Worcester Stafford Street Update To Debut 2 Years After 5-Year-Old's Death

WORCESTER, MA — A redesign of Stafford Street will make its public debut next week, nearly two years to the day 5-year-old Candice Asare-Yeboah and her mother were hit by a driver in a crosswalk along the wide road. The 5-year-old would die several weeks later due to her injuries.

Worcester's Department of Transportation and Mobility has drawn up proposed plans showing new lane markings along Stafford Street. Today, Stafford Street features extra wide travel lanes for drivers that contribute to speeding. Some of the most notable improvements included in the plans are new crosswalks with curbs that extend farther into the roadway, making crossings shorter for pedestrians. The road would also get bus and bike lanes.

"While the street technically has two travel lanes, the lack of pavement markings and inconsistent parking usage leaves very wide travel lanes. The roadway's present configuration contributes to excessive speeding, with 15 percent of traffic traveling at speeds of 35 mph or greater in the more developed sections east of James Street and 15 percent of traffic traveling at highway speeds of 39 mph or greater west of James Street," the city said in a description of the problem.

Christopher Remillard, an Auburn resident, was indicted last May on multiple charges related to Asare-Yeboah's death, and debilitating injuries her mother, Asha Nyarki Asare, suffered. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide by negligence, and negligent driving of a motor vehicle.

Asare-Yeboah was the lone fatality along the road in recent years, according to the city — but Stafford Street has seen 246 crashes over the past five years, about 60 percent higher than the state average for that roadway type. Sixty-nine crashes were not fatal, and four involved either bicyclists or pedestrians.

The proposed changes to Stafford Street extend from the intersection of Main Street and Park Avenue and continue until the Leicester town line, a distance of about 1-1/2 miles.

Department of Transportation and Mobility staff and District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj will host a public information session on the plans on April 22 at 6 p.m. at Our Lady of the Angels church, 1222 Main St.

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