By Sharron Luttrell

A group of residents will ask Annual Town Meeting in May to compel the town to open Cemetery Street to two-way traffic during the duration of the Providence Street culvert replacement project.

Fifteen residents of Providence Street, Ashkins Drive and Lundvall Road submitted a citizens’ petition to place a warrant article before the May 12 town meeting that, if approved, would withhold municipal funds from the project if Cemetery Street remains one-way. They were among residents who asked the Select Board last night to consider ways to keep traffic flowing during the project.

“If you had a temporary light there or a three-way stop and a billboard put up months in advance that this traffic pattern is going to change, this just could be avoided and made less lethal,” said Lundvall Road resident John Audet who submitted the petition.

The project is set to begin when school lets out for the summer and is expected to take four months. It calls for replacing an undersized culvert between 106 and 110 Providence Street to prevent flooding.

The project engineering firm, Tighe & Bond, looked into easing traffic concerns by allowing two-way traffic on Cemetery Street and leaving one lane open on Providence Street during construction. It ultimately recommended against both. Cemetery Street’s impaired sightlines, narrow width and overgrowth makes it dangerous for two-way traffic, according to Tighe & Bond. Leaving one lane open on Providence Street would force a phased construction approach, which would extend the project by up to three months and make it more costly, the firm said.

The police and highway departments agreed with Tighe & Bond’s recommendations. The fire department expressed concerns with one-way traffic on Cemetery Street and said a fire truck wouldn’t fit through a one-lane opening on Providence Street.

Select board member Michael Merolli drew upon his experience as a former police officer and current traffic accident reconstructionist when he said he couldn’t in good conscience support opening Cemetery Street to two-way traffic. He advocated for improving the road to accommodate two-way traffic in the future.

“But right now, for the extra half a million to million dollars to do one lane at a time and the risk to human life, I have a perspective that it would be a mistake to do anything except for what the experts suggest,” he said.

Lundvall Road resident John Trainor asked the board to consider the potential risks to residents experiencing a medical emergency.

“The experts, they gave their opinions, but those were made based on a cold calculation of just facts. But we don’t have the facts because we don’t know when somebody’s going to have a heart attack and need that speed to the hospital. That’s dangerous and I’d hate for any of you to vote for that to happen,” he said.

The board agreed to put the issue on a future meeting agenda when representatives from the town police, fire and highway departments, along with the engineers will be available to answer questions. The board will also provide safety studies and other relevant information.