Business & Tech

Should a Suffolk Downs Casino Get a Dedicated Pike Lane?

Casino operator pitched idea but insists it's not yet part of the final proposal.

Mohegan is gambling on a dedicated lane for its proposal Suffolk Downs casino.

The casino operator must submit a formal plan to address traffic concerns surrounding the proposed facility at Suffolk Downs. One idea submitted by the group's traffic engineers was to close a lane of Pike traffic from Congress Street heading east. That lane would then be used to handle the estimated 5,000 car trips from points south to the casino, according to the Boston Herald.

In idea is that the dedicated lane would help traffic by reducing the number of lane changes drivers make. But the Herald spoke with Jeff Larson of the Safe Roads Alliance, who threw cold water on the idea.

“It doesn’t strike me that a 
reduction in capacity is going to alleviate congestion,” said Larson, according to the Herald.

Mohegan officials stressed this was just an idea and not part of their formal traffic plan, which the casino team will submit for approval.

What do you think? Would a dedicated casino lane help or hurt traffic? If Suffolk Downs does get a casino, how would you want them to mitigate traffic? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.


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