Haverhill City Councilors Tuesday approved a plan to realign Chadwick Road at the intersection of Kingsbury and Willow Avenues in an effort to reduce motor vehicle crashes in the area.
Councilors voted unanimously to approve the plan, with an amendment to send it to the Traffic and Safety Committee for further evaluation of speeding issues. Councilors Colin F. LePage and Michael S. McGonagle were not present for the vote. The Planning Board recommended approval at a meeting last month.
City Engineer John H. Pettis III said the plan calls for Chadwick Road to be realigned.
“This will allow us to make the intersection a four-legged intersection instead of an offset intersection like it is right now,” Pettis told the Council.
The intersection has an approximately 30 foot jog between where Chadwick Road and Willow Avenue meet, creating a narrow line of sight for drivers crossing the intersection. “That jog causes some issues for us,” Pettis said.
Pettis says the minimum line of sight for drivers crossing the intersection would increase from approximately 200 feet to approximately 400 feet. “Four legged intersections have a 35% less likelihood of a crash,” he said.
Pettis says the intersection did not meet the criteria for a four way stop or flashing lights and did not provide additional clarity on the criteria during the meeting.
Resident Jennifer Hogan raised concerns regarding the plan, citing safety issues. “My kids live there and can’t walk down their street,” adding “There is no safe place unless you are bolting onto people’s law at every turn.”
Hogan said she believes allowing drivers to cross the intersection could cause increased speeding issues in the area.
“My concern is we’re going to take care of one small problem that I feel like it’s going to increase more problems that we already have on Chadwick Road that are not being met,” she said.
She added, “The people who live there already can’t leave our driveways safely, we can’t walk down the street safely.”
City councilors agreed. Councilor John A. Mitchitson, though supportive of the plan, motioned to send the roads to the Traffic and Safety Committee to evaluate speeding concerns.
Other councilors, like Vice President Timothy J. Jordan, believe the change will make the intersection safer. “I do feel like this change will make it safer for accidents, making it more of a T. I know speaking with Mr. Pettis that it doesn’t make it a perfect T,” he said
He later added, “I do think this is a positive step in the right direction but we still definitely need to do whatever we can do to address the speeding issue.”
Councilor Ralph T. Basiliere said he avoids Chadwick Road “like the plague if I have someone I love in my vehicle.”
Pettis said additional safety measures were also added, including a stop ahead sign on Willow Avenue. He said a similar sign will be added to Chadwick Road during the redevelopment.
State Chapter 90 money was previously used to hire consultant BSC Group for the design of the realignment, with federal American Rescue Plan Act grants planned to cover construction of the realignment.