This article was originally produced by The Eagle Tribune. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Executive Councilor Janet Stevens has joined the fight, alongside the Town of Salem, urging the state to take immediate action to make a dangerous intersection in town safer.
In response to a series of accidents last week, one involving a motorcyclist who was seriously injured, Stevens joined forces with local politician Joe Sweeney to put pressure on the state to resolve the issue.
Stevens and Sweeney met with state Department of Transportation Commissioner William Cass and Salem officials Tuesday to discuss a recent engineering study and short-term and immediate improvements to the intersection, identified in a 2017 Road Safety Audit.
“Five of the 11 most dangerous roadways in New Hampshire are located within my district, and I take the safety of all those traveling through these corridors extremely seriously,” Stevens said in a statement.
Sweeney said the meeting was “productive and focused” and it was made “crystal clear” by himself and Stevens that the status quo is unacceptable.
“The Department of Transportation engineers acknowledged the urgency and committed to working with the Town on short-term interventions that can be implemented quickly,” Sweeney said. “This includes evaluating temporary lane closures, enhanced signage, speed controls, and other proven tools to reduce risk right away while we pursue permanent redesign.”
The Route 111 and Ermer Road intersection in Salem is a Local Public Agency project, which is designed as an agreement between the state and local towns delineating the responsibility and cost of services to the state while granting total autonomy of the project to the town.
The intersection, which has long been a point of concern, was the subject of a comprehensive engineering study presented in January by the engineering firm VHB. The study evaluated nine safety alternatives and ultimately recommended a roundabout for the intersection.
Sweeney said the construction timeline, which puts completion between 2026 and 2027, is unacceptable and reflects the NHDOT’s failure to treat the intersection as an urgent public safety threat.
Stevens and Sweeney are now calling for the urgent consideration or short-term measures from the study, possibly including disallowing a left-turn and through movements on Ermer Road and reducing the lanes on Ermer Road from two to one.
“While these options were not top-ranked in the long-term solution set, I believe both warrant serious reconsideration as short-term measures and look forward to discussing alternatives with the NHDOT and Salem officials,” Stevens said.
“With increased speeding, distracted driving, and impaired motorists on our roads, we cannot afford to wait for the full construction of a proposed roundabout before taking action.”
Stevens emphasized that the town has previously requested low-cost, interim safety measurements in October 2023, noting that such measures could yield meaningful benefits while longer-term safety solutions are developed.
In her outreach to state and local officials, Stevens also raised the need to reassess the intersection using updated traffic data, which saw an increase of nearly 2,000 drivers between 2022 and 2024, and reevaluate the results of the intersection engineering study, which utilized criteria from 2009.
“As we continue working toward a permanent fix, we must also identify and implement immediate, evidence-based actions to prevent further tragedy at this intersection,” Stevens said.
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