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Residents report long waits and safety concerns at West Allenton–Route 4 intersection; town to contact state DOT
Summary
Several North Kingstown residents described waits up to 21 minutes and a history of serious crashes at the West Allenton Road/Route 4 intersection during public comment; the town manager said staff will follow up with Rhode Island Department of Transportation about signal timing and other mitigations.
Residents urged the town to press the state for fixes at the West Allenton Road and Route 4 traffic signal after multiple speakers described lengthy waits and safety hazards during the Sept. 8 North Kingstown Town Council meeting.
The most immediate concern came from Chet Kosak, who said traffic signal timing can be inconsistent and sometimes causes long waits: “We went away for a few days, we come home, and I understand there were some serious problems with it. People waiting 15, 20 minutes for a light to change,” he told the council. He described waits as long as four minutes in low-traffic periods and as unpredictable at other times.
Marie Noble, who lives on Butternut Drive, said she waited 21 minutes to make a left turn on a recent Friday morning: “I was second in line and waited 21 minutes to make a left hand turn.” She urged the town to ask the state to restore shorter signal phases used in prior years so more vehicles can clear the intersection during each cycle.
Resident Jean Watmau stressed public safety: she recounted a fatal crash near the intersection in the early 1990s and more recent serious injuries, saying the intersection’s congestion can block emergency apparatus and endanger response: “Back in either 1992 or 1993, there was a major accident at that intersection. Three teenagers died in that car and one ended up with serious injuries,” she said.
Why it matters: The intersection is on a state road and multiple residents described long delays that they said affect commutes and create safety risks. Several speakers said prior seasonal timing reduced waits and could be restored.
Town Manager Ralph Mullis told speakers the town has raised the problem with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation since 2017 and will follow up immediately with the specifics raised at the meeting. Mullis said the town recently received an email from the DOT acknowledging the situation and promising further review; he asked residents to send specific timing examples so staff can pass them to DOT.
No formal vote was taken. Council and staff said the town’s authority is limited because the intersection is on a state road, but staff committed to communicating residents’ examples to DOT and continuing to press for operational fixes, signage or other mitigations.
