Work is underway to replace one of the town’s worst intersections with a new roundabout.
Construction crews are already removing trees on properties located at the intersection of Chestnut Street, North Quincy Avenue, and Boundary Avenue. That intersection, which sits at the crossroads of Abington, Brockton and Holbrook, has been considered one of the most dangerous in the area.
A study by the Old Colony Planning Council found that crashes happened three times as often at that intersection compared to other similar unsignalized intersections in the area.
Rather than install traffic lights, state engineers, working with input from the three communities, opted for a small roundabout design for the intersection. Civil engineers have increasingly chosen roundabout designs over signalized intersections as they allow traffic to keep flowing while significantly improving safety.
R. M. Pacella, who won the $1.9 million MassDOT construction contract, started work last week. About two dozen trees are currently marked in pink and will be removed in the coming days. Most of the work this summer will involve earthwork and installing new roadway drainage, according to a spokeswoman with MassDOT. Drivers should expect periodic lane reductions and traffic impacts during the course of construction.
The project is expected to be finished in August 2021.
Building the roundabout required the state to take some land from the four properties at each corner.