Somerville installs four-way stop at Packard, Powderhouse intersection

The Packard Ave. and Powderhouse Blvd. intersection, notorious for being the site of several pedestrian traffic accidents in recent years, became a four-way stop on Thursday morning.

In light of several traffic incidents over the years at the intersection, two new stop signs were installed on Packard Ave. and the blinking lights on Powderhouse Blvd. were changed from yellow to red, according to Kevin Maguire, director of public and environmental safety.

Last November, a Tufts student was struck by a car while crossing the intersection and was hospitalized for a period of time. Following the incident, Tufts began working cooperatively with the cities of Medford and Somerville to improve pedestrian, biker and driver safety in and around campus, particularly at the Powderhouse and Packard intersection.

“Tufts hired Vanasse, Hangen, Brustlin, (VHB), Inc., a professional transportation and traffic engineering firm, to conduct an engineering study of the Powderhouse Boulevard and Packard Avenue Intersection,” Maguire told the Daily in an email.

Improvements including additional police enforcement of traffic laws, radar speed indicator feedback signage, more standalone pedestrian crossing signs and LED signal upgrades were made to provide additional safety measures, according to an announcement from the Tufts Department of Public and Environmental Safety on Friday.

The City of Somerville, VHB and the university then approved the four-way stop signs at the Powderhouse and Packard intersection on March 27, officially changing the intersection on the morning of March 28, Maguire said in his email.

Somerville will also install “approaching four-way stop” static signage eastbound and westbound on Powderhouse Boulevard, according to an email from the Tufts Department of Public and Environmental Safety. The city plans to repaint crosswalks and add top lines to Powderhouse Boulevard sometime this month, as well as place Variable Message Signs near the intersection to notify motorists of the traffic pattern changes.

“The Somerville Police traffic unit has begun monitoring the intersection as well, issuing warnings for a period of time until motorists are sufficiently educated regarding the change,” the announcement stated.

The intersection was also the site of a hit-and-run accident in January of last year where a woman crossing the street was struck by a car and sustained a gash to her forehead. In July 2011, three victims received severe injuries in a two-vehicle crash that required the involvement of the Somerville Fire Department. Three pedestrian and cyclist incidents also occurred there in September 2011, involving Tufts students who required hospitalization.

“The intersection will be evaluated over time to determine the effectiveness of these improvements while additional improvements are considered,” Maguire added.