Editor’s note: This article was first published by the Stowe Reporter on July 30, 2015.
In a polite letter, Stowe’s two representatives in the Vermont Legislature have asked whether a roundabout might be the best option for clearing up problems at the Route 100-Moscow Road intersection.
State Rep. Heidi Scheuermann, R-Stowe, and Lamoille County Sen. Richard Westman, R-Cambridge, told state Transportation Secretary Sue Minter that they, like the Stowe Selectboard, would like an analysis on whether a roundabout makes the most sense at the intersection.
The state Agency of Transportation plans to rebuild the entire stretch of Route 100 between Stowe village and Waterbury, starting next spring.
State planners say a traffic light is the best way to control the Moscow Road-Route 100 intersection.
Moscow Road is a much-used shortcut to Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe High School and the upper reaches of Mountain Road. However, northbound cars on Route 100 often have to wait to turn left onto Moscow Road, while cars whiz by them on the right. And emerging from Moscow Road onto the state highway can also feel risky.
Many Moscow Road residents have been pushing for a roundabout, and the Stowe Select Board told state officials that the possibility should be investigated.
And, now, so have both of the community’s state legislators.
“This is a critical time in our community, and one for which thoughtful planning is a necessity,” Scheuermann and Westman wrote in the letter to Minter. “The Route 100 southern entrance is the gateway to our community of Stowe. … It is critical we ensure the safety of that intersection, and do so in a way that welcomes residents and visitors to our community.”
Minter lives in Waterbury Center, and the two legislators said the newly constructed roundabout that joins Routes 2 and 100 in Waterbury village does exactly what they hope a roundabout would do at Route 100 and Moscow Road.
State officials are worried about adequate planning and right-of-way acquisition that could affect the Route 100 rebuild, but the legislators noted that Stowe officials have had preliminary discussions with landowners at the intersection and are confident they can help acquire the land needed for a roundabout on the state’s timetable.
Light banter
Even as Scheuermann and Westman added their voices to the Moscow Road discussion, more and more people are talking about the north side of Stowe village.
Front Porch Forum’s boards have been lighting up ever since the traffic light at Route 100 and West Hill Road came down, ending the detour that accompanied a four-month bridge construction project in the middle of town.
More than a dozen people along Route 100 between Waterbury and Morristown weighed in, with opinions ranging from dismay or happiness it was gone to helpful advice on how to pass people on the right.
A sampling:
• “It is very dangerous, not to mention foolish, to try to pull out of that area onto Route 100, especially during rush hour.”
• “It is a pain in the bum to make that turn … keep the light.”
• “I love the fact that the town of Stowe doesn’t have any traffic lights and I hope it stays that way.”
• “As for the traffic light at the West Hill/Route 100 intersection, good riddance! If you don’t feel comfortable pulling out into traffic there, go around and get on 100 at the stop sign in town. Otherwise, look both ways, accelerate with confidence, and get on with your day.”
Stowe Town Manager Charles Safford said he has received plenty of emails from people asking where the light went, and he has said repeatedly, in public meetings and in this newspaper, that the light belonged to the construction crew doing the bridge work.
The government town can start working with the state to get a traffic light there, but it is a long process.
