SUNDERLAND — While all eyes were on the intersection of Routes 47 and 116 throughout Sunderland’s village center visioning process, the recommendations actually look just a little farther down both ends of the road.

At the Sunderland Public Library on Thursday evening, dozens of residents gathered to hear Stantec Senior Principal Jason Schreiber deliver an overview of the recommendations the firm devised to improve downtown Sunderland, while still maintaining its rural character.

The key, Schreiber said, is not whether improved signals or a roundabout could make the intersection safer, but rather to make all of downtown safer by slowing down traffic coming off the Sunderland Bridge or those coming north on Route 116 by focusing on the speed of vehicles entering the center of town.

“The most important thing about this concept is it’s not actually focused [on the intersection], whether there’s a roundabout there or a traffic signal there,” Schreiber said, noting safety outcomes between the two options are “very, very similar.” “Most of what we’re focused on is the entirety of this corridor. … A single solution is not going to solve the safety concerns.”

Taking feedback from the previous forum held in March, Schreiber said the majority of residents wanted a “mixed-use product” that incorporated improvements to pedestrian and bicycle access and safety, which in turn would bring “co-benefits” by slowing down the traffic.

The lanes themselves encourage driving quickly through town, Schreiber said, as they are 13, 14 and 15 feet wide (and up to 20 feet near Sugarloaf Frostie), when there are “portions of the Mass Pike that only have 12-foot lanes.”

By narrowing lanes, drivers would naturally have to slow down. A key example Schreiber shared that could accomplish this would be the introduction of a median with plantings and a crosswalk off the Sunderland Bridge near Billy’s Beverages, which would create a “gateway” to the village center that would signal to drivers that they need to slow down.

“We can narrow the lane somewhat, but this is also forcing someone to turn their wheel as well,” Schreiber said. Forcing drivers to turn the wheel, even if it’s slight, he noted, would naturally slow traffic down.

Similar infrastructure could also be placed near Garage Road/the North Star learning center — a flashing crossing signal is already in place.

These types of improvements are also so simple they can be piloted with paint and other markings, allowing them to be tested without committing to a long-term change.

Other concepts explored were the implementation of on-street parking, bus pickup locations separate from travel lanes, additional lighting and thinking about how the potential Norwottuck North Shared-Use Path can fit into these improvements.

In the question-and-answer portion of the forum, Tom Fydenkevez, a former Selectboard member, commended Stantec for the work it has done over the last year. He said Stantec is the first team to look at the “comprehensive” picture of downtown Sunderland, rather than directing all of its focus on the intersection.

With Routes 47 and 116 managed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), though, Fydenkevez did note there is still one major question: “What really will the state allow?”

The answer is quite a bit, actually, according to Schreiber. At this point, he said MassDOT, as well as other transit agencies around the country, are focused on safety, rather than expansion of roads. He pointed toward the agency’s Complete Streets program and guidelines as an indicator of this.

MassDOT has been an active partner with Sunderland throughout the process and had representatives in attendance again on Thursday.

“Safety is paramount. They know wider roads are dangerous. That’s why they just striped [Route 116] narrower,” Schreiber said. “I’m not speaking for DOT, but that’s what we’ve seen elsewhere.”

All of the concepts shared Thursday night are just that — concepts — and Schreiber said it will be up to the town to carry them forward.

“You all need to continue this conversation if you really want change to happen. You have to have momentum,” he said. “These types of transformations do happen and there’s a lot of federal dollars out there to do these types of things.”

Village Center Committee Chair Lorin Starr thanked the community for coming together to bring this report to reality, as it required partnerships with Stantec, public safety agencies, MassDOT, business owners and residents to see the nearly year-long process through.

She said the report will be posted on Sunderland’s website in the near future — residents will likely be notified and asked for feedback — and it is important that folks continue to push the matter forward if they want to see improvements.

“This is our opportunity to say, ‘Here’s a direction we want to go with,’” Starr said. “[Route] 116 is a state road, so really we want to have DOT on board, so what the town is going to support and what people are enthusiastic about … is important information to be able to influence what is going to happen in town.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.