Exit 40, Enter Madness of the Rotary

By Bob Holmes, Patch staff.

This is my theory about the rotary at Exit 40. The insane traffic flow we all now deal with was created by a highway worker with a paint brush in one hand and a pint of Crown Royal in the other.

The first time I dealt with the rotary at Exit 40 I was on a bike. I approached the off ramp and stopped in what I thought was a safe zone with no cars. But as I looked back and up the off-ramp an elderly woman in a gray Buick was heading straight for me, oblivious to the 50ish man wearing ridiculously tight bike shorts (how could she miss me?). Terrified, I stuck the bike in reverse and watched as the Buick shot past me, the brakes never being touched.

What had I done wrong? Looking down at the lines offered no clue. Drop a handful of over-cooked spaghetti on your kitchen floor and that's what I felt I was looking at.

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The rotary was repainted in May by the Mass Department of Transportation. If you're a golfer and have been to Pinehurst (NC), you probably have driven thru the world's most orderly rotary on the way to play 18. Exit 40 is an attempt at matching that majestic rotary, but this being Massachusetts, our drive sliced into the woods.

If you're going North on 129, getting off exit 40 the first thing you notice is a choice. If you're heading to Cravings in Wakefield (and why wouldn't you be) it's easy. But if your goal is Haverhill or Salem Street it gets tricky. You're immediately pushed by a yellow line away from the center. The line starts thin, then becomes thicker, almost as if they finished work one day with a 3-inch brush and returned the next with a 5-incher. And while there's clearly room for two lanes, the yellow line suddenly bends out, keeping that stretch to one lane. It just doesn't seem intentional. And resist the urge to cross the yellow line and park. There's room, but why would you want to hang out in the middle of a rotary.

As you now swing around the rotary you approach other cars at the end of the southbound ramp, seemingly questioning why they got off at Exit 40, and now that they're stuck, wondering what's next? If you want to get onto Haverhill Street be careful. There's no way to get on Haverhill Street without crossing a solid line, unless you fancy yourself the Rock in Fast & Furious 7. And make sure there's no one to your right, or else.

Approaching the rotary from Haverhill Street, and with an interest in buying a kayak, you'd be crazy to follow the solid lines guiding you into the rotary, put down by the guy with the brush and Crown. Instead, you'd cross the solid line (illegal) and simply follow the wide-open lane to Salem Street and REI.

The rotary land is roughly one-third in Reading, two-thirds in Wakefield, and I'm guessing both towns would be happy to give their share to the other. According to Department of Transportation records, there were 27 accidents at Exit 40 in 2014, the latest year records are available. Doesn't seem like much and certainly not a reason to change a perfectly fine Massachusetts rotary.

This isn't an attempt to rip the DOT. Their goals are noble. They want to make our roads safe for all. But how does the mish-mash of lines accomplish that? The Monday after the Super Bowl I watched a gray SUV and a white pickup almost collide while getting on 128 North from the rotary. Big game hangover? No, just a case of a confused driver staring at the lines and not paying attention to the driver next to him.

In a WBZ report last June, DOT spokesperson Jacqueline Goddard said, "the pavement markings and static signage were installed to improve safety for vehicles and pedestrians who use the rotary at Route 129 in Wakefield."

Pedestrians? As crazy as driving in the rotary is, at least you're surrounded by steel. Good luck with walking it.

So the next time you have to get onto the highway, or off to go home, I have three words for you: try Exit 39.

Bob Holmes covers Reading, North Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, and Lynnfield. Email him at robertholmes630@gmail.com

Photos by Bob Holmes