Officials to pursue Rte. 140 re-do funds
Westminster selectmen give Princeton the go ahead to start study
By Phyllis Booth and Karen Mann JOURNAL CORRESPONDENTS

Westminster selectmen took the next step in possibly reconstructing the portion of Route 140 that runs through Westminster, Princeton and Sterling.

"All we have done is authorized Princeton to go ahead and create a corridor study," said Town Coordinator Karen Murphy.

According to Murphy, town officials were told an outside agency would cover the cost of the study.

Selectmen, town administrators and Department of Public Works representatives from Westminster, Sterling and Princeton met last week to discuss teaming up to pursue federal funding for the reconstruction of Route 140 from Legg Road in Sterling to Patricia Road in Westminster.

Westminster Selectman Thomas O'Toole supported the reconstruction.

"It's just got to be done. I heard what I wanted to hear and that's the state [Department of Conservation and Recreation] and the communities can work together," he said.

Officials from all three towns agreed the first step necessary is to appoint representatives from each town to meet with regional planning agencies and try to have a corridor study done of the road.

"We have an opportunity if the three towns agree to work together to go after federal funds," said Princeton Road Advisory Committee Chairman Larry Greene. "We've heard from MassHighway they won't support us unless all three towns work together."

The project would encompass 9.7 miles of road. Of that 4.1 miles are in Princeton, 4.2 miles in Sterling and 1.4 in Westminster, said Greene.

Each town would be responsible for paying for the engineering design cost, dependant on how many miles of road runs through each town, according to Murphy. For Westminster, it would cost around $150,000.

Central Mass Regional Planning Commission conducted a traffic count on Route 140 that found traffic has increased 249 percent from 1971-72 to 2002-03. A traffic count done in 1971-72 showed traffic counts at the Route 31/Route 140 intersection was 2,800 cars a day. By 2002 it was 6,300 cars a day, said Greene.

In addition, about 800,000 to one million people visit Wachusett Mountain each year for hiking and skiing, he added.

"Heavily laden trucks travel Route 140 daily to reach the second largest landfill in the state and the wood-burning power plant, and we know what heavily laden trucks do to the roads," said Greene. "For each mile of road we [reconstruct] it costs $300,000 and we get $226,000 from state Chapter 90 funds. That doesn't cover it."

The Fitchburg-Westminster Landfill is expected to close in 10 years but the Westminster transfer station will still be located at the site on Route 31.

"We need to do this to improve the safety of the road. There are no shoulders and there are trees right next to the road and bicyclists use that road," he said.

One of the first steps in that process would be a joint corridor study between CMRPC and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, said Greene. He estimated the cost of the project to be $15 to $20 million.

William Wintturi, Westminster DPW superintendent, said there had been a plan to improve Route 140 but it was met with much local opposition.

Sterling Selectman Richard Sheppard said there was considerable amount of opposition in Sterling to the Route 140 reconstruction plan, especially from people whose homes were close to the road.

Princeton Town Administrator Dennis Rindone said he sits on the task force for Route 2 road improvements and he sees many similarities between the two projects.

"We had safety concerns from Phillipston to Greenfield," said Rindone. "There were two planning agencies involved and we did a corridor study - that answered a lot of questions. Erving center is similar to East Princeton with sidewalks and homes close to the road. We worked things out quite well. We have a model you can look at."

Greene explained how issues had been worked out with MassHighway for work done on Mountain Road, Hubbardston Road and Brooks Station Road.

"There's no doubt the whole road needs to be done," Wintturi said.

Sheppard cited the "tremendous amount" of environmental issues along Route 140, including Wyman Pond in Westminster, the beginning of the Stillwater in East Princeton, and bridges that criss-cross the road. He said he would like to see some traffic control at the intersection of routes 140 and 62 in Sterling.

"People are concerned the state will come through and wipe away anything that's historical," Sheppard said.

MassHighway has an excellent relationship with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said Splaine, a MassHighway engineer.