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Candia residents push for flashing signs and rumble strips at Exit 3 intersection after teen crash
Summary
Residents and the police chief called for visible, low-cost changes — flashing stop signs, rumble strips and targeted patrols — and the selectmen agreed to re-engage the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the town’s state representative to pursue options.
Residents urged the Candia Board of Selectmen on Jan. 27 to press the state and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation for traffic-safety improvements at the Exit 3 intersection after a recent crash injured a town teenager.
The discussion began when Matt Woodrow said his 17-year-old son was struck while returning from a youth activity; he described the collision as “pretty scary” and asked what could be done before someone is killed. “I’d hate like, we want to see something done so somebody doesn't lose a life there,” Woodrow said.
Why it matters: the intersection sits where local roads meet state-owned Route 101 ramps, and multiple residents said drivers — including nonlocal drivers and tractor-trailers accessing a 24/7 truck stop — are unfamiliar with who has the right of way. The town’s police chief gave collision counts and said the intersection has been “a nightmare” during his time on the department.
Chief (police chief) told the board he had pulled three years of local data and that the department responded to roughly 10 accidents in that intersection in 2024, with smaller totals in prior years. He said he could provide the state police accident report and offered to put “directed patrols and more officers” in the area while the town pursues longer-term fixes.
Residents and former state highway workers recommended specific, incremental measures: flashing, solar-powered beacons on the stop signs; thermoplastic “STOP” markings on pavement; rumble strips on approach lanes; larger or more visible stop signs; and a sign reading “Oncoming traffic does not stop” for eastbound traffic. Scott Kenan, who compiled options and past DOT feedback for the board, said he preferred a flashing, beacon‑activated four‑way stop and urged the town to prepare for eventual traffic-signal control as growth continues.
Board reaction and next steps: Selectmen agreed to re-engage the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and invite the town’s state representative to a follow-up meeting with town staff and the police chief. The board asked staff to check whether the town can pay for flashing signs, whether the DOT would install and require town maintenance, and to explore grant opportunities the chief mentioned (speed/traffic safety grants and portable radar units) as interim measures. The chief said he would provide accident-report details to the family and the board.
What was explicitly decided: the board directed staff to arrange another meeting with DOT and the state representative and to investigate the cost, installation, maintenance and grant options for flashing signs, rumble strips and other countermeasures. The town also said it would consider deploying the town’s portable speed sign and adding directed patrols as interim steps.
Several residents cautioned that no single fix would eliminate crashes and urged a bundle of measures and public notice. “We should make it public notice. We should post it and say, here's what we're gonna do,” Scott Kenan said. The board scheduled further outreach to the DOT and the representative as the next step.
Ending: The conversation closed with agreement to pursue immediate, lower-cost measures while asking DOT to re-evaluate the site; the board said it would return with a plan after the follow-up meeting with state officials.
