A dangerous intersection may be getting an overhaul in the interest of safety.
The crossing that joins Wilton Road (Route 101), Old Street Road and Elm Hill Road (Route 123) east of the town center has been targeted for improvements by the state Department of Transportation.
“We’re looking to find places that are supported by crash data from the Department of Safety,” said Michael Dugas, chief of preliminary design at the DOT’s Bureau of Highway Design. “We want to deliver much more quickly than 10-year-plan goals usually take.”
Forty-four accidents occurred at the intersection between 2005 and 2014, with 28 caused by incoming drivers failing to yield.
The plan would see the curve in Route 101 east of the intersection moved six feet south and vegetation cleared to increase visibility.
Dugas, members of the Peterborough Select Board, and Planning Board Chair Ivy Vann exchanged suggestions.
“What we have isn’t a speed problem, it’s a design problem,” Vann said. “The problem we have with that intersection is that all the way from Wilton that road says 55.”
Dugas agreed: “The number on the sign doesn’t make as much of a difference as the message the road is trying to send.”
The DOT will also consider narrowing the lanes and installing rumble strips to encourage drivers to slow down.
The meeting continued and began the process of establishing a town tax rate. The board had to consider how much to keep in the existing fund balance. If the recommended plan is followed, Peterborough would have a 2.77 percent tax rate, slightly lower than the 2.8 percent goal. The tax plan will be revisited through the season. The town-owned property on Condy Road will be sold by Petersons Real Estate on behalf of the town.