Wrong-way crash detection system a 'meaningful' first step, victim's father says
BOSTON - Kip Diggs says his son, Kraig, was a brilliant jokester, ready to take life head on. "He was the life of the party at time. He could just smile and bring joy to people," Diggs said.
In 2016, Diggs came face to face with the unimaginable when his son Kraig, his cousins, Jordan Galvin-Jutras and Jordan Fisher, and another young man were involved in a wrong-way crash. A 31-year-old woman crashed into them while driving in the wrong direction on 495 in Middleboro. All five of them were killed.
Six years later and Massachusetts has started a pilot program, installing wrong-way driving detection systems at 16 different ramp locations this week identified as prone to wrong-way car entries.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will have several temporary road closures in place this week as they begin testing the wrong-way driver detection systems. The systems are equipped with thermal camera imaging to detect wrong-way travel.
MassDOT said drivers can expect "short duration, intermittent lane and ramp closures" on five roads every night through Friday morning.
The restrictions will be in place in the following locations:
Bernardston: I-91 northbound and southbound, exit 50 at Route 10
Burlington: I-95 northbound and southbound, exit 50B at Middlesex Turnpike
Danvers: Route 128 northbound and southbound, exit 43 at Route 62
Plymouth: Route 3 northbound and southbound, exit 13 at Long Pond Road
Webster: I-395 northbound and southbound, exit 1 at Route 193
Closures began Sunday and will be in place from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. each night this week.
MassDOT said the work is part of a $2.6 million pilot program. The project is expected to be finished in the spring.
According to AAA Northeast, there have been more than 9,000 wrong way crashes in Massachusetts since January 1, 2010. More than 3,700 resulted in injury and 157 were fatal.
Rhode Island installed wrong way detection systems in 2015 based on a Texas program that saw a 30 percent reduction in wrong way crashes in one year.
Diggs, who is now a state representative in Barnstable, says the systems are a move in the right direction which should be installed in honor of the victims of wrong-way crashes.
"I think something like this is very meaningful and very positive and that's what they would want," Diggs said.
