My neighbor Roland Bergeron brought attention to longstanding unsafe conditions on Merrow Road (“Auburn road is dangerous, needs reconstruction,” June 23) and called for action by city employees and leaders.
Merrow Road consists of two distinct sections, the industrial park and our residential neighborhood. While the road in the industrial park is sub par, the condition of that in the residential area is downright dangerous for us who live there and for others who use the road as a shortcut between Hotel Road and Minot Avenue.
The road was not designed to accommodate this amount and type of traffic.
The road’s poor design and dire condition have contributed to fatalities. Three people heading west on Merrow Road have died after cresting the same hill. On June 14, one man was killed and two were injured after their truck hit a tree. On July 10, 2012, two Edward Little High School graduates died in a fiery car crash. Enough is enough.
The long-promised and overdue reconstruction of Merrow Road remains in limbo. According to the city website, the project is currently in design, a status held over from 2022. Additionally, there is no funding budgeted in the Capital Improvement Program for FY 2023 and no hint of any to come in FY 2024.
This project is sadly not a city priority.
I call on businesses in the industrial park, my neighbors on Merrow Road, and taxpayers in Auburn to use their voices and votes to address all issues related to this dangerous road.
Lives depend on it.
Phyllis Deringis, Auburn
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