What Should be Done About the Walnut Street/Route 140 Intersection?

Department of Public Works Director Roger Hill has a few ideas to fix the intersection of Walnut Street and Route 140.

In the wake of a June 25 car crash at the intersection, the DPW head and the selectmen are hoping to move forward with a solution for one of the more dangerous areas to drive in town.

Discussing ideas at Tuesday night’s selectmen meeting, Hill suggested closing the street into a single median, which would prevent left turns or turning the intersection into a roundabout.

If possible, Hill also said Walnut Street could be extended to Central Street, allowing cars to access Route 140 by Foxborough Boulevard. Due to the proximity to Route 95, a traffic light is unlikely.

If something does happen, it will have to come with the approval of the state, which has not shown interest in fixing the troubled intersection. While previous attempts to address the issue have fizzled out, selectmen Chairman Jim DeVellis is pushing for a timeline for a plan before another crash.

“This is something I’m afraid we’re going to put off and we’ll be back here after another accident,” DeVellis said.

Selectman Ginny Coppola, who lives near Walnut Street, said that instead of taking a left onto Route 140 towards Mansfield, she drives right and around the common unless there is very little traffic, comparing the situation to the light on Pine Street near the Lafayette House.

“(Pine Street) was always a dangerous intersection and the state said they wouldn’t do a light because of the traffic counts. It wasn’t until someone was kill that they put in a light. The question should be what are you going to do? Wait until someone is killed?” Coppola said.

Whatever happens with the intersection of Route 140 and Walnut Street is expected to take time. Hill is scheduled to be back in front of the selectmen in late September with a process to create a plan to obtain funding or approval to make the intersection safer.