By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Shrewsbury – Students and administrators from the Al-Hamra Academy made impassioned pleas for safer measures along Route 20 in Shrewsbury at a public meeting held March 4 to discuss the busy roadway’s master plan.
Shrewsbury Assistant Manager Kristen Las and DPW Director Jeffrey Howland were joined by representatives from the Mass. Department of Public Transportation (MassDOT), Barry Lorion and Erin Kinahan, and consultants Paul Nelson and Bob Stathopoulos from Howard Stein Hudson to discuss the proposal thus far.
The meeting room at the Shrewsbury Public Library was overflowing with concerned residents who live in the vicinity of the Route 20 Corridor as well as faculty, students and families of Al-Hamra Academy which sits just off of Route 20 and South Street. Students wore red, yellow and green shirts to represent the need for a stop light near their school at the intersection of South Street and Route 20.
“This is a master corridor plan…a vision of what we think Route 20 will look like in five, 10, 20 or 25 years from now,” Lorion stated. “It is a document that MassDOT will refer to when we are constructing improvements.”
Provisions of the Master Plan include two travel lanes in each direction on Route 20, safety improvements at high crash locations (Route 20 at Lake Street, Grafton Street, South/Green streets and Walnut Street), additional turning lanes as needed at existing signalized intersections, additional traffic signals, and accommodating pedestrians and bicycles.
Nelson noted that safety and congestion were the driving factors in the development of the plan.
“It’s not the final design but it lays out in broad strokes the improvements that need to be seen. Each project will go through its own design process,” Nelson remarked. “There is no funding attached to this so it doesn’t guarantee that all aspects of the plan, as laid out, will be built.”
Safety and speed concerns at the Green/South Street intersection garnered the most discussion, particularly from the families from Al-Hamra Academy.
There was a serious accident that took place last May that involved an alumnus of Al-Hamra who made a left turn from South Street onto Route 20. There were four other students in the car.
School Principal Noor Ali and faculty member Cathy Zouval shared their concerns, each giving impassioned statements.
Students Saba Khan, Omar Nabih, Younes Fedal, Maryam Alam, Suleimaan Han and alumnus Muhammad Salah also spoke.
Zouval was emphatic about her concerns over the left-hand turn out of South Street onto Route 20 but she was also passionate about providing for pedestrians and bicycles as well.
“All we are really asking is for you to do something for [when] we make that dangerous turn in the morning when we are arriving and at dismissal when we are getting out of there. It’s that simple, it’s a flashing sign,” Ali said. “For me this is of great urgency.”
MassDOT and the town will be working over the next few months to obtain public input. For more information, visit www.mass.gov/shrewsbury-route-20-corridor-master-plan-study
