Grist Mill intersection audit released

SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) - A safety audit that was underway long before a fiery tractor trailer crash destroyed the historic Grist Mill indicates the intersection in front of the gutted tavern needs changes to make it safer.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation report revealed there were 49 crashes at the three-way intersection between January 2009 and November 2011. Just over 65 percent of those were said to be related to the ‘angle’ of the roads. Fall River Avenue, Arcade Avenue and Mill Road meet at the y-shaped junction.

On June 23, a tractor trailer that was hauling bananas tumbled onto its side after driving into one of the odd-angled curves of the intersection. The rig skidded into a gas line and within hours the ensuing fire gutted the building that dates back to 1745.

The audit cited "safety issues related to the unique geometry" of the intersection including the "horizontal curvature of the roadway" and the "overgrowth of vegetation".

While it is undetermined whether those issues caused the crash that injured the unidentified driver, the audit does recommend that the town of Seekonk and the state "reconstruct the intersection with a traffic signal or roundabout."

According to the audit, Seekonk officials prefer the traffic signal proposal but there is one bold lettered sentence in the audit, in what amounts to the only reference to the crash in the 43 page document.

"The town may wish to reconsider the roundabout option following the fire at the Old Grist Mill," the audit said.  

The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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