Chart Percentage Count
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
Total Responses 2404
Table 5: Typical Commute Length
Response Chart Percentage Count
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
Total Responses 2414
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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
Response Chart Percentage Count
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
Total Responses 2329