Safety improvements eyed for intersection where teen was fatally struck
Safety improvement plans for the Merchants Way and Williams Place intersection were presented to Middleboro Select Board members. Photo source: Town of Middleboro 
A memorial near where Dylan Levesque was killed. His death has prompted calls for safety upgrades at the site. File photo
Safety improvement plans for the Merchants Way and Williams Place intersection were presented to Middleboro Select Board members. Photo source: Town of Middleboro
A memorial near where Dylan Levesque was killed. His death has prompted calls for safety upgrades at the site. File photo
MIDDLEBORO — Short and long-term plans are underway to make safety improvements at the intersection where a Middleboro teen was killed in a pedestrian accident May 14, 2023.
Dylan Levesque, 15, was struck by a vehicle while walking across East Grove St., which is Route 28, in front of the plaza where Hannaford’ supermarket is located.
His death two days after the accident renewed calls to examine the safety of the intersection of Merchants Way, which leads to the plaza, and Williams Place.
Potential solutions, both immediate and into the future, were reviewed at a recent meeting of Town Manager Jay McGrail, Select Board Chair Mark Germain, State. Sen. Kelly Dooner and State Rep. Norman Orrall and Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials, McGrail told the select board at their Jan. 27 meeting.
In the next few months, the intersection will be made smaller with the placement of new 6-inch markers spaced five inches apart on two corners of the intersection, McGrail reported. This is one effort to slow traffic.
A four-sided thermoplastic ladder style crosswalk, which aims to be more visible to drivers and better alert them to pedestrians, will also be installed.
Looking further ahead, the town may apply to make the area a “school zone.’’ Goode and Burkland schools are located off Williams Place.
This new school zone may be linked with the school zone in front of nearby Middleboro High School, which would lower the speed limit in the entire area.
Speed monitoring signs could then be installed in conjunction with the speed zone designation.
Electronic speed signs are “the number one thing that works,’’ McGrail said.
A full design of work is expected to be completed and presented to the town by the summer, McGrail said.
The actual funding for the project will be included in the 2029 state budget.
As select board members expressed disappointment in the funding delay, Select Board Member Theresa Farley said there are steps drivers can and should take now to decrease the chances of accidents.
“We have a responsibility as a community to slow down,’’ she said, and drivers need to be aware of their surroundings.
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