New accident prevention technology is coming to the intersection of Route 101 and 123 in Peterborough.
The intersection is one of three in the state slated to receive an Intersection Conflict Warning System, which features a flashing sign that warns drivers when a vehicle is waiting to enter the busier road. In Peterborough’s case, the flashing sign would be set up on Route 101 and activate when a car is waiting on Route 123 or Old Street Road.
ICWS devices are typically used at rural intersections that don’t warrant a traffic signal, but have poor sight distances or a history of crashes. The Peterborough intersection averaged four crashes per year from 2005 to 2014, NH DOT Senior Traffic Operations Engineer Mike O’Donnell said. All told, there were 44 crashes involving 90 vehicles over that time span, he said. Fourteen of those involved injuries, and three of those were severe, he said. “One element of our pilot study will be to analyze the influence of the ICWS system on reducing “near misses” using video analytics,” he said.
In addition to Peterborough, the NH DOT plans to install similar systems in Chesterfield at Route 9 and Route 63, and Pelham on Route 38 at Old Gage Hill Road as part of a three-year pilot study. There are currently no ICWS devices in the state, NH DOT traffic engineer William Lambert said, and relatively few in surrounding states.
Peterborough residents heard about this plan in February 2020, when NH DOT staff met with residents about traffic issues on Routes 101 and 202. At the time, residents were asking for lower speed limits and traffic calming near the intersection, but DOT staff said they believed the ICWS would be most effective at reducing accidents.
The installation of Peterborough’s system will likely complete later this month. Motorists are asked to complete a survey in advance of the warning system’s installation.