COLRAIN — The Selectboard wants a warning sign installed as soon as possible on the steep section of Greenfield Road, urging heavily loaded trucks to “use a lower gear” before taking the long sloping road into the town center.
Two weeks after the driver of a full dump truck fatally crashed into a building at the bottom of the road, the board unanimously agreed to spend $1,400 on a sign with solar-powered flashing LED lights telling drivers to reduce speed or change gears before their vehicles accelerate down the slope often referred to as “Colrain mountain.”
On Tuesday, Town Coordinator Kevin Fox said a Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) engineer supported the town’s decision for the sign, which was ordered by Highway Superintendent Scott Sullivan earlier that morning. Fox said he wasn’t sure how long it would take to get the sign, but he hoped it would be up and running, near the crest of the hill, in a week or two.
Fox told the Selectboard Monday that local legislators and MassDOT officials were very concerned about road safety on Greenfield Road. “This accident has taken (safety concerns) to a whole new level,” he said.
Earlier Monday, a DOT representative rode the road with Sullivan and surveyed it. Fox said a Road Survey Audit of the road could result in money from the Highway Safety Improvement Program for long-term, safety-related changes.
“I would like a sign at the top of the hill, where farmers say: ‘If I get to that point with a full load, I stop and lower the gear,’” said Selectwoman Eileen Sauvageau. She added that existing warning signs, some of which are faded, are placed too low on the hill — and too late for downhill drivers to change gear or easily brake.
With the Colrain Central School buses crossing the intersection where the Aug. 15 crash occurred, the Selectboard asked School Committee members present to ask Superintendent Michael Buoniconti to write a letter of support for safety measures to be addressed by MassDOT.
Selectman Jack Cavolick said spending $1,400 for a highly visible warning sign was “a wise investment, to save lives until we can do something more permanent.”
Fox said the town will also be replacing some of the older, smaller warning signs on the downhill side of the road that don’t meet the latest reflectivity standards for road signs. “We’re being very proactive,” he said.
On Aug. 21, about 18 residents and Gloria Leustek, the widow of crash victim Robert Leustek, came to a special meeting, urging town officials to take immediate action to make the road safer.