By Nathan Duke
Staff Writer

Acting upon a request from residents, the Goffstown Highway Safety Committee has recommended putting up a traffic light at the dangerous intersection of Wallace and Shirley Hill roads, but the board of selectmen want to make sure the project will be money well spent.

Police Chief Michael French addressed the selectmen at the Monday, April 25, board meeting and proposed plans to place a red light in both directions on Wallace Road and flashing regulatory lights in both directions on Shirley Hill Road.

French said the intersection is one of the most dangerous in town. In the past three years, 25 accidents have occurred at the road crossing, eight of which resulted in serious personal injury.

French said he received a request from a number of citizens in December asking the Highway Safety Committee to present their case to the board of selectman.

However, Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Gossett McRae said Goffstown has already tried a number of methods to correct the dangerous intersection, all of which failed. Warning signs for the stop signs at the intersection have been placed on the hill, grooves have been put in the pavement and the town has replaced the stop signs with larger ones. McRae said the permanent placement of a policeman at the intersection was also not an ideal situation.

"(The board) is concerned that lights will cost a significant amount of money," he said. "What evidence do we have that they will help at all?"

McRae said the board realizes the intersection is an extremely dangerous one and intends to do something to correct it, but wants further study done before acting.

"The board is more than willing to spend money for the intersection, but it needs to be more comfortable that the changes will make a difference," he said.

McRae estimated an installation fee of $6,500 for a traffic light, as well as about $600 per year for electricity. He said he thinks the board can come up with a more cost-effective solution.

At the selectmen.s meeting, the board recommended the Highway Safety Committee try to come up with other ideas to correct the dangerous intersection, as well as perform additional study and statistics about the impact of placing a light at the location.

"I would interpret the board.s response as, 'We hear you, we know it is dangerous, but hold on a little before we go out and do anything about it,'" said McRae.