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Select Board approves MassDOT agreement for Otis Street/Route 9 intersection work
Summary
The board approved the MassDOT agreement to include the Route 9 intersection in the Otis Street Corridor project and authorized the chair to sign. DPW Director Chris Bennett said the state will own the Route 9 signal after completion and the town will own a signal at the Target driveway; the agreement contains a standard one-year completion window with the expectation of requesting an extension.
The Westborough Select Board voted 5–0 Tuesday to approve a standard MassDOT agreement that allows the town to include reconstruction of the Route 9/Otis Street intersection in the Otis Street Corridor project and to submit the package for permitting and bidding.
Chris Bennett, the town’s public-works director, described the agreement as a typical state template that assigns ownership of the Route 9 signal to MassDOT at project completion while the town will own a new traffic signal at the Target driveway. He noted the document outlines division of work, expense responsibilities, and property ownership after construction.
Board members asked whether counsel had reviewed the agreement; town staff said the state’s standard agreements are typically not routed through town counsel but noted the town expects to request extensions when the one-year completion term in the template proves insufficient. The town also reported recent additional funding for the project and said it expects to pursue further funding if bids reveal cost gaps.
The board moved to approve the MassDOT and Town of Westborough agreement for reconstruction of traffic signals and geometric improvements at Route 9 and Otis Street and authorized the chair to sign; the motion passed on a 5–0 roll-call vote.
What happens next: staff will submit the signed agreement to MassDOT and proceed toward finalizing permit and bid documents; project scheduling and any extension requests will follow as needed.
