By Beth David, Editor
The North Fairhaven Improvement Association held a meeting on 10/12/23 for neighbors to hear from public works superintendent Vinnie Furtado, and Highway Superintendent Joshua Crabb about the state’s plans to improve traffic flow in Benoit Square. The Adams Street part of the square is a state road; the Main Street part is town owned up to the merger point, when it then becomes state.
Mr. Crabb summarized the plan by MassDOT (Department of Transportation) that includes making the merger point more of a regular right hand turn from Adams Street heading north (towards Acushnet); moving the crosswalk; and blocking off part of the road to make the crosswalk shorter. The plan uses flexposts and paint, not permanent structures.
Mr. Crabb said the plan is an attempt at “organizing the chaos,” that is now Benoit Square traffic. It is hard to tell who has the right of way at the merger point. He said the state conducted a traffic study and came up with a couple of options. The Select Board voted on one and that is the one that will be implemented soon.
It is a temporary fix. If it works, then the flex posts will be replaced with more permanent fixtures.
“The first step is to deploy these improvements and see it how functions,” said Mr. Crabb.
He also said there has been a delay in implementing the plan because someone at MassDOT retired. The town has been trying to figure out who is in charge now. He was still hopeful, he said, that the work could start in a couple of weeks. It will only take a day or two to construct.
“This is not what we were looking for,” said Wayne Hayward, a long time former member of the Planning Board. “This is a stop gap.”
He noted that the Oxford School building is an historic building.
He aske about the possiblity of using Chapter 90 funds that the town gets and is in control of. But Mr. Furtado said it was not that simple.
“I think residents are going to be unimpressed when they see it,” said Mr. Hayward.
Mr. Crabb said he agreed it was not the “right fix,” but it is a first step.
He said the state wanted only to use paint to mark the road, but he insisted they use something more substantial.
Mr. Hayward said they can not wait for the state, noting he has been waiting for the swing bridge to be replaced his whole life.
He noted again that flex posts are not in keeping with the neighborhood’s historic architecture.
Jessica Fidalgo asked if there is a way that residents can influence the state, with letters or emails or phone calls.
Mr. Furtado suggested people contact Rep. William Straus’s office. He is the state rep and he is on the Transportation Committee.
Mr. Furtado noted that there was a public meeting when the Select Board discussed the project and only John Medeiros from the neighborhood commented.
“It’s going to be better than now,” said Mr. Furtado of the temporary fix.
Ed Rose said it would be safer because it was slowing down traffic and making the walk across the street shorter.
Mr. Medeiros noted that the square belongs to the town, not the state.
“We’re going to try to make it better,” said Mr. Furtado.
“You have to have eyes in the back of your head,” to get across the street, said Roberta Tripp, who lives at the Oxford School Residences. “How do you get to those shops?”
Mr. Crabb agreed it was not safe now.
Barry Parker asked if they could put a light at the crosswalk.
Mr. Crabb said it was “not a bad suggestion,” and they could propose it to MassDOT.
He said the state will do another traffic study to see if the changes help.
NFIA President-elect Andrew Romano said the organization is forming a subcommittee for the Benoit Square project and encouraged residents to attend meetings.
The next public meeting is on Thursday, 11/2, at 6:30 p.m. The NFIA regularly meets the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m., at 267 Adams Street, Fairhaven, at Benoit Square.
To learn more, email north fairhavenimprovement267@gmail.com or visit https://northfairhaven improvementassoc.weebly.com, or find them on Facebook.
After the meeting Roberta Tripp and Carl Weatherspoon, who both live at the Oxford School Residences, said it was treacherous to try to cross the road to get to the businesses on Main Street.
Mr. Weatherspoon said a pedestrian has to watch in all directions at once to cross.
But they did not want to lose the green space of the square.
“Benoit Square has to stay,” said Ms. Tripp. “We don’t want to take from Benoit Square.”
As for the crosswalk, “They don’t even pay attention to it,” said Mr. Weatherspoon about drivers.
•••
Click here to download the 10/19/23 issue: 10-19-23 FireOpenHouse
Support local journalism, donate to the Neighb News with PayPal
