Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is in the process of converting all exit numbers on freeways to a milepost-based numbering system, per Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements. Currently, interstates and freeways in Massachusetts utilize a sequential exit numbering method. Construction began in the Fall of 2020 and is anticipated to be completed in the Summer of 2021.
This notice is to inform you that exit numbering conversion will begin on Interstate 90 on December 13, 2020. Construction details are as follows:
• Corridor: Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) • Location: Boston to West Stockbridge • Approximate start date: Dec. 13 • Approximate construction duration: 4 weeks • Hours of operation: 8:00 PM - 5:00 AM
Please note that all work is weather dependent and construction dates may be adjusted accordingly. This work will not impact the tolls on this roadway.
For more information on the project and construction status, to leave a comment or sign up for project updates, please visit: https://www.newmassexits.com/
MA highway exit numbers change in October to meet Federal standard. Announced last year and guess what, it was delayed by the pandemic, but the change is coming in October.
"Amid constant changes in 2020 not even highway exit numbers are safe.
Massachusetts will begin to transition to mileage-based exit numbers in October, according to WCVB.
The change was announced last year as the state will drop its current sequential numbering in order to comply with a 2009 federal mandate.
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Delaware are the only states that have yet to implement the change, and are at risk of losing federal funding if they do not comply."
"Plans for the long-awaited reconstruction of the Interstate 495-Mass Pike interchange eliminate weaving movements that have caused the junction to be susceptible to crashes and congestion for years.
State transportation leaders and project officials posted a webinar Thursday outlining the 25% design details of the project, which includes seven new direct and semi-direct ramps connecting the two interstates. The designated ramps and lanes for each traffic maneuver will make getting off the highway and merging much safer, project officials said.
“The reason for the project is that the I-90/495 interchange is identified as a high-crash and high-congestion location,” Ryan McNeill, a state Department of Transportation project manager, said during the webinar. “The enhancements that are discussed in this presentation will improve the safety and operational efficiency at the system interchange and address chronically deficient traffic conditions for the movement of people and goods within the project area.”
New ramps will be widened to include shoulders and will have designated speeds of 45 mph, 10 mph faster than the existing ramps. The radius of the ramps will not be as tight. Tractor-trailers currently are required to go very slow entering Interstate 495 southbound due to the tight radius of the off-ramp."
Want to learn more about the upcoming Mass Pike-Interstate-495 interchange reconstruction? The state Department of Transportation Thursday morning will post a pre-recorded webinar to present the design for the proposed Mass Pike-Interstate-495 interchange project. The webinar is scheduled to be posted at 9 a.m. The webinar can be found at www.mass.gov/massdot-highway-design-public-hearings. The project team has completed 25% of the designs, according to the state Department of Transportation’s website. “The purpose of this hearing webinar is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed I-495/I-90 Interchange Improvements project,” according to a posting on the DOT’s website. “All views and comments submitted in response to the webinar will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.”
"Medway voted to ban carry-out plastic bags at its Fall Town Meeting Tuesday night in an effort to reduce litter and promote environmental sustainability.
By a show of hands, Article 5 was approved by a little over half of residents present, amending the town’s general bylaws by adding a new article called “Article XXXII Plastic Bag Reduction.” The ban targets plastic check-out bags sold or provided to customers at any town establishment, but the following are still acceptable:
Thin plastic bags used to protect delivered newspapers
Laundry or dry-cleaning bags
Thin film bags, typically without handles, used to contain produce, meat or fish
Bags sold in packages containing multiple bags intended to be used for home food storage, garbage, waste, pet waste or yard waste
Product bags (bag integrated into packaging of a product)
"Exit numbers on Massachusetts highways will be changing over the next two years, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The state currently utilizes a sequential exit numbering method and will change to a mileage-based exit system in order to comply with a federal mandate, which was laid out in 2009.
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Delaware are the only three states that do not comply with the federal mandate at this time."
"The public next week will have the opportunity to learn and ask questions about the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the upcoming Mass Pike-Interstate-495 interchange reconstruction. A public meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Marathon Elementary School cafeteria. The report includes the status of project planning and design, the type and size of the project, requirements of state agencies and reasonable alternatives and methods to avoid, minimize and mitigate environmental impacts, according to the state Department of Transportation’s website. The project needs to dodge wetlands, the Sudbury River, Department of Conservation and Recreation land, train tracks and private property. Residents can receive a copy of the Draft Environmental Impact Report by emailing Nathaniel Curtis at ncabralcurtis@hshassoc.com. Those unable to attend next week’s meeting can provide written comments on the report. Written comments can be sent to Secretary Kathleen Theoharides, Attn: Page Czepgia, Assistant Director, MEPA Office, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114 or page.czepgia@state.ma.us."
"The state’s preferred design for the reconstruction of the troublesome Interstate-495-Mass Pike interchange eliminates weaving that often causes bottlenecks and crashes at the existing junction. State transportation leaders unveiled the preferred project design at the first of four public information meetings at Hopkinton Town Hall on Thursday. The design includes designated ramps and lanes for each traffic maneuver to make getting off the highway and merging much safer. The interchange is known for significant traffic during peak hours, weekends and summertime. It also has a high crash rate. More than 75,000 vehicles pass through the junction each day. More than 450 crashes – including two fatalities – occurred there between 2011 and 2015. Joseph Cahill, a consultant on the project, estimated a crash occurs there once every three or four days. “We’re significantly improving the safety of the interchange,” said Cahill."
"State transportation leaders will outline preferred design for I-495/90 interchange reconstruction. Want to learn more about the potential design plan for the reconstruction of the heavily traveled interchange of I-495 and the Mass. Pike? The state Department of Transportation (DOT) will hold four informational meetings throughout MetroWest later this month. Meetings: The first public meeting will be held Thursday, July 25, at Hopkinton High School. Others will be held Tuesday, July 30, at Hudson Town Hall; Wednesday, July 31, at Shrewsbury Town Hall; and Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Holliston police headquarters. All meetings will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m"
"Being an American Ninja Warrior doesn’t always mean hulking muscles and decades of training - sometimes all it takes is the fearlessness of a child.
Franklin siblings Zack and Penny Keenan will soon be featured as part of the inaugural American Ninja Warrior Junior competition.
The premiere of American Ninja Warriors Jr. will be aired on Saturday at 7 p.m. on the NBC channel Universal Kids. It’s not guaranteed that the Keenan siblings will be on that first show, but they will be featured at some point during the debut season.
“They each have unique stories,” said their father, Tim Keenan, who owns Strive Ninja Fitness in Franklin. “Penny is almost 10 years old, and her whole life she’s been in the zero-growth percentile.”
"State officials are working to narrow down four designs to rebuild the Interstate 495-Mass Pike interchange, which becomes a traffic chokepoint in the region at rush hour, weekends and during the height of the summer tourism season.
Nearly a dozen Hopkinton residents and business officials saw the conceptual plans during a meeting at the Marathon Elementary School Tuesday night. Similar meetings will take place in Worcester, Bolton and Milford for the project that started picking up steam in 2013.
The price tag is expected to be $296 million to $413 million, depending on which option is selected. A 25 percent design public hearing is expected in 2020.
The interchange is known for significant traffic congestion during peak hours, weekends and summertime and has a high crash rate. Approximately 75,000 cars go through the interchange daily. The project is designed to improve traffic and reduce the impact on wetlands, according to the presentation."
"For a sixth consecutive year, businesses throughout the MetroWest and Milford regions have been invited to weigh in on factors affecting their companies through an online survey.
The 495/MetroWest Employer Survey and Forecast is being conducted by the 495/MetroWest Partnership, Framingham State University and the MetroWest and Milford Daily News.
Paul Matthews, executive director of the 495/MetroWest Partnership - a Westborough-based public-private association that advocates for economic development, transportation and a skilled workforce in the region - said the survey was formed about five years ago with an initial goal of gauging employers’ confidence in the region’s business climate.
“It was designed to be similar to AIM’s monthly survey, except to be focused on our region,” Matthews said, in reference to the statewide Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Survey, which has been conducted monthly since 1991."
"The survey runs for roughly a month, from Oct. 1 through Nov. 3, and can be accessed through several links, including one through the the MetroWest Daily News, https://www.research.net/r/495SurveyMWDN. Respondents can expect to complete it in 5 to 7 minutes, Matthews and Harrison said.
"For almost 15 years, Paul Matthews has been hearing from companies about the challenges of the 495/90 interchange.
But last year the long-standing project to fix the interchange entered its design phase with $227 million set aside in the state’s capital plan.
Matthews, executive director of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, said enhancing the project is key for the region’s economy. The interchange is vital for companies to transport products and raw materials and for their employees’ commutes, he said.
“It is in its final design stage,” Matthews said."
"MetroWest in recent years has become an economic hub home to numerous global corporations and businesses.
The large corporations bring increased tax revenue for local communities and much-needed jobs, but also more commuters and traffic congestion to the area’s main thoroughfare – Interstate 495.
“The congestion has increased dramatically the past 15 years,” said Stephanie Hirshon, executive director of the MetroWest/495 Transportation Management Association.
With more congestion comes more car crashes, said Hirson and Milford Fire Chief William Touhey."
The 495/MetroWest Suburban Edge Community Commission, co-chaired by Senator Karen Spilka, Representative Kate Hogan, and Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs Juan Vega, will hold a meeting focused on regional transportation challenges. The 495/ MetroWest Suburban Edge Community Commission was established by the Legislature in Section 233 of Chapter 165 of the Session Laws of 2015. The commission will study development challenges experienced by edge communities, including transportation, water, cellular, and energy infrastructure, transit services, residential development, reuse of former industrial facilities and historic mills, brownfields reclamation, downtown redevelopment and other such constraints. The commission will then develop policy responses and recommendations to ensure that edge communities can participate in state development initiatives and benefit from state resources. The commission will focus its investigation and study on the 35 municipalities served by the 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership, Inc. and develop a pilot program to address the issues to be studied and investigated by the commission. WHEN: Friday, September 16, 2016, 11:00 am WHERE: Warren Conference Center 529 Chestnut St, Ashland, MA 01721 WHO: Senator Karen Spilka Representative Kate Hogan Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs Juan Vega Senator James Eldridge Senator Richard Ross Representative Carolyn Dykema Representative David Muradian
Yes, there is a change coming. The time line has yet to be determined. Reports appeared in The Attleboro Sun and Universal HUB about this. MassDOT has apparently put the work on hold as some folks who had not heard about the change as it went through the planning process including bids awarded in December 2015 are now raising issues. It is fairly common as the Federal Highway system is encouraging a conversion to exit numbers aligned with the milage as opposed to the current simple numerical sequence. So Exit 16 on i495, Franklin would become Exit 41 and Exit 17 would become Exit 43. The full listing of exit number changes on the major highways can be found here http://www.gribblenation.net/mass21/intexits.html The i495 list is found here http://www.gribblenation.net/mass21/i495exits.html
A crash between a car and a tractor-trailer on Interstate 495 sent the driver to the hospital via medical helicopter with life-threatening injuries Tuesday, state police officials say.
The crash, which occurred sometime after 11 a.m. just prior to exit 17, shut down all three southbound lanes of the highway, reducing traffic to just the breakdown lane for about two and a half hours.
The driver of a 2002 Toyota Echo, a 25-year-old from Brockton, was taken to a Rhode Island hospital via medical helicopter with life-threatening injuries and a 22-year-old passenger was taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, state police spokesman David Procopio said. The driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured.
About 2,800 students will be taking the bus to school this year and nearly 70 percent of them will pay for the privilege, the School Committee was told Tuesday night.
Business Administrator Miriam Goodman said the district will be hauling approximately 2,800 students on 31 buses. A total of 51 students are on a waiting list.
"Twenty-one of them are at the high school level - the high school buses are pretty full," she said, noting that 19 buses travel to the high school. "We're trying to get everyone on as quickly as possible and meet everyone's needs."
The MassDOT has notified us about upcoming work on 495 this weekend.
They will be working on the Beaver Street Bridge deck on the southbound side. They will have reduced lanes on Interstate 495 and will be placing a temporary stop sign at the bottom of the southbound onramp (Exit 17) at Route 140. This may result in backups on the ramp, but they will have a local police detail on site as well.
They will be doing the same on the northbound side in the next couple of weeks.
School officials Tuesday will present the School Committee with a $56.9 million budget proposal for next fiscal year, a 2.43 percent increase over this year.
Larger class sizes at Franklin High School and the three middle schools, contract negotiations and health insurance increases played a key role in the crafting of the budget, which does not increase fees or cut programs in art, music or athletics.
To control class sizes, the district has asked to hire four new middle school teachers and one high school teacher. At the elementary level, three math specialists are sought to help continue efforts in those schools to align the curriculum with the Common Core standards.
State police say a 31-year-old Whitinsville woman died Sunday afternoon in a one-car crash on Interstate 495.
Ashley Hartung, the only passenger in a 2014 Ford Focus, was killed instantly when the vehicle turned right off the highway and struck a guardrail while traveling south near exit 17, police said.
According to police, the force of the crash split the guardrail.
