TRAFFIC SAFETY: Troubled intersection in Mass. gets attention from officials, Guinness

It’s not often you find someone who wants to see something removed from the Guinness Book of World Records. Officials in East Longmeadow, Mass., however, would like to see a seven-way intersection scratched from print. Currently, the rotary is the most dangerous in the nation.

“Just arriving here you could see the signs warning of a dangerous intersection, and there should not be any of those signs in the state,” said Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey, who took a tour of the area on Nov. 4.

State Sen. Gale Candaras and state Rep. Angelo Puppolo escorted Davey around the region to show the trouble spots. The East Longmeadow rotary sees about 49,000 cars and an accident a day.

“We wanted to show [Davey] the rotary in East Longmeadow because it really needs remediation,” said Candaras. “The last time the issue was looked at was 14 years ago, and we wanted him to bring his fresh eyes and his expertise.”

Lawmakers in Massachusetts are hoping to pass a transportation bond bill by Thanksgiving, and Davey hopes some of the money would be used on a new study on the East Longmeadow rotary. The transportation secretary also wants to find a solution to the intersection mess.