Factory Mutual Traffic Bottleneck on Route 1 Prompts Safety Concerns and Calls for Improvements-October 13, 1975

While not an earth-shaking crisis, the daily commute for approximately 900 employees at Factory Mutual Engineering and Research Corp. on Route 1 has become a persistent headache, sparking renewed debate over highway safety, traffic signals, and corridor redesign.

Located on Route 1 between Dean and Sumner streets—directly across from the Norwood Arena—the facility experiences intense vehicular congestion during peak hours. The primary rush hits between 8:00 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. in the morning, and again from 4:10 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the evening, as employees navigate turns onto and off the bustling highway.

The Dangers of Cross-Highway Commuting

Company officials point out that the greatest hazard faces motorists attempting to enter or leave the northbound lanes, forcing them to cross the southbound side and two lanes of oncoming traffic.

Although the company employs a traffic officer to assist during morning and evening rush hours, company representatives acknowledge that a manual officer is far from an ideal long-term solution. In an internal memo issued to employees last week, management recommended that commuters using the main Route 1 entrance instead divert to the traffic lights at Sumner or Dean streets and take back roads to the facility.

“But people being people, they just won’t go to the trouble,” a company spokesman noted. “They continue to come down Route 1. It’s not a red-hot issue, but a policeman is not a good solution.”

State Roadblocks on Traffic Signals

For several years, Factory Mutual has unsuccessfully petitioned the state for a dedicated traffic signal at its facility entrance. Robert Hartnett, a traffic engineer for the state Department of Public Works (DPW) Taunton district office, stated that current installation requests fail to meet the strict guidelines outlined in the manual of traffic control. Furthermore, a past proposal was rejected on the grounds that the traffic flow could be adequately managed by a police officer.

State Commerce Commissioner John Marino has been actively working to find a workable solution, noting in an interview that he might ask the company to help fund the signal installation if state approval is eventually secured.

Divergent Views from Local Authorities

Local officials remain divided over the efficacy of adding a traffic light. Norwood Police Chief James F. Curran expressed skepticism, pointing out that accidents are statistically more frequent near signalized intersections along Route 1 than elsewhere.

“If you add another signal at Factory Mutual, there are likely to be more accidents, not less,” Chief Curran cautioned. “I don’t think I would be too hot for the idea of a signal there, and I don’t think my safety officer would be either.”

Curran noted that he has spent several years advocating for a median divider along Route 1 to curb ongoing accident rates. Highlighting the inherent dangers of the corridor, Curran pointed to a recent collision where the front end of a car was sheared off in a crash involving two trucks near the plant entrance, as well as an incident just a week prior.

Ultimately, broader solutions may be on the horizon. The state is currently conducting a comprehensive study of the entire Route 1 corridor, with potential long-term proposals including the extension of a median barrier from Dean Street all the way toward Route I-495, or the continuation of the fencing currently situated at Dean Street.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger