Boxborough Planning Board reviews Route 111 traffic study, eyes Adams Place fix

BOXBOROUGH -- September 3, 2025, Boxborough Planning Board advances Route 111 traffic study with roundabout options topping the list. The board met September 3 via Zoom to receive updated findings from Green International transportation planners Corinne and Julianne, who presented six draft mitigation recommendations for 11 study intersections along the Route 111 corridor, driven by four proposed developments projected to generate 15,800 new daily vehicle trips. The Adams Place East and Paddock Lane intersection, the only location in the study with a crash rate above the MassDOT District 3 average, was ranked second priority behind low-cost signal retiming at Swanson Road and Codman Hill Road; consultants warned that MassDOT's strict eight-hour signal warrant requirement makes a signalized intersection difficult to obtain, saying the agency has been "leaning pretty heavily into roundabout alternatives" through its new Intersection Control Evaluation process. Planning Director Alec recommended that future developers at the Adams Place corridor be required to supply additional peak-period volume data toward meeting the signal warrant threshold. The board continued a public hearing for 365 Codman Hill Road to October 6 by a 5-0 vote and approved August 18 meeting minutes unanimously; sight distance failures attributable to roadside vegetation were documented at most of the 11 study intersections, with stops on Adams Place East recording deficiencies in three of four directions for both intersection and stopping sight distance measures.