After Kelley Square, Worcester Councilors Seek Newton Square Redo

WORCESTER, MA — Whether you're a Midland Elementary student or a Newton Square Pizza devotee, almost everyone in Worcester probably has a harrowing story about crossing the Newton Square rotary.

Here's one more: Recently, District 1 Councilor Sean Rose watched a group of WPI cross-country runners almost get creamed by a tractor-trailer doing in excess of 40 mph across the behemoth five-way intersection (six-ways if you count Coolidge Road).

But after MassDOT slayed Kelley Square with a bean-shaped solution, Councilors see hope in transforming Newton Square. Rose at Tuesday's Council meeting sent an order to City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. asking him to put together a plan to fix the rotary.

Rose isn't the first to ask. After a child was injured in a hit-and-run while crossing Pleasant Street in May, District 5 Councilor Matthew Wally began asking for solutions to the intersection. The Council Traffic and Parking Committee Meeting discussed his request for flashing beacons and bigger signs at a June meeting. The discussion was tabled, according to meeting minutes, after talk about a funding plan and meeting with neighborhood residents.

"If we have to do a complete renovation, I'm in support of that," Wally said Tuesday.

"It's is really a nightmare over there," At-Large Councilor Donna Colorio said. "It is not if, it's when, because it's going to happen."

The measure asking the city manager to create a plan and budget for the renovation passed unanimously. At-Large Councilor Khrystian King added an amendment seeking more signs and traffic enforcement in the interim.