Old Intersections Create New Problems

When you drive by 2 West Main St., you may notice the historic house that sits overlooking Main and Wood streets; what you may not notice is the crumbling curb and the tire tracks across the lawn.

This intersection is one of the major problems town leaders were hoping to fix when they began the Downtown Initiative, but the solution they came up with has left some Hopkinton residents feeling uneasy.

Last night at the meeting, Tom Nealon and Ken Driscoll of the Downtown Initiative Steering Committee (DISC) presented some of the proposals they reviewed with town members at .

The major plan they discussed for the corner of Wood Street involved rerouting the road directly across the land where 2 West Main St. currently sits.

“The alterations to these intersections will not fit in the existing public way,” Nealon said.

Will Jacomme and his family live at 2 West Main St. The house in which Jacomme lives is one of the oldest in town, dating back to the early 1800s.

According to Claire Wright of the Hopkinton Historical Society, it represents a time when Hopkinton was a small rural town.

“It’s an old farming house from before the industrial revolution,” Wright said.

The problem that plagues the intersection now is a modern issue that wasn’t planned for at the time the house was built.

As Hopkinton grows in population and as a business center, traffic flowing through the intersection often gets backed up as trucks try to make the turn onto Wood Street. Often these trucks have to make several attempts and still end up driving on the corner in front of Jacomme’s house.

Jacomme said the town has approached him about potentially moving the house, and he is open to the idea, but they have yet to discuss any dollar amounts and no decisions have been made.

A redesigned intersection was explored as a solution to a second problem area on Main Street, as well. Once again, the best solution doesn’t fit within the existing public way.

The intersection next to is offset. The two roads are close enough that the existing light operates as if it is straight across, but DISC believes that as traffic increases a new solution will need to be created. At the meeting last night they presented one option that would straighten the intersection; however, it would require land that is currently owned and used by Colella’s.

“If they were to do that, we would lose 20 parking spaces, not to mention the impact it would have on the bank which would lose it’s drive through,” said Dale Danahy, co-owner of the supermarket.

Others concerns voiced at the meeting included the removal of on-street parking near Main Street businesses, and the desire to increase pedestrian safety.

Selectmen took note of the concerns and encouraged residents to stay active in the planning process.

“Clearly this thing isn’t ready for primetime in my opinion,” Chairman Todd Cestarri said.

“I think that the emphasis and the critical point is that we’re still in the design phase,” Driscoll said.