Road improvements no longer at a crossroads

HUDSON – Three years after several hundred residents signed a petition decrying the conditions of the intersection of Robinson Road and Route 102 as dangerous, several improvements have been made to the roadway.

At the time, the group asked for several changes include a permanent stoplight instead of a blinking one.

“Each accident that we have there is getting more serious and deadly all the time,” a petition stated.

The project was in the state Department of Transportation’s 10-year plan, but had been moved back to around 2010.

After the town agreed to pay one-third of the project’s cost, at the time an estimated $316,660, the transportation department agreed to move the work up in its 10-year plan.

Construction is scheduled to start next year.

However, the state may have a lot less work to do, thanks to a private developer.

The owner of the recently opened Mobil gas station at the corner of Robinson Road and Route 102 spent more than $400,000 making improvements to the intersection.

The work included widening 102 slightly, putting a center island in on 102 and placing a permanent stoplight at the intersection.

Work still remains, but the overall price tag of the project should be much lower, according to Community Director Sean Sullivan.

The town will work with DOT to determine what the new costs for the work will be, he said in an interview.

The transportation department is holding a meeting about proposed improvements to the intersection tonight at the Hudson Memorial School at 7 p.m.

Further improvements include widening Route 102 for a climbing lane for trucks, putting a right-turn lane on 102 for Robinson Road and installing a device for the police and fire departments that changes the light for emergency vehicles.

Residents complained about the intersection, submitting a petition to the Board of Selectmen about three years ago with more than 600 signatures. Some said the intersection was dangerous and was difficult to for motorists trying to turn onto Route 102.

The improvements have addressed some issues, such as ease of turning onto 102.

“I’ve heard how much of an improvement (it is),” Sullivan said, noting some residents have described the changes as “long overdue.”