Repair work that was supposed to be down on the intersection at Boston Ave. and College Ave. over the summer has been delayed until spring semester because of a water main update that is being done in the area.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) is currently "rehabilitating" a 100-year-old water main below the intersection, and construction on the intersection is slated to commence in the spring. The project was set to begin this past summer, but was pushed back because of the water main update.
The repairs are designed to improve safety for both drivers and pedestrians in a place that has long been labeled hazardous because of its unusual design and heavy pedestrian flow. Two students sustained minor injuries last February after being hit by a van while crossing the intersection.
While complaints about the intersection have abounded for some time, action was not taken but until recently. Two years after a Design Public Hearing was held at the Medford City Hall in 1999, the city of Medford agreed to fund design work if the Massachusetts Highway Department paid for construction.
But before the state begins to improve the intersection, the MWRA must reline and clean mineral buildup on the water main that runs underneath. Tufts' entire water supply for sinks, toilets, and water fountains comes through one 48-inch wide water main.
City engineers drew up a plan to upgrade the intersection by repaving it and adding stoplights, and it has been approved by Medford's traffic commissioner. No construction firms are signed for the job yet, but the state is reviewing several bids.
Waiting until the spring to start is in part due to the amount of time involved in delivering the traffic lights.
"Traffic signal jobs require a lot of lead time," said Laird Walsh, of Medford's Engineering Division. "Most traffic signals take 16 to 20 weeks to be shipped."
For pedestrians and drivers alike, the intersection should be safer after construction is completed. "It will striped better and there will be more defined lanes," Walsh said. "The traffic will be channeled much better than it is now."
This is good news for students, especially senior Cicie Sattarnilasskorn and junior Minh Bui, who were both hit at the intersection.
Though she was not hurt after she was bumped by a car, Sattarnilasskorn said the setup of the intersection is dangerous for drivers and pedestrians.
"I definitely think twice before I cross there, even before I got hit," she said. "People have to be more careful of that intersection because you never know if you can see cars coming or if they see you."
Bui, who was sent to the hospital along with another student after being hit last year, felt that the accident could have been avoided.
"It's ridiculous that people had to get hit before the intersection was changed," he said. "It's something that should have been addressed a while ago."
The unconventional design of the intersection and others like it in the Boston area are the remains of antiquated traffic patterns. Unlike other cities, where streets usually run parallel and perpendicular to each other, many Massachusetts streets were paved from original dirt roads.
"When the pipe was placed in the ground 100 years ago, the intersection was shaped differently and there were no paved roads," said Tom Gawrys, spokesperson for MWRA. This intersection missed the advantages of having city planners and traffic safety supervisors plan its design.
Brook Chipman, public affairs director for the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau, said that students should be cautious while crossing the intersection, especially during the current construction project.
"Pedestrian injuries tend to rise in the fall months due to the time change," he said. "Basically, people do not realize the sun sets earlier and are less apt to make the necessary perceptual adjustments."
