Cemetery Street: What the experts say

Tighe & Bond's position: The currently designed detour keeps Cemetery Street as a one-way route and utilizes Blackstone Street to reroute northbound traffic. It is the safest and most cost-effective option. It allows construction to proceed efficiently and helps minimize overall cost and duration of the project.

The detour routes traffic onto larger, established two-way roadways with defined centerlines and stop-controlled intersections. These roads have standard two-way cross sections, better sight distance, and fewer geometric constraints than Cemetery Street, making them more suitable for safely handling temporary increases in traffic volume.

No traffic study has been completed for two-way operation on Cemetery Street, nor has one been requested to date. Cemetery Street was envisioned to remain as a one-way dating back to the earliest conversations around the project design in 2024.

A traffic study could be conducted at the request of the Town to evaluate traffic operations, level of service, queueing, and safety impacts associated with a temporary two-way configuration. This effort would be an additional cost to the Town and outside the current scope of work for the project.

Driver behavior and turning movements cannot be determined without traffic analysis included in a traffic study to quantify expected turning volumes and assess intersection level of service under a temporary two-way condition.

The intersection of Cemetery Street and Hartford Avenue East has stone walls that limit sight distance, creating blind corners. Morning solar glare compounds this hazard during certain times of day.

Providence Street intersects Hartford Avenue with a left and right turning pocket in the existing condition. It is assumed vehicles would be taking left turns from Cemetery Street with the rerouted traffic if two-way were implemented — creating additional turning-movement conflicts.

Tighe & Bond: Roadway shoulder clearing would be required to improve sight lines along Cemetery Street. Tighe & Bond would recommend clearing at least 5 feet on both sides of the roadway. This work could be completed by the Town ahead of construction to improve visibility, but full pavement widening would ultimately require potentially additional right-of-way, environmental impacts, permitting, and would greatly increase cost and extend the project timeline. This is not practical for a temporary measure.

Tighe & Bond: This approach is not advisable — it presents more disadvantages than advantages. It would be confusing to motorists, seemingly inviting an accident, and not ideal for residents on the road. The Town would still have to assume the full cost for traffic control.

Tighe & Bond: Maintaining a single lane on Providence Street would require phased construction. This approach is not recommended, as it would likely double the construction duration and significantly increase project costs. It would also impact the design schedule through substantial redesign and rework to address constructability constraints. Secured and pending permits would need to be revisited.

Tighe & Bond: Acceleration measures such as extended work hours or incentive/disincentive provisions could be implemented. However, overall schedule reduction may be limited by critical-path activities including product fabrication, delivery, excavation, dewatering, and structural installation, as well as Time of Year restrictions. Accelerated schedules may increase bid prices depending on the length of schedule.

Greater procurement time for the contractor is advised to ensure all components of the project are in hand prior to the start of construction to allow for an efficient construction process without greater cost implications.

Massachusetts General Law Ch. 87 s7b allows emergency vehicles to travel in the wrong direction during emergency response. This is the legal framework statewide.

Fire Department (Chief Bangma): The Fire Department will not travel the wrong direction on a one-way unless it is during an emergency response, and will otherwise be taking the detour. "I don't see the detour being a liability; it is no different from when a crew is committed on another call. We would respond, call in off-duty personal, or request mutual aid."

Police Department (Chief Kurczy): For the previous temporary closure, police provided escort for ambulance response to the hospital in the wrong direction on Cemetery. The same protocol is proposed for this project. Police will shut down Cemetery Street to allow wrong-way travel when needed during emergencies. The PD escort is an additional safety layer but is not legally required under MGL 87 s7b.

MURSD (Jay Byer, Transportation): Unfortunately, the only current contingency for the school bus routes is to take the detour. During the last Providence Street closure:

• The bus company was told there would be a police presence each morning — this did not consistently occur, which is understandable given that officers may be responding to calls elsewhere.
• Buses were instructed to drive the wrong way with flashers on, which is not a safe solution when transporting a bus full of children.

With the exception of the first high school run of the day, students riding a bus beyond the culvert will arrive approximately 20 minutes or more late to school for every day Providence Street remains closed while school is in session. Buses run three times per day for each level (high school, middle school, and elementary school). Students enrolled in the Spanish Immersion program at Memorial School would face even further delays.

Police response: Police can make an allowance for wrong-way bus traffic on Cemetery Street. This would require one hour of overtime on each shift end to provide coverage.

Setting weight limits on Cemetery Street is a DOT issue — the Town cannot set these unilaterally. MassDOT has indicated it will reach back out to the Town regarding this question.

Kimball Sand has indicated it will donate some materials to support the project.

The record is now clear. Select Board minutes from late 1994 and early 1995 document the full sequence:

November 1, 1994 — Public hearing: The Selectmen had personally driven Cemetery Street and found it "very narrow" with the Hartford Avenue East intersection described as "terrible" in the mornings. The primary concerns were truck traffic (particularly Kimball Sand & Gravel), commuter shortcutting, and the safety of that intersection. A public hearing was held; a majority of residents present supported a trial. The Board voted unanimously to make Cemetery Street one-way from Hartford Avenue East to Providence Street on a 30-day self-renewing trial basis commencing Saturday, November 19, 1994. The motion was made by Selectman Art Holmes, seconded by Selectman Ken Taylor. A notice was published in the Milford Daily News and MURSD was notified.

December 5, 1994 — Opposition filed: Former Highway Surveyor Francis Irons came before the Board to oppose the decision, noting that Cemetery Street is 20 feet wide and Providence Street is only 22 feet, arguing it was "not that narrow." The Board acknowledged the concern but made no reversal, with Chair Joe Reed stating "if it proves to be a bad decision it can always be changed back."

January 9, 1995 — Residents respond: The Board received a letter from a majority of Cemetery Street residents thanking the Board for instituting one-way driving on their street, stating it "created a safer environment."

January 17, 1995 — Enforcement concerns: The town Postmaster wrote to the Board advising that problems remained with vehicles traveling in the wrong direction. The Board forwarded a memo to Police Chief Grady requesting more enforcement assistance.

Why it never formally became "permanent": The motion was drafted as "self-renewing" — it automatically continued unless the Board acted to reverse it. Because residents responded positively and no reversal motion was ever made, the one-way designation simply kept renewing by its own terms. No separate vote to make it permanent was ever needed or taken.

The "30-day trial" became Mendon's permanent traffic configuration — by community response, not by formal vote.

Police: Enforcement plans include extra details for the first few weeks of the closure. Willful and wanton wrong-way driving is a criminal offense.

Residents have raised legitimate concerns about wrong-way driving. During the last Providence Street closure, wrong-way travel on Cemetery Street was a recurring problem. A Cemetery Street resident has reported vehicles routinely traveling at 45 to 50 mph even in the current one-way configuration.

Tighe & Bond: The identified detour routes are geometrically better suited to accommodate two-way traffic and to absorb temporary increases in traffic volume than Cemetery Street. These roadways include defined centerlines and stop-controlled intersections, which support safer and more efficient traffic operations compared to a temporary two-way configuration on Cemetery Street.

The Cemetery Street bridge over Spring Brook was last inspected by MassDOT in April 2024 (Routine Inspection, Bridge No. M-15-004). Key findings:

• Built: 1955 (concrete slab)
• Structural condition: Deck, superstructure, and substructure all rated "Good" (7 out of 10); channel/channel protection rated "Satisfactory" (6 out of 10)
• Approach pavement: Rated "Fair" (5 out of 10) — raveling, breakup, and patches on the south approach
• Minor structural deficiencies: Hairline cracks and spalls on wingwalls, moderate embankment erosion, some spalled railing posts with loose cable rails
• Approach guardrail: Guardrail transitions and ends rated "Serious" (3 out of 10) with a scheduled-action deficiency — a maintenance item on the approach roadway, not the bridge structure itself
• No load posting required — the bridge is structurally sound for current traffic

Source: Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Structures Inspection Field Report, Routine Inspection dated April 17, 2024.

The April 15, 2026 meeting packet includes correspondence from multiple residents on both sides of the question. Some key themes:

In favor of temporary two-way:

• The 19-minute detour creates significant daily hardship for approximately 150 to 200 households on streets south of the bridge
• Emergency response times to Milford Hospital could be affected
• School bus delays affect students three times daily per school level
• Local businesses could lose customers unable to navigate the detour
• Cemetery Street functioned as a two-way road for many years before 1994

In favor of keeping one-way:

• A Cemetery Street resident reports vehicles already travel at 45 to 50 mph on the road, even with one-way traffic
• Near-misses already occur when backing out of driveways
• Adding opposing traffic to a road with existing speed problems creates head-on collision risk
• The engineering professionals the Town hired recommend one-way

The Select Board weighs all of this input alongside the professional recommendations when making its decision.

A citizen petition with 15 certified signatures was submitted for the Spring 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant. It requested two-way traffic on Cemetery Street and included a funding restriction clause (Article 16 on the draft warrant).

Town Counsel has advised that the article is out of order. Town Meeting has the authority to appropriate funds, but the Select Board retains authority over traffic regulations — Town Meeting cannot restrict or interfere with the Select Board's statutory obligations. The petition will not be heard at Annual Town Meeting.

The traffic decision remains with the Select Board, which holds statutory authority over traffic policy under Massachusetts law.