State Street safety improvement project begins in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Signs and barrels are now up on State Street in Springfield. It’s part of a traffic improvement project following a string of fatal crashes, including one in December when a student was hit by a bus.

Two-way lanes going to one way is the first phase of the traffic improvement project on State Street. The goal is to simulate what roadway narrowing would look like to get people to slow down. It comes after a string of fatal accidents in the city late last year, including three on State Street.

“I think it’s going to save lives. I think it’s a great opportunity to make the street a lot safer,” said Mark Thompson from Springfield.

Thompson walks along State Street often and he told us it’s dangerous.

“I have almost been clipped a couple of times and it’s not like I’m crossing the street without looking both ways, but people they’re negligent in their driving,” Thompson added.

The roadway narrowing is on both ways of traffic. A sign on each side read one lane road ahead. Some people think it could cause a traffic backup, but mark thinks otherwise.

“Hopefully, it’s going to be a situation where it’s going to slow things down a lot and then, ya know, it’s not going to be clogged or congested. If it is, it is only during certain periods of times of the day,” Thompson noted.

The barrels and signs are only the first phase of the project to see how people react to it. Also, there are plans for a raised crosswalk, along with making the roadway narrowing permanent.

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