Revere residents complain of crashes along ‘dangerous’ stretch of road

REVERE, Mass. — Cassie Hamlin said she doesn’t feel comfortable walking on the sidewalk outside her North Shore Rd. condominium.

“All the residents are wondering when somebody will come crashing into our building,” Hamlin said.

There have been two serious crashes this month along North Shore Rd. near Revere St., including a runaway driver caught on video Feb. 8 careening into an apartment building. The crash injured two people and caused extensive damage to the building. A week later, a resident posted a photo of another mangled car twisted in the guardrail in almost the same exact spot.

“This intersection is consistently dangerous and needs to be evaluated,” Leni Valens wrote in his Feb. 16 Facebook post.

Hamlin said a combination of speed—the limit is 35 miles per hour--and a slight curve at the intersection is causing drivers to lose control, and the results are scaring residents.

“It’s a major concern,” Hamlin said.

Since 2020, there have been 21 reported crashes along the southbound side of North Shore Rd. near Revere St. and Beachland Ave, according to MassDOT’s crash data portal. A MassDOT spokesperson said changes may be coming.

“MassDOT is aware of the increase in crashes at this intersection and conducted a road safety audit in this corridor late last year to identify opportunities to improve safety,” spokesperson Jacquelyn Goddard said in an email. “The road safety audit suggested speeds were a major contributing factor and MassDOT has been reviewing the [audit’s] findings with the goal of implementing some of the countermeasures…during the upcoming construction season.”

Hamlin said her condo association asked the city and state to make changes. She believes something needs to be done to get people to slow down.

“I think there needs to be [more] signage and if there’s a way speedbumps can be installed on [North Shore Rd.] to make people slow down, I think that would greatly reduce the car accidents that happen around here,” Hamlin said.

Resident Bjeny Pierre said she worries for the children that live near that intersection.

“It’s very scary,” Pierre said. “You’ve got to understand there are kids that live here. It’s dangerous because cars have hit our building before. There’s more to come.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo said the city will be installing jersey barriers to ensure safety.

“In efforts to keep our residents and commuters safe in the meantime, the Revere DPW is going to place jersey barriers at the corner of Revere St. and NSR to fortify the entry point where cars have been jumping the curb. We are also trying to contact MassDOT to create a more permanent solution,” the spokesperson said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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