Traffic Happens: An Accident Can Snarl Even the Best-laid Plans

A resident who commutes daily on the Belle Isle Bridge informed us that there was a major traffic jam heading out of town during rush hour recently, but that when the resident tried to use the other route (Revere Street) out of town, access also was not very good.

That news no doubt comes as a surprise to most residents because John Vitagliano has been so thorough and informative in his position as the liaison for the Belle Isle Bridge replacement project. He always has said that there would be some delays on occasion, but that with our highly capable Winthrop Police officers on detail, the traffic issues would be minimal.  Police Chief Terence Delehanty said the reason for the traffic congestion on that particular day was because of an accident on Revere Street, and despite the efforts of the Winthrop Police Department to reroute traffic, there was some understandable frustration about the situation by some motorists. The situation is now back to normal and we commend the WPD for trying to make a tough traffic day manageable and doing their best in a difficult situation, especially during rush hour.

Certainly there has to be an unimpeded way for vehicles to get in and out of town, especially in the event of an emergency. We’re sure John will report back to the town about how to address the issue when faced with the sorts of problem as occurred recently.