WEST HARTFORD -- In the last 5 years, 30 car crashes have happened at the intersection of Four Mile Road and Boulevard in West Hartford.
Peter Carpenter lives just a few doors down and says this unfortunately is a familiar sight.
“In 2019 there has been 11 to date. Including one with a school bus a month ago...so yeah it’s a dangerous intersection,” says Carpenter.
Police and town engineers have been looking into the history of this intersection. They tell FOX 61 they don’t believe speed is the sole cause of these crashes. They tell us at times cars don’t make a complete stops at the intersection.
“The intersection I think is confusing for drivers who are not in the area so they don’t know it’s not a 4 way stop. Sometime they don’t come to a full stop,” says Carpenter.
One of the first things the town tried was placing were blinking stop signs, but say that didn’t make much of a difference. This week the town be now placing temporary semi-diverters.
“Essentially what it’s enabling us to do is direct traffic from 4 mile to only turn left or right onto boulevard and avoid that crossing maneuver. When we evaluated the crashes, we found out that was really the route cause. Vehicles trying to cross over boulevard and misjudging the time it will take,” says Gregory Sommer, the West Hartford Assistant Town Engineer.
The semi-diverters will be placed this week and will be tested out for few months. Engineers will also gather data and see how this will impact traffic patterns at nearby intersections. If the diverters reduce car crashes they will be permanent next spring.