Residents press for better project coordination after detour routed through Topfield Road

Residents raised safety concerns at the May 5 council meeting after a detour tied to construction on East Franklin Street and Eversource work on Westville Avenue routed additional traffic onto Topfield Road, a narrow residential street with high pedestrian activity. Kevin Guidati, a 7th Ward resident, said enforcement alone is insufficient and asked the council to increase oversight of project sequencing and mitigation plans.

"The emails that I sent to the council went unanswered by most members on the dais tonight," Guidati said, adding that the route was chosen for motorist efficiency without adequately weighing resident safety. He asked the council to expand the government oversight committee's role to review sequencing, communications and mitigation before projects start.

Public works traffic engineering (identified in the meeting as Antonio) explained the detour-selection process: the traffic engineering department solicits input from multiple departments, sometimes engages an independent traffic engineer and then presents routes to the police chief, who is the city's designated traffic authority with final say. "If we got to tweak that detour, we would do it," Antonio said, adding staff have been in the neighborhood during rush hours and have coordinated with the police.

Police Chief Ridenour told councilors officers have been monitoring the area, running speed checks and conducting enforcement. "The speeds that they have recorded were within acceptable ranges," he said, while acknowledging there are outliers that enforcement addresses.

Council members thanked staff for a rapid response but said the episode highlights the need for better pre-construction coordination among utilities, contractors and city departments to reduce impacts on narrow residential streets and to ensure residents get timely answers.

What happens next: Traffic engineering and the police department will continue on-site monitoring and adjust the detour if further issues are documented; council members asked staff to continue prompt constituent communication and explore oversight enhancements for overlapping infrastructure projects.