All's quiet on Rochester's western front, above, but definitely not Friday afternoons

Rochester's biggest traffic nightmare is the intersection of Farmington Road and the Spaulding Turnpike (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - Anyone who lives or works in Rochester knows that the city's biggest traffic nightmare comes every Friday afternoon at the intersection of Farmington Road (Route 11) and Route 16 (Spaulding Turnpike), particularly for those headed west toward The Ridge Marketplace.
But there may be relief in sight as the city is partnering with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to "construct capacity and safety enhancements to Route 11 between the Spaulding Exit 15 Interchange, north to approximately Crane Drive," the city announced in a recent press release.
According to DPW officials, the scope may include "widening the roadway to accommodate dual travel lanes in each direction, a signalized intersection at Nashoba Drive, and pedestrian facilities along Farmington Road."
The DPW will hold an informational meeting at the Rochester Public Works Facility at 209 Chestnut Hill Road on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. where a design team will share information about the details and planned project schedule.
The meeting will also give residents and business owners a chance to share their concerns about the improvements being considered.
The City's Engineering consultant, Hoyle Tanner of Manchester, will be present to provide an overview of the project and will have graphical maps of the project area. Comments and concerns will be recorded and will inform project design, according to the city's press release.
The Rochester Voice reached out to Rochester DPW Director Peter Nourse and DPW Assistant City Engineer Timothy Goldthwaite several times in the past week to get more information about the city's cost sharing formula with the state's DOT, the improvements timeframe, what the pedestrian facilities would look like and also to ask why they wouldn't just create dual lanes all the way to The Ridge given the lack of major egress points north of Crane Drive. The distance between Crane Drive and The Ridge is about eight tenths of a mile.
Both Nourse and Goldthwaite failed to return multiple phone calls and emails.