Access & Infrastructure

The Hamilton Canal District is well served by transportation infrastructure for both passenger cars and transit.  The project is envisioned as a transit-oriented development that can capitalize on the site’s proximity to the Gallagher Terminal, Lowell ’s intermodal transit center.  Two-thirds of the site is located within a quarter mile of the Gallagher Terminal, which is served by rail from Boston , as well as local and inter-city bus service.

Transit

The Gallagher terminal is the terminus of an MBTA commuter rail line, with regular service inbound to Boston and outbound from Boston operating hourly on weekdays, on the half-hour at peak hours and every two hours on Saturday and Sunday.  The service connects to North Station under Boston’s TD Banknorth Garden in less than 45 minutes with easy subway access to other points in the Boston area.  An extension of train service to Nashua, New Hampshire is currently under review. 

The Gallagher Terminal also acts as the hub for local bus service provided by the Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA), with twenty routes providing service throughout Lowell and surrounding suburbs, including a free downtown shuttle.  Inter-city bus service is also available with connections to Boston, New Hampshire, Vermont and Montreal .  It includes 695 structured parking spaces. 

The National Park Service currently runs a tourist trolley system that terminates in the Hamilton Canal District.  A feasibility study is currently underway which is reviewing the potential expansion of the streetcar system through the Hamilton Canal District with connections to Downtown, the Tsongas Arena, LeLacheur Park , the UMass Lowell campus, and the Gallagher transportation terminal.

In addition to ground and rail transit, International airports at Boston and Manchester, NH are both less than 45 minutes away providing easy connections to worldwide destinations.

Roadways

The entire Hamilton Canal District is easily accessed via the Lowell Connector, a limited access highway with virtually no congestion that connects directly to Routes 3 and Interstate 495.  The site is within a half-mile of exits at both Thorndike Street and Central & Gorham Streets. 

The City is restoring two-way traffic on Middlesex Street this Summer which will provide easy access to the district from the southwest off of the Lord Overpass.  Broadway Street provides an opportunity to access the site directly from the northwest through a signalized intersection with Dutton Street. 

Jackson and Middlesex Street both provide direct connections from the east.  Finally, as part of the development of a new public parking structure at 65-115 Middlesex Street, the City is widening and improving Marston Street to include standard travel lanes, on-street parking, and well-lit and landscaped sidewalks, creating an attractive entry point to the project from the southeast.

Parking

The City typically requires one parking space per residential unit for Downtown housing and does not impose regulatory parking standards on Downtown commercial developments.  The City permits residential developers to meet required parking through long-term lease agreements to use spaces in public parking garages.

A new 900-space City-owned parking structure will be opening in late 2007 between Middlesex and Jackson Streets just east of the Hamilton Canal District.  The City will make a portion of the spaces in the facility available via monthly passcards under long-term leases to support development in the Hamilton Canal District.  Public parking may also be found within a quarter mile of the site at the Roy Garage on Market Street and in the Dutton Street surface lot.  Additionally, the Gallagher terminal facility includes three structured parking facilities.  The Gallagher garages currently prohibit overnight use but the Lowell Regional Transit Authority has expressed a willingness to consider expanding hours of operation to support nearby development if sufficient demand exists. 

The balance of the parking demand generated by the Hamilton Canal District will be met through the construction of additional private structured parking within the development.  The design and location of parking will minimize the potential blighting influences of exposed parking decks, including provisions for retail and other active uses along sidewalk frontage and appropriate façade treatments.

Traffic Counts

The following are average daily volume traffic counts for major streets in and near the Hamilton Canal District.  These counts do not consider the impact of the projected development.

*assumes 1.5% annual growth rate

Utilities

As an urban site, characterized by recent industrial uses with substantial utility demand, the Hamilton Canal District is well served by electric, gas, water, wastewater, and telecommunications infrastructure.

The City has commissioned Dana Perkins to prepare a land survey of the Hamilton Canal District area which locates known utilities, including subsurface water, sewer, gas, and electric lines.  The utility information included on this survey plan is based on available records from utility companies.  A copy of the survey is available in the document library.