Medford rotary project almost done, advocates approve of improvements

The reconstruction of the Salem Street rotary should be substantially complete by mid-November. And that is good news to Medford officials, who have been lobbying for the project for a long time.

“I’m very happy with the changes,” said Ellery Klein, chair of WalkMedford. “As I said at our meeting, it feels like it’s part of Medford now and not just highway. You can walk straight across and it’s not a death trap.”

WalkMedford, a citizen’s group, has been around for the past 10 years, advocating for safe streets and walkability in the city. And, the group has been actively lobbying the city to do something about problematic areas for not only walking, but cycling in the city.

John Goggin, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), said the work is “part of a $42.6 million Interstate Pavement Preservation Project on [Interstate-93]. The project aims to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety.”

A MassDOT release announced the planned improvements as the following:

• Realignment of the I-93 on and off-ramps to reduce the linear approaches and introduce curvature, helping to lower vehicle speeds.

• Replacement of an existing sidewalk within the rotary with a shared use path.

• Installation of rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB’s) at crosswalks.

• Installation of high visibility signage and pavement markings.

Medford Director of Traffic & Transportation Todd Blake said the work has been done to the point where the width of the rotary has been established, although MassDOT will add more definition with signage and striping.

He added the aim of the new design is to reduce speed in the rotary, especially those vehicles coming off and getting on the highway.

“The goal is to slow people down,” Blake said, during a recent walk around the area with Klein, Medford’s Communications Director Steve Smirti and Gotta Know Medford. “It has led to some people being more aggressive.”

And to people complaining about backups and questioning how emergency vehicles will traverse the rotary with narrower lanes. On this particular day, however, both fire engine and ambulance were able to make it around the rotary at the height of afternoon rush hour.

“Historically, there’s a minimum width for emergency vehicles to get through,” Blake said. “There’s enough leeway for emergency apparatus or a disabled vehicle. Yes, it’s tightened up, but it does allow for those unexpected things to occur.”

It’s not just the roadway that’s been pared down, but the sidewalk widths have been tripled and the distance between crosswalks is shorter. Klein pointed out the addition of flashing lights and better lighting makes it easier for drivers to see pedestrians and cyclists.

“It makes a big difference,” she said. “It makes you more visible when people come off the highway and it forces them to slow down.”

Blake is also pleased with the changes.

“At this stage, things might not seem as defined, but compared to what existed, it’s still better than it was,” he said.

Blake added the extensive work done by MassDOT on the rotary was actually not even part of the original project. It’s because of the number of complaints by residents, city officials and WalkMedford that the work is being done.

“There was a project to reinforce this area,” Blake said. “That was already in the works, but the advocacy on the part of everyone is what led to the plans being enlarged and adapted.”

That’s news to Klein, whose WalkMedford put together a walk of the rotary on March 21, which included residents, city officials and MassDOT engineers who got an earful about the dangerous roadway.

On the walk was Christine Michigan, whose father Arthur J. Webber was struck and killed on Feb. 4 while he crossed the rotary, something he’d done daily. He was 73.

Just two months prior, on Dec. 4, 2024, Boston University chemistry professor Dan Dill was walking his dog, Blue, across the Mystic Valley Parkway near his home in West Medford when he, too, was struck by a car and critically injured. Dill died Jan. 11 from his injuries. He was 78.

Both men were in a crosswalk when they were struck. Both were traveling across state-owned and operated roads, Dill on Mystic Valley Parkway, operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Webber on the rotary, controlled by MassDOT.

Michigan frequently drives the road where her father was killed and she’s seen the changes since the rotary work started in late July.

“It’s great,” she said. “I’m impressed by the work they’ve done so far at the rotary. I hope that it slows people down and that what happened to my dad doesn’t happen to anybody else.”

She added the narrowing of the entire rotary should make a huge difference.

“I’m more aware when I’m driving in the area now,” Michigan said. “The area is smaller, the crosswalks are significantly smaller and I’m happy with that. It will help people get around before what happened to my dad happens again. It’s a definite change, but it’s a good change.”

Michigan said her father walked everywhere and was on his way to the bank in Medford Square the day he was killed.

“My dad was a happy guy who liked to walk everywhere,” she said. “That was his thing. He loved to walk.”

Michigan was on the WalkMedford outing back in the spring and said she was very glad to see the large turnout of people who came to share their issues over the rotary and ask for state support in making necessary changes.

“I was glad it got a good turnout and that people spoke out and expressed their concerns,” she said. “I was grateful it made a difference, especially since I  know they weren’t going to do the whole thing originally. It makes me grateful so many people showed up and spoke up.”

For Blake, the work is ongoing as MassDOT continues to redefine the rotary. But, he added, people need to remember this is still a work in progress.

“Anyone who is skeptical, I ask them to have patience and see what this all looks like when it’s complete,” Blake said. “I’d like them to wait awhile and see how all this works out and to not judge until it’s complete.”