Roundabouts In, Left-Turn Lane Out In Danvers, Peabody Route 114 Reconstruction Proposal

DANVERS, MA — A reconstructed stretch of one of the most accident-prone and dangerous roadways on the North Shore could include a 6-foot median, and roundabouts replacing left-turn lanes, as part of a Long-Term Safety Improvement proposal for Route 114 in Danvers and Peabody.

The state Department of Transportation began a public comment period on the $22.38 million proposal that includes recommendations for the replacement of the center left-turn lane with a 6-foot-wide mulch median with roundabouts at key intersections at Avalon Bay Drive, Garden Street and Palmer Street.

There would also be enhanced pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure with a 10-foot-wide shared-use path and 6-foot-wide sidewalks.

• Danvers, Peabody 'Suicide' Route 114 Stretch Fix Includes New Traffic Pattern, Flex Posts

To accommodate traffic that can no longer make direct left turns due to the proposed median
and intersections, alternative routes will be required.

Vehicles would instead use the roundabouts, signalized intersections, or designated U-turn locations to make left turns and change directions.

The recommended alternative is about $2 million more (7.3 percent) than a second alternative that would include a 2-foot concrete barrier between the travel lanes.

The proposals can be found here. Public comment runs through Dec. 3.

The recommendations are part of the "tier 2" improvement after MassDOT put in place several traffic-calming measures in recent years following public outcry and a spate of deadly crashes on what has been called the "suicide stretch" of roadway.

The changes were derived from the Road Safety Audit that the MassDOT conducted in response to the December 2021 public meeting, in which speakers charged that there had been 16 fatal accidents, 1,627 non-fatal accidents, and 3,260 property damage accidents totaling more than 5,400 total accidents on the Peabody stretch of the roadway alone over the previous 19 years.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)