Why are Concord Route 2 rotary improvements taking so long?
CONCORD - For more than a decade, commuters taking Route 2 have been told improvements would be made to the rotary in Concord and changes could be coming soon.
Construction of Route 2 first began back in the 1910s. Fast forward to 2023 and traffic is what's backed up for miles during the morning commute heading toward the rotary.
"The only way to get to metro Boston is on Route 2, there is no other way," Bob Stemple told WBZ-TV. He and his wife have lived in the area for 30 years. His daily commute to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston can be 40 minutes one day and nearly two hours on another.
"To take that long to get into Boston seems ludicrous," said his wife Marlene. "They've been talking about it for probably decades now and no progress, so just frustrated."
The rotary is one of the oldest in the country and it's been updated over the years with new pavement, lane changes, and even the construction of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, but residents say the real problem with traffic backups hasn't been addressed.
In 2012, an interchange was proposed but that never happened.
"I'm open minded to a number of different options for changes, but I'm not open-minded to the status quo. Something has to change with that rotary," State Representative Simon Cataldo told WBZ.
The State Representative for the 14th Middlesex District said many drivers in the area have seen or experienced an accident at the rotary. He says besides creating headaches for drivers, the traffic is also contributing to climate change.
"It's dangerous, it's causing an unacceptable amount of traffic congestion, it's worsening our air quality and it's stifling local businesses in our community," Cataldo said.
He told WBZ the rotary is on MassDOT's radar.
"They're taking a fresh look at the rotary and we're going to be meeting in November to start to better understand what some of the options are," Cataldo said.
The Stemples hope talk turns into action soon.
"There's more people moving out here which is fine, but the roads just aren't able to handle the influx," Bob Stemple told WBZ.
With many state construction projects, securing can be part of the problem
The Biden-Harris Administration announced $61 billion for critical transportation improvements across the U.S. in 2024. With some of that money coming to Massachusetts, there is the potential some it could go towards fixing Route 2.
