New Traffic Island Emerges at Farm Lane Intersection

Work has begun on a 30-day trial version of a new traffic island at the intersection of Farm Lane, Conifer Lane and Pleasant Valley Road in Westwood. 

Traffic barrels, barriers and signs form the basis of the island, the building of which was . 

The project itself was proposed by the Westwood Department of Public Works to help offset heavy flow of traffic that spills over from High Street during peak commuting hours. 

"The cones that are set up are there to mark up the center line in the road," Westwood DPW Deputy Director Chris Gallagher said. "But in order to give people a real idea of what's there without doing permanent marks we set the cones up on a temporary basis."

The island, he added, will include two "keep right" signs on either end, as well as a stop sign on the island itself.

The DPW enlisted Beta Group, Inc. to design the plan for the island, which is meant to help force drivers to slow down when turning at the intersection, as they would have to drive around the island. The DPW has used Beta to design traffic-calming measures for the area of Dover and Conant Roads. 

At the suggestion of the DPW, the Board of Selectmen gave the green light for a 30-day trial of the island in order to measure its effectiveness. Members of the board, additionally, encouraged the DPW to begin work in a prompt fashion to in order to conduct a proper analysis of the island's effects on traffic before the end of the school year on June 18. 

"The timing on this is really very important," Selectmen Third Member Nancy Hyde said last week. "Getting feed back to the DPW is very important. Now's the time to adjust it and tweak it."