MetroWest495 Biz

MetroWest495 Biz | August 2015 13 BUSINESS CLIMATE SURVEY that the private sector will largely drive non-car commuting options for their employees. "It's hard to have a rail system this way because of the volume of people. It doesn't make economic sense," Zink said. Regarding highway infrastructure Zink recognized that traffic can be dif - ficult, but that's true in any area with a high concentration of major employers. "It's not perfect," Zink said, but he added that it's all relative — and Boston is worse. As cars will continue to be the preferred mode of transportation for most area commuters, questions about highway infrastructure improvements may be most pertinent, even if non-car transit options are creating a lot of buzz. On that front, there's a lot of planning underway that could potentially lead to vast roadway improvements in the region. Highway changes For starters, the Massachusetts Turn- pike is expected to transition to all-elec- tronic tolling in 2016, which will ease traffic. The plan is seen as a boon for highway commuters, but has also led to increased emphasis on improvements to the I-495 interchange at the turnpike in Westborough, as faster flow through the tolls creates potential hazards for drivers passing through, said Jessica Strunkin, deputy director of the Westborough- based 495/MetroWest Partnership. The partnership and area legisla - tors were pleased this summer to learn that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation had included work at the interchange, previously in jeopardy of not receiving funding, in its Capital Improvement Plan. "That's a huge win for this region," Strunkin said. Meanwhile, improvements to the I-495 Interchange at Route 9 in South - borough and Westborough are part of the Central Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization's long-range transportation plan for the years 2021 to 2025. Those include plans to widen and otherwise improve the stretch of road from the interchange to Crystal Pond Road in Southborough, Strunkin said. More immediately, the intersection of Route 9 and Lyman Street in Westbor - ough is slated for improvements next year. That will help curb congestion on Route 9, which impacts shuttles run by the Worcester Regional Transit Author - ity from the Westborough commuter rail to local office parks, as well as drivers. Incidentally, the partnership's recent survey of residents and workers identi - fied Route 9 as the region's top "trans- portation nightmare," Strunkin said. "There will always be people relying upon a single occupant vehicle in this area," Strunkin said. "What these road improvements do … is make it more feasible." n Is business better than a year ago? Compared with the previous year, what are your expectations for your organization's revenue growth? Q12 Increase 1% to 10% 44% Increase 20% or more 12% 17% Increase 11% to 19% Same as last year 19% Increase 20% or more Increase 11% to 19% 2% 6% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80% 1 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 to 499 > than 500 ( C O M P A N Y S I Z E ) 2013 2014 2015 0 10 20 30 40 50 60% 56.4% 28.2% 12.8% 2.6% Yes Not sure, too soon to tell No No, we plan to reduce staff 1 to 9 10 to 19 20 to 49 50 to 99 100 to 249 250 to 499 > than 500 ( C O M P A N Y S I Z E ) 2013 2014 2015 0 25% 5 10 15 20 Is business worse than a year ago? 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% A 2013-2015 comparison

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