HINGHAM - November 18 - The Hingham Select Board unanimously endorsed a proposal to construct a single-lane roundabout at the dangerous intersection of Main Street, Middle Street, and Short Street, where 20 accidents have occurred in four years, including one fatality. Town Engineer JR Frey will now pursue up to $1.5 million in state grant funding with construction potentially beginning summer 2026.
The Full Story
Town Engineer JR Frey presented the Select Board with an updated traffic control plan that has been months in the making, following unanimous support from the town’s Traffic Committee. The intersection, which serves as a direct route to Hingham High School and handles significant daily traffic on Route 228, has been the site of numerous serious accidents, including one fatality and multiple injuries involving students and other drivers.
“This intersection is challenging and they wanted something to be done,” Frey told the board, summarizing public sentiment from Traffic Committee meetings. The roundabout design would dramatically reduce conflict points between vehicles and pedestrians from 32 to just eight, according to traffic modeling studies.
The project’s path to approval has been complex. Frey originally brought the proposal to the Select Board during the summer of 2025, but funding challenges through the Complete Streets grant program forced a reconsideration. Since then, MassDOT has restructured its grant programs, creating new opportunities for municipal projects.
“What has since transpired is MassDOT changed the grant process for Complete Streets as well as actually for all of the grants they administer,” Frey explained. The new system allows municipalities to combine funding from multiple grant sources, including Complete Streets, Shared Streets, Safe Routes to School, and potentially Municipal Road grants.
The Complete Streets grant alone now provides up to $1 million in construction funding, a significant increase from previous limits. Frey expressed optimism that by highlighting the intersection’s proximity to the high school and the comprehensive safety improvements planned for the Route 228 corridor, the town could secure full construction funding from the state.
Under the proposed timeline, the grant application would be submitted before the January 6 deadline, with award decisions expected in late January or early February. If awarded, contract execution with the state could occur by late April, allowing construction to begin in late May or early June. Frey said the goal would be to complete the bulk of work in July and August, ideally before school resumes, though he cautioned that construction timelines depend on multiple factors including contractor performance and traffic management requirements.
The roundabout design received extensive peer review. The Boston Region Metropolitan Area Planning Organization conducted an independent evaluation under their Technical Assistance to Municipalities Program and concurred that the roundabout represented the best solution for both safety and traffic flow management. Traffic modeling demonstrated that the roundabout would provide higher safety levels and greater efficiency than signalization, with reduced delays for drivers crossing the intersection or entering Route 228 from Middle Street.
Public safety was the driving concern throughout the presentation. Board Chair William Ramsey noted that the intersection’s dangers were well-documented. “When we talked about the summer, it was brought to our attention from the Police Department that there’d been at least one fatality at that intersection, maybe two, but definitely one. There’d been some serious accidents there where people have been significantly injured,” Ramsey said.
The proximity to Hingham High School adds urgency. Students living within two miles of the school must walk, meaning many teenagers navigate this intersection daily either on foot or as young drivers. “It’s a road that directly feeds to high school, so you have a lot of younger drivers,” Ramsey observed.
Residents who attended the meeting and spoke during public comment were uniformly supportive despite initial questions about the design. Kerrin Rowley of Middle Street shared that her son had been T-boned at the intersection in an accident so severe the car rolled on its side and occupants could only exit through the sunroof. “This is great. So we’re all on board with this,” she told the board.
Jody Nash of Middle Street, a frequent user of the intersection, questioned why the town had not pursued a simpler “right turn only” restriction from Middle Street. Frey explained that such restrictions create unintended consequences by diverting traffic through residential neighborhoods and forcing drivers to make potentially dangerous left turns at other locations. “It sends traffic up side streets and through other neighborhoods where it wouldn’t otherwise go if they had safe options to travel on the main roads,” he said.
The design accommodates emergency vehicles without compromise. Frey demonstrated to the board that Hingham’s largest fire apparatus, the Quint, could navigate the roundabout without difficulty. Select Board member Liz Klein confirmed that Deputy Fire Chief Levenson had endorsed the plan and voted in support at Traffic Committee meetings.
Commercial truck access was another key consideration. After initial concerns raised at earlier Traffic Committee meetings, engineers reduced the diameter of the interior circle and incorporated a mountable curb that allows large vehicles to safely navigate. Of eight possible turning movements, 18-wheelers can complete six through the roundabout. The two movements that remain constrained—southbound Route 228 to downtown Main Street, and northbound Route 228 to Middle Street—already present challenges for large trucks and have readily available alternate routes.
The project carefully avoids triggering Article 97 complications related to the Town Common. Town Counsel Susan Murphy confirmed that while some work occurs on Common property, it involves only sidewalk improvements and regrading consistent with existing uses, constituting maintenance rather than a change in use that would require legislative approval.
The design includes significant pedestrian safety features. Two crosswalks across Route 228 will be equipped with Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFBs), similar to those installed downtown and on East Street. One RRFB at the Short Street crossing near the pharmacy is already scheduled for installation within two months as part of MassDOT’s Vulnerable Road User Program and will be incorporated into the larger project.
While the design does not include dedicated bike lanes due to right-of-way constraints, Frey noted that wider sidewalks might be possible, taking younger cyclists off the busy roadway. “If your child is a freshman or sophomore in high school and they’re biking to school, they’re probably better off the road regardless,” he said.
The endorsement comes as the Select Board continues working to address traffic safety throughout Hingham. Select Board member Julie Strehle emphasized that the current situation is unacceptable. “20 accidents in four years, including a fatality, is just not acceptable and we need to do something,” she said. “This sounds like this is the solution that does not cut off business districts, that doesn’t create downstream traffic problems with right turn only, and that it allows people opportunity to move through.”
In other business, the board welcomed Katie Dugan as the new Assistant Town Administrator for Finance, replacing Michelle Monsegur. Town Administrator Tom Mayo praised Dugan’s broad experience in finance and municipal government work, noting she has already begun working with her predecessor.
The board also approved a five-year contract with Reworld SEMASS Limited Partnership for municipal solid waste disposal. DPW Superintendent Ashley Sanford and Chief of Procurement David Sequeira successfully negotiated the rate increases down from 4% annually to 2.7%, with rates starting at $108.15 per ton in 2026 and reaching $120.29 by 2030. The town disposes of approximately 5,160 tons of trash annually through two to three trailer loads per week from the transfer station.
The Conservation Commission received unanimous Select Board approval to acquire 145 Hersey Street, a 4.34-acre parcel of mostly deciduous wooded wetland swamp offered by owner Galen Hersey. Conservation Administrator Shannon Palmer told the board the property would be preserved primarily for wetlands protection and wildlife habitat, with minimal public usage expected due to the wet conditions.
Town Administrator Mayo updated the community on the conclusion of lengthy litigation over the Riverstone development off Ward Street. After the Supreme Judicial Court denied the town’s final appeal request on November 15, all legal challenges to the Housing Appeals Committee’s 2022 decision have been exhausted. The 32-unit condominium project, with eight affordable units, received its comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2018 after more than two years of hearings. “This ends the litigation,” Mayo said, adding that the town and ZBA would now take steps to comply with the court decisions.
Why It Matters
The proposed roundabout represents a major investment in public safety at one of Hingham’s most dangerous intersections. For residents living in the Middle Street neighborhood, students walking or driving to Hingham High School, and the thousands of motorists who travel Route 228 daily, the project promises significantly reduced accident risk and smoother traffic flow. If grant funding is secured, construction could improve safety by summer’s end 2026 without requiring local tax dollars. The project also demonstrates the town’s commitment to Vision Zero principles and protecting vulnerable road users, particularly young people traveling to and from school.
Meeting Minutes
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: To approve minutes dated November 4, 2025. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:03:16)
Motion: To accept withdrawal of Restaurant Common Victual All Alcoholic Beverages License application by Salty Days Hingham LLC. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:04:06)
Motion: To authorize the chair to sign agreement with Reworld SEMASS Limited Partnership for municipal solid waste disposal, effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2030. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:11:32)
Motion: To approve Conservation Commission’s acceptance of deed to 145 Hersey Street pursuant to MGL Chapter 40, Section 8C. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:14:54)
Motion: To appoint Jessica Foley to Commission on Disabilities for term ending June 30, 2026. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:54:03)
Motion: To appoint Melissa Fairfield to Shade Tree Committee for term ending June 30, 2027. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:54:16)
Motion: To appoint Margaret Curling Nash to Weir River Estuary Park Committee for term ending June 30, 2028. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:54:34)
Motion: To adjourn. Outcome: Approved. Vote: Unanimous. (Timestamp: 0:58:07)
Public Comment
Three residents spoke during the roundabout discussion. Jody Nash of Middle Street asked about the rationale for not pursuing a right-turn-only option from Middle Street. Karrin Rowley of Middle Street, whose son was seriously injured in an accident at the intersection, expressed strong support for safety improvements. Dave Leiphart of Middle Street asked about the road surface materials. No speakers appeared during the designated public comment period.
What’s Next
Town Engineer JR Frey will submit grant applications to MassDOT before the January 6, 2026 deadline, seeking funding from Complete Streets, Shared Streets, Safe Routes to School, and potentially Municipal Road grant programs. Award decisions are expected in late January or early February 2026. If fully funded, construction could begin in late May or early June 2026 with completion targeted before the start of the 2026-27 school year. The Sustainable Budget Task Force will meet Thursday and may present an update to the Select Board after the holidays. The Select Board will not meet November 25 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.