East Bridgewater Department of Public Works

East Bridgewater Police and DPW Announce New Four-Way Stop

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For Immediate Release

Friday, Aug. 24, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

East Bridgewater Police and DPW Announce New Four-Way Stop

Intersection of Belmont Street and Summer Street to Become Four-Way Stop

EAST BRIDGEWATER — Police Chief Scott Allen and Department of Public Works Director John Haines report that the Board of Selectmen have recently approved making the intersection of Belmont Street and Summer Street a four-way stop.

Currently there are two LED flashing stop signs on Summer Street where the road meets Belmont Street. In the coming weeks, two new stop signs will be installed on Belmont Street.

The signs are expected to be installed by mid-September and a specific date will be announced once it has been determined.

“This intersection has been a place in town where several crashes have occurred over the years. Making it a four-way stop will help to prevent accidents and increase safety on our roads,” Haines said. “We also want to make sure that residents and drivers have plenty of notice ahead of time prior to the new signs being installed.”

Beginning next week, electronic sign boards will be placed at the intersection notifying drivers of the upcoming change.

In the weeks following the installation of the stop signs, East Bridgewater Police will increase their presence at the intersection to help keep drivers alert and aware of the change.

The town recently contracted an independent audit of the intersection done by the engineering firm Greenman-Pedersen Inc.

The firm looked at crash data at the intersection from 2013 through July of this year. In that span, there have been 25 crashes, including seven in 2016 and eight in 2017.

Twenty of the 25 crashes were caused by drivers on Summer Street either crossing or turning onto Belmont Street. The most common cause of the crashes were drivers failing to stop at the stop sign on Summer Street.

Last year, the DPW painted “STOP AHEAD” on both sides of Summer Street approaching Belmont Street. So far this year, there have been three crashes at the intersection.

The Board of Selectmen approved the four-way stop at their meeting last week after Chief Allen and Director Haines presented them with the engineering firm’s report and suggestions.

“We have heard from residents about this intersection and hopefully the four-way stop will address their concerns,” Chief Allen said. “We will continue to look at intersections throughout town with the goal of ensuring that all are safe for drivers and pedestrians.”

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East Bridgewater Department of Public Works Repairing Water Main Break

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East Bridgewater Department of Public Works
John B. Haines, Director
100 Willow Ave.
East Bridgewater, MA 02333

For Immediate Release

Friday, Aug. 3, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

East Bridgewater Department of Public Works Repairing Water Main Break

Break Near Intersection of Route 18 and Route 106

 

EAST BRIDGEWATER — Director John B. Haines reports that the East Bridgewater Department of Public works is working to repair a water main break near the intersection of Bedford Street (Route 18) and West Street (Route 106).

Both roads are open, but the southbound side of Route 18 is down to one lane. Drivers are asked to avoid the area, if possible, and expect delays. As of 4 p.m., it was not clear when the break would be fully repaired.

At approximately 2 p.m., the DPW received a report of a water main break near where Bedford Street meets West Street.

DPW crews immediately responded and have since shut down the water main and stopped the water from flowing. They have also begun excavation of the road for repairs.

Residents in the area of Bedford Street, from West Street to Scribner Way, should expect disruptions to their water service while the repairs are being made.

“We are working on getting the main repaired as quickly as possible and we thank residents in advance for their patience,” Director Haines said. “There was no construction going on in the area, so we believe this was just an old main that broke. Some of the underground pipes in the area are over 100 years old.”

Residents that may be impacted by the water service disruption should use the water they currently have sparingly until service is restored.

East Bridgewater Police have responded to the area to help assist with traffic control.

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East Bridgewater Police and Department of Public Works Continue to Address Safety at Intersections

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For Immediate Release

Friday, Aug. 3, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

East Bridgewater Police and Department of Public Works Continue to Address Safety at Intersections

EAST BRIDGEWATER — Police Chief Scott Allen and Department of Public Works Director John Haines report that they are continuing efforts to address safety issues at multiple intersections in town.

Last month, two crashes occurred in a 24-hour span at the five-leg intersection that connects Plymouth Street (Route 106) with Washington Street, Old Plymouth Street, Davenport Road and Murray Road.

Since then, the police department and DPW have taken measures to increase safety at the intersection and will continue to look at long-term solutions at intersections throughout East Bridgewater.

On Thursday, July 26, the DPW installed a new flashing LED stop sign on Washington Street at the intersection of Plymouth Street. This stop sign has been identified as where the majority of crashes at the intersection occur.

“The new LED stop signs are meant to catch a driver’s eye while they are approaching the intersection,” Director Haines said. “In some cases where crashes occurred at the Plymouth Street intersection, drivers were not stopping at the stop sign on Washington Street and going right onto Route 106.”

In the coming weeks, two more of the LED stop signs are scheduled to be installed on Summer Street in each direction where the road crosses Belmont Street.

From July 10 to Aug. 2, East Bridgewater Police have also increased traffic enforcement at the intersection of Washington and Plymouth streets. During this time span, there have been 27 motor vehicle stops – 12 verbal warnings and 15 written warnings or citations issued for various offenses.

“We have stepped up our traffic enforcement in that area and thankfully, so far, there have not been any other crashes at that intersection since the two that occurred last month,” Chief Allen said. “Working with the DPW and board of selectmen, we will continue to look at ways to increase safety at all of the town’s busier intersections.”

Chief Allen and Director Haines are scheduled to meet with the board of selectmen on Aug. 13 to discuss other possible safety improvements at additional intersections in town.

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East Bridgewater Police and Department of Public Works Take Action to Address Safety at Intersection

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For Immediate Release

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

East Bridgewater Police and Department of Public Works Take Action to Address Safety at Intersection

 

EAST BRIDGEWATER — Police Chief Scott Allen and Department of Public Works Director John Haines report that they are actively working to address the intersection of Plymouth and Washington streets, where two crashes have occurred in the past 24 hours.

“I have been in direct contact today DPW Director Haines, Fire Chief Timothy Harhen, and with the Town Administrator and Board of Selectmen about short-term and long-term safety solutions that we have to address this intersection,” Chief Allen said. “We will be increasing our traffic enforcement in the area and I would advise drivers to slow down and be mindful of the stop signs on the roads.”

The five-leg intersection connects Plymouth Street (Route 106) with Washington Street, Old Plymouth Street, Davenport Road and Murray Road.

While the intersection has been an area of concern for both Chief Allen and Director Haines in the past, with the recent crashes they have taken measures to immediately address safety measures at the intersection and will be taking additional steps in the coming weeks and months.

Chief Allen has ordered increased and active traffic enforcement in the area. The police department has also placed a mobile speed trailer on Plymouth Street near the intersection.

Director Haines will have two message boards moved onto Washington and Old Plymouth streets later today. The message boards will warn vehicles of the approaching stop signs.

In addition, Director Haines had already ordered flashing LED stop signs to replace the signs on Washington and Old Plymouth streets in recent weeks. They will be installed once they have been delivered.

At approximately 8:50 a.m. today, a tractor trailer and a sport utility vehicle collided at the intersection of Plymouth and Washington streets. The 60-year-old female driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The male driver of the tractor trailer was uninjured.

On Tuesday morning, a serious crash occurred at the intersection when a pickup truck collided with a dump truck. Four people were injured in the crash, including two children.

In both of these incidents, the initial investigations indicate that the drivers of the vehicles traveling south on Washington Street failed to stop at the stop sign as they approached Plymouth Street. In both crashes, the investigations did not find any fault with the operators of the dump truck or tractor trailer that were traveling down Route 106.

“This intersection was subject of an Old Colony Planning Council Road Safety Audit in 2011, at the town’s request,” Director Haines said. “Within the past year, the DPW and police department have been looking at viable solutions for safety concerns for this intersection, as well as several other intersections where there have been a higher than average number of accidents.”

In 2015, the DPW contracted a professional traffic engineering company, and action plans were implemented for several of the audit recommendations for this particular intersection. In 2016, the DPW presented a capital project to improve the safety concerns in the area, but it was not funded.

Sgt. William Patterson, the police department’s Traffic Control Supervisor, has been working closely with DPW staff to address multiple areas of concern through East Bridgewater. Improvements have been made and are currently being addressed at other intersections, including Central and Washington streets and Summer and Belmont streets.

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