Officials seek solutions after crash at Bolivar bridge

Canton Police at the scene of the latest collision at the Bolivar St. Bridge on Monday, January 22 (CPD photo)

In the wake of another collision involving a semi-trailer truck, the town’s Traffic Committee will be recommending to the Select Board that the Bolivar Street Bridge be painted and more visible signs be posted well ahead of the bridge.

Traffic Committee members took up the matter at their most recent meeting on Monday, January 22. Committee Chair Tom Theodore, who also chairs the Select Board, said he planned to reach out this week to representatives from Keolis, which operates the MBTA commuter rail, and the civil engineering firm of VHB, which recently assisted Westwood officials with a similar situation.

The latest incident at the Bolivar Street Bridge occurred on Monday morning and was the second collision this month, following a similar crash at the site on January 10.

Officer Sean Goode, who also heads the Traffic Division for the Canton Police Department, was on scene Monday morning and said the detour was significant, lasting over four hours and requiring traffic to be redirected in both directions at Lawrence Street and Waterfall Drive. The accident also impacted commuter rail traffic as trains were not allowed to use the bridge until the truck was moved and inspectors deemed the bridge safe.

Goode said no structural problems were found and there were no injuries, but the driver was cited for disobeying a height sign. He said a sign at the bridge indicates a clearance of 12 feet while the truck that hit the bridge Monday had a height of well over 13 feet.

In other Traffic Committee news, members said they will look into complaints voiced by residents of Kirby Drive, who have reported difficulty making turns onto Dedham Street due to sight line issues with the stop sign being set back. A residential side street, Kirby Drive is located not far from the redesigned Shawmut Road intersection.

“It’s scary pulling out on Dedham Street,” noted resident Patti Christiano, a resident of Kirby Drive.

Christiano suggested more signs be installed to alert motorists on Dedham Street about traffic coming from Kirby Drive.

In another matter, a resident of Tucker Drive, a short road located off Indian Lane, said the recently graded road is now frequently used by delivery trucks and speeding has become an issue.

Bill Walsh, operations manager for the DPW, said the short roadway was upgraded for police and fire vehicle access. Tucker Drive resident Henry Cipriano suggested installing a gate or making it a one-way road. Theodore said he will talk with Town Administrator Charles Doody about the problem.

Another resident, Mike Bosco of Randolph Street, raised concerns with speeding near the intersection of Old Randolph and Randolph streets and noted that there have been two accidents in the area in the past month.

Theodore said he would research the issue with town officials.

Theodore said he would also like the committee and DPW to look into adding an island at the intersection of Neponset and Washington streets to improve safety for oncoming vehicles.

The Traffic Committee will next meet to revisit these and other issues on March 18 at Canton Town Hall.

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