Kelley Square

Kelley Square is a square located in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the intersection of Massachusetts Route 122 and 122A, with ramp access to and from Interstate 290. It is named for Sgt. Cornelius F. Kelley, who died of wounds received in battle in Verdun, France, on October 13, 1918.[1] With a complex convergence of multiple roads, the square has previously been ranked as the state's most dangerous intersection, and as of 2019 was ranked as the eighth-most dangerous intersection in Massachusetts.[2]

Kelley Square
View of the square in 2008 from Madison Street
Location
Worcester, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°15′18.25″N 71°47′52.22″W
Roads at
junction		 Route 122 (Madison Street (two-way), Harding Street (inbound-only), Water Street (outbound-only))
Route 122A (Vernon Street & Madison Street)
I-290 (ramps at Vernon Street)
Construction
TypeIntersection, hybrid roundabout

Roads

The seven roads that intersect Kelley Square are listed below, starting with Madison Street on the west side of the square and proceeding around the square in a clockwise manner.

Local roadRoute no.Description
Madison Street122 / 122A†Two-way traffic, entering and exiting the square at west
Green Street—Two-way traffic, entering and exiting the square at north
Harding Street (from Winter Street)122One-way traffic, entering the square from the northeast
Water Street122One-way traffic, exiting the square to the northeast
Vernon Street122ATwo-way traffic, entering and exiting the square at southeast; ramps to/from I-290 are located here
Millbury Street—One-way traffic, exiting the square to the southwest‡
Harding Street (from Arwick Avenue)—One-way traffic, entering the square from the southwest‡

† Route confluence
‡ Per traffic flow changes implemented in May 2020[3]

Redevelopment
Artist's rendering of the planned outcome of the Kelley Square Improvement Project. Green Street is at left.
Before and after the 2020 reconfiguration

In October 2019, officials held a groundbreaking for the Kelley Square Improvement Project, a $240 million redevelopment project that includes construction of Polar Park, a new minor league baseball stadium, along with hotels and apartments, as well as reconstructing the square as a modified roundabout.[4]

As part of the project, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) permanently reversed the direction of traffic flow on Millbury Street, and Harding Street south of the square, effective May 6, 2020.[5][6]

References
  1. "Memorial Squares". Worcester Public Library. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2014 – via Wayback Machine.
  2. Hanson, Melissa (February 28, 2019). "Worcester's infamous Kelley Square intersection is no longer the state's top crash location, but it's still in the top 10". masslive.com. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  3. "Kelley Square Improvement Project Traffic Changes on Harding Street and Millbury Street". MassDOT. March 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020 – via mass.gov.
  4. Moulton, Cyrus (October 29, 2019). "Kelley Square groundbreaking Thursday". Telegram & Gazette. Worcester, Massachusetts. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  5. Hanson, Melissa (April 16, 2020). "Worcester Kelley Square construction: 24-hour police detail planned for reversal of Millbury and Harding streets". masslive.com. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  6. "Kelley Square 'peanut' debuts in Worcester Wednesday with permanent reversal of Harding, Millbury Streets". masslive.com. May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2020.

Further reading
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