Acton, like many New England towns, enjoys some very picturesque and very dangerous roads. For the past several months, I have been studying the intersection at Hayward and Main in support of town meeting’s commitment to reevaluate this intersection and as a member of TANS (Traffic and Neighborhood Safety) as well as serving on the town committee for the intersection study. I now have some understanding of the factors that contribute both to the positive and negative character of this intersection. This article is my attempt to summarize some of my key understandings of this intersection as well as to discuss improvements that Acton might make at Hayward and Main as well as along the Main Street corridor.

The intersection at Hayward and Main has been studied in 1996-97 and in 2000-01 (as part of the corridor study). While these earlier works are useful in understanding traffic volumes and intersection capacity requirements neither study highlights what I believe is the major issue with the intersection – the angle is all wrong.

Hayward approaches Main Street at an angle of 40 degrees (Figure 1). Although the roadway makes some attempt to square off the approach to Main, most driver behavior is impacted by this acute angle. The consequences of the angled approach are:

• impossible for large trucks to make legal right hand turns out of Hayward
• difficult for large trucks to make left turns from Main Street into Hayward
• high speed southbound on Main continues into Hayward (not enough angle)
• variable line of vehicle approach to intersection (each driver decides to position their vehicles differently
• poor visibility onto Main Street from Hayward (all drivers)

Figure 1. Hayward angle of approach to Main Street

The October 2007 traffic counts confirm that traffic along Main Street has not varied substantially in almost twenty years suggesting that a plan which meets the requirements of current traffic will be adequate for some time (Figure 2). The data also suggests that as far as traffic is concerned, “We have met the enemy and he is us”. Although a full origin-destination study would be required to prove that traffic traveling through town on Main Street is not a significant contributor to the overall flow, the data at hand is convincing. In particular the traffic in Patriot’s Hill is almost exclusively the product of travel by Patriot’s Hill residents.

A full report is due in January, but the recent workshop conducted by Howard-Stein/Hudson to review five options for Hayward/Main, established consensus among attendees regarding changes which should and should not be made:

• The Hayward/Main angle should be adjusted toward 90 degrees
• The intersection should be modified to safely accommodate truck traffic
• The right turn lane on Hayward should be longer
• Sidewalks should be buffered from the street
• Main Street should not be widened (increased speeds, reduced safety)
• Traffic light or roundabout should not be installed (unacceptable queuing, costly)

Figure 1. Traffic Volume on Main Street 1989 to 2007

If the angle is the problem, why has it been so difficult to decide what to do? When the intersection was first studied, changing the intersection geometry at Hayward and Main required land acquisition as well as changing the appearance of Main Street. The first issue was addressed when the town purchased land from Charlotte Sagoff but the issue of modifying the appearance of Main Street remained. Any change will encounter resistance and when changing long standing features of the town, like Main Street, care should be exercised.

Change is inevitable. One of the iconic features of New Hampshire, the Old Man in the Mountain, testified to this inevitability in 2003. The trees that give contemporary Acton its lovely rural character were not here when Samuel Hayward and Joseph Reed farmed the land. The New England forest had been cleared to make way for farms and in the process stone walls were built. The standard we should use in judging our changes to the landscape should not be based on the disquiet caused by change or a slavish devotion to the past. Our standards should be based on the perspective of future residents. Changes which preserve the general aesthetic while improving the function of the community will certainly pass the judgment of future residents. As for Hayward and Main, I hope that the town will commit to improving the geometry, the sidewalks and the sightlines in the vicinity of the intersection. At the same time, I hope we will continue to plant trees and build stone walls – away from our roadways. Over the longer term, the town should make the commitment to improve the geometry at other intersections along Main Street with the highest priority given to the intersection at Concord/Newtown.

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