May 8, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer
Town Engineer J.R. Frey recently shared an update about efforts to improve the safety at various challenging intersections around town and along one corridor with the Hingham Anchor.
A Complete Streets grant application has been submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for the Main/Middle/Short Street intersection in Hingham Centre, where a roundabout has been proposed to address longtime serious safety concerns.
“Separately, we partnered with the Boston Metropolitan Planning (BMPO) Organization on a federal Safe Streets for All grant and over the last month completed two safety audits at three intersections and along one corridor — at French, Ward and High streets; Cushing, Main and South Pleasant streets; North, Main and Fearing streets [by the post office]; and along the Main Street corridor from North Street to Garrison Road,” Frey said.
Within the next two weeks, the BMPO will complete their draft report and will be making recommendations and beginning work “on several ‘quick-build’ interventions and a long-term intervention, as well as addressing safety systemically in non-infrastructure ways (e.g. speed limits, painted markings, etc.),” according to Frey.
In addition, work continues on Fountain Square pedestrian access improvements near the Lincoln Statue in downtown Hingham, funded by a MassDOT Shared Streets Grant.
“This week we hydroseeded certain loamed areas and are making progress on installing conduit that will allow us to place underground overhead wires that run up the hill on Lincoln Street from North Street,” Frey said.
This work was closely coordinated with the Hingham Historical Society, New North Church, and residential abutters to the project.
“When completed, the result will be improved pedestrian connections –especially between the historic museum properties in the area – and provide safe connections to the vegetated area within the Lincoln Street right-of-way while adding hundreds of feet of accessible sidewalk on the north side of North Street,” Frey explained. The reconfiguration of the roadway will also improve visibility when turning onto North Street from Lincoln Street.
These improvements coincide with Hingham Historical Society’s and the town’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.