WESTFORD — A new school zone speed limit will soon become reality near Westford Academy.
The Select Board voted unanimously to establish a school zone near the high school.
The Department of Public Works and Pedestrian Safety Committee recently received a grant for a school zone speed limit sign assemblies. The grant is for the assemblies and does not provide the town with funding.
“There is no monetary award, just the sign assemblies themselves,” Director of Public Works Stephen Cronin told WestfordCAT in an email. “The town is responsible for providing the resources to install the assemblies.”
The school zone speed limit of 20 miles-per-hour will be established on sections of Patten Road, Cold Spring Road and Hartford Road.
The new limit comes just months after Patten Road saw its speed limit reduced from 30 miles-per-hour to 25 miles-per-hour.
Enforceable school zone limits already exist near Day Elementary School, Nabnasset Elementary School, Robinson Elementary School, Crisafulli Elementary School and Abbot Elementary School.
Stony Brook Middle School and Blanchard Middle School also have enforceable school zones during the morning and afternoon commutes.
Miller Elementary School does not currently have a school zone in place.
Most infrastructure for new zone in place
According to Cronin, much of the infrastructure for the new school zone is already in place.
“Most of the signs are existing, the only new signs will be the school limit assemblies themselves which do flash and have lights on them,” he told the Select Board.
Once signage is installed, the school zone limit of 20 mph can be enforced by the Westford Police Department.
The DPW will collect speed data for the first year after new signage is installed.
Cronin says this data would be provided to the Westford Police Department and could be used to determine “whether additional enforcement is needed” in the area.
Cronin says the department will soon contact residents whose properties may be impacted by the new flashing signs.
According to a memo from the DPW, the department aims to have new signage installed ahead of the school year.
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