Tag: MassDOT

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, October 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, October 2021

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Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at the five fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in September. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in October 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 28 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in October in the MassDOT Crash portal, seven were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The name of two of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in October was 65.
  • At least one of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was only identified in one of the crashes in news articles that we found.
  • We could not find any news reports for one of the fatal crashes.
Date 10/4/2021, 9:45 AM
Location 66 Huttleston Ave.
Town Fairhaven
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 77
Sex F

We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. This stretch of Huttleston Avenue (State Route 6) is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side of the road. The speed limit is unclear in the MassDOT Road Inventory, with 25mph and 35mph both listed.

Date 10/13/2021, 1:30 PM
Location Essex St. + Winter St.
Town Lawrence
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 73
Sex F

The Eagle-Tribune reports that a driver struck and killed 73-year-old Antoquia M. Ruiz Villlona De Anziani in the area of Essex Street & Winter Street in Lawrence. The driver was not identified.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both of these streets are under local jurisdiction. Each road is two-way, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. It is a 2-way stop, with stop signs for the Winter/Medford Street approach (Winter Street becomes Medford St as it crosses Essex). There is a sidewalk on each side of each road. There is no painted crosswalk over Essex Street. The speed limit is unclear in the MassDOT Road Inventory, and not obvious on Google Street View.

Date 10/14/2021, 6:44 PM
Location North Main St. + Huntington St.
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 54
Sex M

The Enterprise News reports that Joao Fernandes, age 54, died after the driver of a Mel’s ice cream truck struck him at the intersection of North Main Street and Huntington Street. The driver was not identified.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, North Main Street and Huntington Street are both under local jurisdiction. Each road is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a stop sign on Huntington Street as it meets North Main Street. There is a sidewalk on each side of each road. There is a crosswalk across Huntington Street, but no painted crosswalk over North Main Street. The speed limit is 30mph in the MassDOT Road Inventory.

Date 10/16/2021, 10:26 AM
Location Theodore Glynn Way
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 59
Sex F

Lisa Vadeboncoeur was killed and two other people were injured after 46-year-old Kevin McCaffrey struck them on Theodore Glynn Way in Boston. WHDH reported that he has been charged with motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence of drugs, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Their coverage included a statement from Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins:

“Ms. Vadeboncoeur and the two other individuals injured in this crash were standing well off the side of the road when they were struck,” Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. “My office has been in contact with each of the victims and the loved ones of Ms. Vadeboncoeur. We will continue to be available to provide them and the two surviving victims with the support and resources they may need and that they deserve.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Theodore Glynn Way is under local jurisdiction. It is a one-way road that is 64-feet wide; there is parking on the left side. Street View from November 2020 does not show any lane markings. There is a sidewalk on one side of the road and a shoulder on the other side. The speed limit is not noted in the MassDOT Road Inventory.

Date 10/21/2021, 1:55 PM
Location 704 North Quincy St.
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 79
Sex M

A 79-year-old man was struck and killed by a driver on North Quincy Street in Brockton. Neither the driver nor the pedestrian were identified.

The Enterprise News observed that this was the second fatal crash in a week in Brockton.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, North Quincy Street is under local jurisdiction. The road is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side of the road, but there is a large curb cut on one side shared by the Brookfield Plaza and a used car dealer. (The Enterprise News story includes photos of police investigators examining this side of the road/driveways.) The speed limit is 30mph in the MassDOT Road Inventory.

Date 10/26/2021, 6:23 AM
Location Walk Hill St.
Town Boston (Mattapan)
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 47
Sex F

A bus driver hit and killed Jennifer Formichelli and then left the scene at the corner of Walk Hill Street and Blue Hill Avenue. CBS Boston reported that Formichelli was walking her two dogs at the time. Neighbors said one stayed by her side, and the other ran home, alerting neighbors. The Boston Globe reported that bus and driver was not affiliated with Boston Public School system, but the police have located the driver and school bus, and homicide detectives are investigating. The driver was not identified.

CBS Boston also interviewed Fillmore Parris, who was engaged to Jennifer:

He said Formichelli was an English teacher, loved her pets and her family. “She was just an all-around good person.”

“I’m sad but I’m just getting increasingly angry,” Parris said. “I don’t care if you’re driving a tank, you know if you’ve hit somebody, especially somebody that is as visible as her, running with two dogs.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Walk Hill Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road that is 40-feet wide; there is parking and sidewalks on each side, and there is a crosswalk across Walk Hill Street. The speed limit is 30mph in the MassDOT Road Inventory. There is a traffic signal at the intersection of Blue Hill Avenue and Walk Hill Street.

Date 10/27/2021, 7:38 PM
Location 528 Southwest Cutoff
Town Worcester
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 66
Sex M

66-year old Fabio D’Assis was hit and killed by the driver of a Toyota Highlander SUV. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette cited a police spokesperson that “the initial investigation indicates the driver approached the Auburn/Worcester line and saw the pedestrian, but was unable to stop in time.” The driver was not identified, but is described as a 42-year-old Sudbury woman.

The T&G story locates the crash near 557 Southwest Cutoff, while the MassDOT Crash Portal lists 528 Southwest Cutoff. 557 Southwest Cutoff is closest to the Auburn/Worcester line referenced in the article, so the Google Streetview included below reflects that section of road. There is a grocery store plaza on one side, with housing on the other side of the road.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Southwest Cutoff is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way road that is 48-feet wide, with 2-lanes in each direction; there are sidewalks on each side. The speed limit is 35mph in the MassDOT Road Inventory.

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, August 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, August 2021

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Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at the 6 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in July. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in August 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 49 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in August in the MassDOT Crash portal, 5 were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The name of 1 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in August was 48.4.
  • 2 of the crash victims were people who had stopped their vehicle to investigate a problem, and then were hit by other drivers.
  • At least 1 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • 4 of the crashes involved SUVs or large pickup trucks.
  • The name of the person driving was identified in 1 of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 8/3/2021, 4:35 PM
Location 77 Main St.
Town Taunton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 58
Sex F

Rolando Escobar struck and killed 58-year-old Lisa Rocha as she was getting into her car on Main Street in Taunton. The Taunton Daily Gazette reports that he left the scene, then struck a vehicle on Summer Street causing his SUV to flip over in front of the police station.

The Gazette spoke to Lisa’s friends, family, and co-workers:

Lisa put [her passion for gardening] to work as activities director at Marian Manor nursing home at 33 Summer St. in Taunton. At Marian Manor, she spread her love for flowers by planting a garden, Shantel said. Three times a day Lisa would pick a resident to help her with the garden, said Connie Coelho, Lisa’s co-worker.

Escobar has been charged with operating under the influence of drugs/felony homicide, OUI-drugs second offense, manslaughter, OUI resulting in death, leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, and leaving the scene of property damage.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is two-way, with a travel lane in each direction and parking on each side. The road is 30 feet wide. There is a posted 20mph speed limit.

Date 8/6/2021, 7:03 PM
Location I-90 WEST, MM 130.2
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 30
Sex M

The Boston Globe reported that a 30 year-old man driving a tractor trailer pulled over to the side to inspect his truck and was struck and killed by another driver who crashed and pinned him into his truck on the MassPike in Allston-Brighton. CBS Boston shared that the driver who struck and killed the man was a 17-year old driving a Chevy Cruze.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this is an interstate highway under MassDOT jurisdiction. The westbound stretch of I-90 is one-way, with a 2-foot left shoulder, 4 12-foot travel lanes, and an 8-foot right shoulder at this mile marker. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 8/6/2021, 9:48 PM
Location 9 Graf Rd.
Town Newburyport
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 69
Sex M

69 year-old Daniel Rindge was struck and killed by the 65-year old driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Graf Road in Newburyport. The driver was not identified.

The Newburyport News reports:

Rindge was a well-known illustrator and caricature artist who worked for the former Port Planet newspaper in Newburyport. He also was an artist, illustrator and graphic designer at Gulls Brewery, according to his LinkedIn profile.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction. The road is 24 feet wide. The speed limit is 35mph.

Newburyport Police Lt. Matthew Simons said it is unknown if Rindge was crossing the street but said he was in the travel lane when the accident occurred. (There are no sidewalks on either side of the street, and there do not appear to be any crosswalks on Google Streetview.)

Date 8/16/2021, 8:30 AM
Location 278 Main St.
Town Bourne
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 41
Sex F

The Bourne Enterprise reports that 41-year old Caitlyn Sprague was struck and killed on Main Street in Bourne by the driver of a Chevy Silverado pickup.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction with shoulders on each side. The speed limit is 40mph. Google Streetview shows a crosswalk and bump outs at this address.

Date 8/29/2021, 6:45 PM
Location SR-2 WEST, MM 100.8
Town Leominster
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 44
Sex M

NBC Boston reports that a 51 year-old driver of a Chevy Sonic drifted into the breakdown lane on Route 2 in Leominster and struck and killed 44-year old Daniel Levangie. Levangie was changing a tire in the breakdown lane when he was struck.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Route 2 / Concord Turnpike is under MassDOT jurisdiction. The westbound stretch of road is two 12-foot lanes with a 10-foot shoulder. The speed limit is 55 mph.

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, July 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, July 2021

By |

Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 4 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in June. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in July 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 27 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in July in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking. There was at least 1 additional fatal incident during July, announced in a press release by the MA State Police (MSP):
    • On July 12th, an unidentified 50 year old man was found deceased on the I-90 Exit 135 ramp. (Editor’s note: Since this crash is not listed in the crash portal, it is possible that MSP investigators ruled the person died prior to the crash or that it was a suicide, either of which would mean it would not appear in the FARS data.)
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 3 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in July was 53.3.
  • At least 1 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 7/3/2021, 6:56 AM
Location Weld St.
Town West Roxbury
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 63
Sex F

A 63-year-old woman was struck & killed by a driver on Weld St near West Roxbury Parkway. The driver had just turned right off the parkway onto Weld. We could not find news articles about this crash.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is two-way, with a travel lane in each direction. The road is 37 feet wide. Boston has a citywide 25mph default speed limit.

Date 7/10/2021, 11:52 AM
Location 80 Bellingham St.
Town Chelsea
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 1
Sex M

A 19-month-old boy was struck and killed in Chelsea by a 45-year-old woman driving an SUV that had just picked up a rider.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one-way, with a travel lane and a parking lane. The road is 24 feet wide. Chelsea has a citywide 25mph default speed limit.

WBZ-TV reported that speeding is a problem on Bellingham Street:

Neighbors tell us Bellingham Street is notorious for speeding and with two playgrounds nearby, they hope this tragedy will spark change.

“All these houses here, they all have little kids in them. Like I said, this street is like a racetrack and something needs to happen,” said [neighbor Paul] Ford. “People see things happen firsthand today – hopefully it sends a message.”

Date 7/13/2021, 8:54 AM
Location Wilbraham Rd. + Massachusetts Ave.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 65
Sex F

Margaret “Lani” Kretschmar, age 65, was hit and killed while crossing Wilbraham Road in a crosswalk. Margaret was an employee at American International College in Springfield. Western Mass News reports that the City of Springfield promises to make the intersection safer.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction. The road is 40 feet wide. The speed limit is 30mph.

WalkBoston and Way Finders conducted a walk audit that included a section of Wilbraham Road earlier this summer (summary, full report). While the crosswalk where this crash occurred was not part of the walk audit route, Wilbraham Road was called out in the first key recommendation:

Improve pedestrian safety and comfort on Wilbraham Road Wilbraham Road is a 2-lane collector street with parallel parking on both sides. The area is primarily single and multi-family residences with several restaurants and churches along the road. Vehicular traffic volumes are relatively high with drivers frequently hitting high speeds for such a dense neighborhood district. While there are wide sidewalks for pedestrians, additional infrastructure is needed to provide a safer and healthier walking environment.

Date 7/17/2021, 2:45 AM
Location 187 Pleasant St. Ralph Talbot St.
Town Weymouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 61
Sex F

Xuan “Sue” Vo, age 61, was struck and killed in a hit and run crash. She had stopped by a neighbor’s house to use the internet on Friday night and indicated she would take a walk before bed. She was found on the sidewalk at 2:45AM by a patrol officer. The person driving has not yet been found.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction with shoulders on each side. The road is 44 feet wide. The speed limit is unclear based on incomplete info in the Road Inventory database for this street.

A Wicked Local Weymouth/Weymouth News article from 2019 indicated efforts to regulate speeding drivers on nearby Park Avenue due to dangerous behavior.

Similarly, NBC Boston reports that speeding is a problem on Pleasant Street:

Patrick Barfield says the road where the fatal crash occurred is already an area of focus for police because of excessive speeding.

“This road unfortunately, we have a lot of people coming down here with a high speed,” Barfield said, “and actually the police have already been staking it out giving people tickets for it.”

Date 7/27/2021, 5:58 PM
Location 832 East St.
Town Walpole
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 81
Sex F

The Boston Globe reports that an unidentified 81-year-old woman was hit and killed by a driver on East Street in Walpole.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction with shoulders on each side. The speed limit is 35 mph and there are sidewalks.

Date 7/27/2021, 11:52 PM
Location 947 Providence Hwy. + Elm St.
Town Dedham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 49
Sex M

WHDH reported that 49-year-old Stephen P. Hogan was hit and killed while crossing Providence Highway (Rt 1) at Elm Street by an unidentified driver of a Nissan Altima.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. This stretch of road is 3-4 lanes in each direction with sidewalks on each side. The speed limit is 40 mph.

In 2014, MAPC collaborated with the Towns of Dedham and Westwood to create a Dedham and Westwood Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan. Page 9 of this plan reads: 

“Rt 1 at Elm St (Dedham) Adjacent to Legacy Place, this intersection experiences high pedestrian volumes accessing bus routes on the opposite side of Rt 1. The wide street crossing plus high turning speeds creates unnecessary barriers primarily in terms of the length of the crossing. This intersection has relatively new sidewalks and crosswalks, but does not diminish the scale of the crossing. Responsibility – MassDOT.”

In 2019, the Town of Dedham established the Active Transportation Working Group to improve safety for non-vehicular travel in Dedham. The charter of this working group charges it with the responsibility to advocate for safe transportation connections between Route 1 and Route 1A in the Dedham corridor; this group is actively working to have MassDOT address this intersection (see letter). 

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).

Updates to MassDOT’s Complete Streets Program Funding Guidance

Updates to MassDOT’s Complete Streets Program Funding Guidance

By |

In March 2021, MassDOT released the new Complete Streets Program Funding Guidance for cities and towns interested in participating in the program. Launched in 2016, the MassDOT Complete Streets Funding Program is the first state program in the United States devoted to funding complete streets – streets that are designed to make travel safe, comfortable, and accessible for all users. Five years later, more than 50% of all Massachusetts communities are involved in the Complete Streets program.

Major changes to the Guidance Document include: 

  • Update to the Tier 2 Prioritization Plan 
  • Revision of the Tier 3 Project Application Template
  • Update to the funding eligibility criteria for Tier 3 grant recipients
  • New chapter on public engagement
  1. Update to the Tier 2 Prioritization Plan 
  • Tier 2 no longer has three entry options as previously indicated. The municipality must develop a Complete Streets Prioritization Plan and can still provide a commitment letter to MassDOT to pass the Complete Streets policy within one year. (This would be completing Tier 1 and 2 simultaneously).
  • Municipalities can request up to $38,000 in technical assistance funding (it is no longer $50,000). 
  1. Revision of the Tier 3 Project Application Template 
  • Revised template is available on the MassDOT website
  1. Update to the funding eligibility criteria for Tier 3 grant recipients 
  • Effective Fiscal Year 2022, municipalities can receive a maximum award of $400,000 in Tier 3 funding within any four-fiscal year timeframe. Municipalities can receive several smaller grants within the four-year window or one full grant of $400,000. It is important to note that Tier 2 grants do not count toward Tier 3 grants. Municipalities can check to see if they are eligible for additional funding here. 
  • If the municipality is applying for a project that costs more than the funding they are eligible for, they must include the amount of money they will need covered by external funding sources. 
  • A municipality can apply for a 2nd (or 3rd, 4th…) construction project only after the prior awarded project has been completed. 
  1. New chapter on public engagement
  • The 2021 Guidance document includes for the first time a section on “Public Engagement and Complete Streets.” MassDOT strongly recommends municipalities engage with community members– especially marginalized groups– on identifying issues and areas for improvement in the community. 
  • In order to engage with a community, MassDOT suggests: 
    • establishing working groups or planning committees with a diverse set of individuals, representative of the municipality;
    • engaging and listening to community members’ experiences and feedback; 
    • speaking with the public during all three tiers of the Complete Streets Funding process and providing updates on any changes and final decisions; and
    • removing barriers to participation, such as language, time, and access. To do this, MassDOT recommends:
      • Partnering with trusted community leaders and organizations to reach members of the community. Potentially compensate individuals for their time and involvement
      • Requesting time at a community/neighborhood meeting or hosting a pop-up at a public place like a grocery store or public library
      • Providing multiple options for individuals to provide in-person and online feedback at meetings and events 
      • Translating materials and having appropriate translators at events and meetings 
      • Ensuring accessibility for individuals with differing visual and physical abilities 
      • Providing incentives for participation, such as food, childcare, or stipends 

WalkBoston and the Complete Streets Program

WalkBoston has had a measurable impact on the success of MassDOT’s Complete Streets Funding program. We have worked on walking with 122 of the 267 municipalities that have participated in the funding program, with targeted assistance for the funding program provided to 25 cities and towns.

WalkBoston has assisted communities at each major program milestone: passage of a policy (Tier 1); development of a prioritization plan (Tier 2); and acquisition of capital funding (Tier 3). Specifically, WalkBoston provided technical assistance to:

  • 25 different communities in at least one Tier
  • 3 municipalities during Tier 1, 2, and 3
  • 10 municipalities in both Tier 2 and Tier 3
  • 19 municipalities that received Tier 3 funding, 11 of whom received funding for projects identified in walk audit recommendations

New Complete Streets Funding Announced 

On July 20, 2021, MassDOT announced that $6.05 million have been awarded to 18 communities for Complete Streets Funding Program Awards. For the full press release and information on communities awarded, visit the website here.

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, June 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, June 2021

By |

Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 8 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in May. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in June 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 38 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in June in the MassDOT Crash portal, 4 were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 2 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in June was 63.5.
  • At least 2 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in 3 of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 6/8/2021, 6:34 AM
Location SR-2 EAST, MM 38.4
Town Shelburne
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 45
Sex F

45 year old Rhonda Thompson was out on a morning walk along the breakdown lane of Mohawk Trail / Rt 2 in Shelburne Falls when she was struck and killed by Peter Toomey. The Hampshire Franklin Daily Voice reports that he has pleaded not guilty to charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death; negligent motor vehicle homicide; and failure to stay in marked lanes. The district attorney said the defendant told police his truck had struck a deer the previous evening; once placed under arrest, he said he did not stop since the woman he with was with someone whom he assumed would summon help.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction with shoulders on each side. The speed limit is 50 mph and there are no sidewalks.

Date 6/17/2021, 3:31 PM
Location 46 Daggett Dr.
Town West Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 34
Sex F

An unidentified 34 year old woman was hit and killed in West Springfield on Daggett Drive. The West Springfield Police Department were asking witnesses to come forward to help their investigation.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 30 mph, and there is a sidewalk on one side of the street. Streetview on Google Maps shows two lanes in each direction, and that the sidewalks, curb ramps, and street were repaved in October 2019. There is one crosswalk to cross over Daggett Drive at the major intersection of Rt 5 / Riverdale Street. There are no crosswalks to cross over Daggett Drive throughout the rest of the shopping plaza.

Date 6/20/2021, 8:00 PM
Location Columbia Rd. + Kosciuszko Cir.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 84
Sex M

An unidentified 84 year old man was hit and killed at Columbia Rd + Kosciuszko Circle in Boston. We have not been able to find any news articles related to this crash.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this section of the street and circle adjacent to Moakley Park is under MassDCR jurisdiction. According to a Road Safety Audit conducted in March 2019, this area includes Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) high crash clusters for people walking, driving, and biking. A HSIP-eligible location is a crash cluster that ranks within the top 5% of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) based on crash incidence and severity. In March 2021, City and state agencies announced a Kosciuszko Circle /Morrissey Boulevard planning study to improve mobility and climate resiliency.

Date 6/23/2021, 6:59 PM
Location Normandy Rd. WEST + Rose Kennedy Ln.
Town Framingham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 91
Sex M

91 year old Huiman Ping was struck and killed by an unidentified 62 year old driver of a Honda Civic on Normandy Road in Framingham. The MetroWest Daily News reported that the Framingham Police said the driver from Holliston remained at the scene after the crash. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. Framingham has a default speed limit of 25 mph.

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).