Crime & Safety

Town Manager Discusses Norton Traffic With State Officials

The Route 495 interchange with Route 123 and the center of Norton were discussed.

Norton Town Manager Michael Yunits said he recently sat down with state officials to discuss persistent traffic problems in town.

Yunits told selectmen Thursday night that he had a meeting with Sen. James Timilty (D-Walpole), Rep. Jay Barrows (R-Mansfield) and Rep. Steven Howitt (R-Seekonk), along with various Massachusetts Department of Transportation administrators and engineers.

Conversation centered around the Route 495-Route 123 interchange and the center of Norton, Yunits said.

"I raised a lot of issues with them," Yunits said.

The meeting came after a recent Norton Selectmen meeting in which both areas of town were discussed for their traffic problems.

Yunits said state Officials agreed to install a "No U-Turn" sign on Route 123 near the Route 495 South exit ramp to dissuade cars from taking a right-hand-turn off the exit and then taking a U-turn in order to head towards Easton.

Yunits also pushed for a traffic light off of the ramp, noting that other Route 495 exits in the area are equipped with a light. He said the town would be providing the state with traffic reports for the area.

While Yunits said state officials pointed to less traffic in the area as the reason for the absence of a light, he countered with summertime Comcast Center traffic and the future addition of affordable housing units in the area.

Selectmen agreed with Yunits' sentiments.

Selectmen chair Robert Kimball pointed to traffic lights off of Route 495 in Middleboro and Lakeville, where he said there is less traffic.

Selectmen also agreed that the center of town needed to be addressed by state officials, noting the impact of the Taunton Industrial Park on increased traffic in the area.

"The traffic impact on Norotn is excessive," Kimball said of the Industrial Park.

"I think it's very important to make sure we stay on top of this," he added.


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