Politics & Government
Even Flow: Salem Solves Big Route 28 Problem
The town of Salem's electricity bill will soon go up about $540 a year, although they say what they'll get is well worth it.
The town of Salem's electricity bill will soon go up about $540 a year, although officials say that cost is more than worth it to eliminate one of the biggest headaches in town.
The Salem Board of Selectmen officially ratified an agreement Monday with the state to take control of three problematic traffic lights in one of the busiest sections of town in order to synchronize the intersections and reduce traffic backups.
The lights at the intersection of Rockingham Park Boulevard and Route 28 as well as lights at the entrances to Rockingham Park and the Mall at Rockingham Park have already been reprogrammed to give the area a smoother flow and ensure drivers aren't stranded at a red light while there is no one passing through the other side of each intersection.
"We believe the traffic light at the racetrack now has been improved significantly," said Town Manager Keith Hickey, stating the issue is one that has been "discussed for a number of years."
Everett McBride Jr., chairman of the board of selectmen, also strongly praised the resynchronization of the signals.
"I got more calls last week about that light than anything else in the past 20 years [I've been here]," he said. "That's going to make a lot of people happy."
The traffic light agreement is for five years, and there is an option to add another five years should the town wish to continue to control the signals, according to Hickey. Hickey said he doubts the state "would want to take control of these traffic lights again."
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