State Recommends Route 9/I-495 Changes

The project manager recently met with the Westborough planning board.

Expanding Route 9 to three lanes, both ways, between Computer Drive in Westborough and Deerfoot Road in Southborough would help address traffic congestion and safety issues at the Interstate 495 interchange, a new state transportation study says. The recommendation is among several that Massachusetts Department of Transportation Project Manager Calli Cenizal presented to the Westborough Planning Board last Tuesday night. Similar meetings were held with the Southborough Planning Board on Jan. 7, and the Hopkinton Board of Selectmen on Jan. 8. Cenizal presented the recommendations in state transportation officials' I-495 and Route 9 Interchange Improvement Study. The study covered "the I-495/Route 9 and I-495/I-90 interchanges, I-495 between…

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You Ask, Patch Answers

Why are Blasting Zone Signs on Route 9?

The latest 'You Ask, Patch Answers' addresses this question.

Editor's note: In our column "You Ask, Patch Answers," we help you to find answers to your questions. Email westborough@patch.com if you have a question that you would like us to investigate. Today, we answer this e-mailed inquiry: I see signs on Route 9 referring to a blasting zone starting Monday. What is happening? Westborough Patch asked Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokesman Sara Lavoie. "MassDOT issued a permit to allow blasting on a parcel adjacent to Route 9.  The warning signs are there because Route 9 traffic will be stopped for a short time during the actual blast as a safety precaution," Lavoie says. "We expect traffic delays to be infrequent and for a very short durations.  Just to be clear, no work is occurring …

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I-90 Interchange Traffic, Safety Topic of Oct. 30 Meeting

It's the next milestone in 18-month study.

The next milestone toward traffic and safety improvements at the Massachusetts Turnpike's interchanges with Route 9 and Interstate 495 in Westborough and Southborough is an Oct. 30 public meeting, state transportation officials said today. The meeting is from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the 495/Metrowest Partnership's meeting room, 200 Friberg Parkway in Westborough, the state Department of Transportation said in a press release. The 18-month I-495/Route 9 Interchange Study by the agency's Office of Transportation Planning launched in September 2011 and has five to six months to go, state transportation spokesman Michael Verseckes said. The study includes Route 9 near I-495. The state transportation planning department has met with stakeholders …

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: May 29

The state has traffic cameras set up. Be sure to wave and smile when you drive by!

  Each morning, Westborough Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. What will you be doing today?   1. Now that vacation season is getting underway, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation reminds motorists to check the department’s live traffic cameras web page to view current traffic. 2. Residents interested in holding a yard sale must first get a permit from the Board of Selectmen’s office on the bottom floor of Town Hall. According to the permit application, any residence used for a yard sale more than two days in a twelve month period will be considered a home occupation and governed by the regulations in the town bylaws. …

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Officials: Give Harvey's Private Access to Mass Pike

The idea was generated to alleviate traffic issues at the Routes 495/90/9 interchanges.

  There are certain givens when it comes to the Westborough rotary: confused out-of-town drivers, Phil’s Barbershop and a passing Harvey’s truck. But a new proposal may take one of those constants away. At its March 27 meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted to send a letter to Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary Richard Davey in support of allowing trucks from Harvey’s to access the Mass Pike from Route 135 near the Hopkinton border. Allowing the access will significantly reduce the number of trucks going through the downtown areas of both Westborough and Hopkinton, Town Manager Jim Malloy explained. The idea is not new, but it has gained momentum in light of a recent focus on congestion at the Routes 495/90/9 …

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Officials Discuss 495/9 Congestion, Consider Options

The interchange was the topic of discussion at a morning meeting in Westborough.