Maurice Goulet, Director of the DPW, told the Select Board at its meeting last Tuesday that MASSDOT prefers that the town improve the intersection of RTE 27 and West Street by installing a roundabout instead of new traffic signals. That intersection has more motor vehicle crashes than any other in Medfield – hence the concerns and need to improve its safety. Mo said that if the town defies the MASSDOT preference for the roundabout and opts to install new traffic signals instead, that it will likely cost the town $800,000 more than if the town built the roundabout.
There is a Federal earmark secured by Congressman Auchincloss involved for what I recall as $1.2m. to improve that intersection, but which Chris Potts writes in her Medfield Insider (quoted below) as $1.3m., and which I understood from Mo may be at risk if the town goes against the MASSDOT recommendation for a roundabout. Mo said the result is that the town will pay $800,000 more if we do a new traffic signal instead of a roundabout.
Based on the limited information provided to the Select Board to date, I prefer both installing the roundabout and saving the $800,000. Select Board members Murby and Murphy said they preferred new traffic lights.
See a couple of my past posts about roundabouts:
I especially like the roundabouts in Norfolk Center and the one in Wellesley at the base of the hill by Babson College (RTE 135 and Wellesley Avenue) that Wellesley recently redid to make the lanes smaller and better angled so as to slow speeds.
Mo Goulet shared with the Select Board a possible preliminary design of the roundabout from the MASS DOT traffic engineers, part of which is shown below.
The following longer account of the presentation on the matter at the Select Board meeting was taken directly from the Medfield Insider:
Select Board Members Debate Roundabout While efforts by Congressman Jake Auchincloss resulted in Medfield receiving a $1.3 million state earmark for West Street/Route 27 intersection improvements, the funding comes with a catch: Medfield may be forced to construct a single-lane roundabout. As noted by DPW Director Maurice Goulet in a recent discussion with Select Board, due to the earmark, the project must go through a review by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which is adamant about installing roundabouts, if at all possible. The alternative preferred approached of installing dedicated turn lanes with traffic light improvements is estimated to cost $1.7 million, while a roundabout is estimated to cost $1.8 million, with additional costs for land-takings and easements. Select Board members Eileen Murphy and Gus Murby said they were opposed to a roundabout at the West Street/Route 27 intersection and expressed concerns about vehicle speed, and dangerous pedestrian crossings and biking routes, while member Pete Peterson said he is in favor of the roundabout because he has seen them work well in other towns, and trusts the opinions of state engineers. If the town were to pursue turn lanes instead of a roundabout, it is likely the project would need to be self-funded. After an extensive (and at times heated) Select Board discussion, Goulet will gather more information and try to make a case to the state about foregoing the roundabout option, even though he’s not optimistic about the outcome. |
Medfield02052's Blog 
a roundabout is the more sensible option.
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Hi Pete,
I went back and listened to the recording once again from the 5/28 Select Board meeting, just to triple check what was said regarding costs. I also looked at the earmark request from Congressman Auchincloss posted on his website https://auchincloss.house.gov/fy23-community-project-funding-requests , and it was stated there as $1.3 million.
Here’s what else I heard:
Moe noted that “$800,000 would be on our dime for the roundabout anyway” based on estimated costs above & beyond the earmark funds. I also don’t believe that $800,000 included the cost of land-takings, slope easements and temporary construction easements Moe mentioned as necessary for the roundabout option.
For the redesigned intersection with turn lanes and light, Moe said the total cost was estimated at $1.7 ($1.4 million, plus $300,000 for design). I didn’t hear an $800K extra cost for the turn lanes/light plan when compared to roundabout.
Here’s a link to the recording that starts at the point in the discussion when costs were noted: https://youtu.be/VemA9lcCRhQ?t=1903
Personally, I don’t have a strong feeling one way or the other about roundabouts or the best solution for West St/Rte. 27 intersection. As a driver, I’ve seen some roundabouts work extremely well (my favorite is on Martha’s Vineyard, which solved a longstanding traffic problem), while others scare me due to the inability of drivers to understand who has right of way, and an unwillingness to slow down (e.g., VFW Highway & Rte. 28 near Bourne Bridge).
Best,
Chris
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