CHESTERFIELD, N.H. (AP) - Officials in New Hampshire and in the town of Chesterfield are trying to make a section of road safer where there have been a number of crashes, including one over the July Fourth weekend.
The police chief and Board of Selectmen have requested changes to an intersection along Route 9, the Brattleboro Reformer reports.
In February, the board wrote to the state Department of Transportation and asked that an eastbound passing lane just before the intersection of Routes 9 and 63 be eliminated and be replaced with a left-turn lane.
The board said the state plans to install flashing signs on Route 9 to let drivers know that cars are waiting on Route 63 to enter or cross the highway, but it’s not enough.
The board followed up with another letter in May saying accidents near the site “are exacerbated by the increased speed at the end of the passing lane and as a result are generally catastrophic.”
On Sunday, July 5, a couple from Winchester were at the end of the passing lane leading up to Route 63, waiting to make a left turn, when they were struck from behind by another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle was hospitalized in critical condition. Another car also was struck.
“The Department of Transportation has been working closely with the town since the winter regarding this corridor,” wrote Eileen Meaney, chief communications officer for the department, wrote in an email to the Reformer. “We are continuing to evaluate the roadway for potential safety improvements.”
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