Middleton loses $2 million state grant after failing to comply with MBTA Communities Act

Ugh, this is so frustrating ! I mean, can you imagine driving through Middleton every day knowing that one of the most hazardous intersections in the North Shore hasn't been fixed yet? It's crazy how a town failing to adopt required zoning led to the grant being revoked . The fact that the town still plans to push forward with the housing development without traffic improvements is just reckless .

As a student, I'm always talking about safety protocols and risk management in class, and it's heartbreaking to see this happen in real life . The stats say nearly 25,000 vehicles daily, that's like our entire school on wheels every day! What if there was an accident? It gives me anxiety thinking about it .

I guess you could say the town is caught between affordable housing goals and public safety concerns . I hope they find a way to address this ASAP and get some backup plans in place .

I'm so done with these governments and their bureaucratic red tape ! I mean, come on, a $2 million grant just disappears like magic because some town officials didn't follow the rules? It's not like they're trying to fix the road, it's just so frustrating . And now we're stuck with more traffic and accidents because of it. I remember my grandma used to live in Middleton and she always complained about that intersection... I'm glad she's not around to see this mess anymore .

so yeah they lost the grant but like come on 25k cars daily is a huge deal, how are they supposed to fix this without the state funds? I get not having the contract thingy happen but can't they just make an exception for once? it's not like they're asking for a free ride or anything. And yeah the housing development thing is gonna be bad news for traffic and safety, but what's the alternative? Just letting them build without any upgrades? That sounds super sketchy to me . Can't we just compromise on something here? Maybe get some private funding or something

Man... like, this is such a bummer ... I mean, can you imagine having to drive through an intersection that's basically a recipe for disaster? It's like, the town is trying to balance two things at once - affordable housing and traffic safety... but it feels like they're playing with fire . If they can't even get the funding to fix the roads, how are they gonna make sure everyone gets home safely? And what about all those 25,000 cars that are already driving through there every day? It's like, they're just sitting ducks ... waiting for something to go wrong.

It's also weird, because I feel like this is a case of the town being forced to choose between two competing priorities... housing and safety. Like, how can you put a price on someone's life, right? It's not like they're gonna get a check from MassDOT or anything... "Hey, thanks for putting all these people in harm's way, we'll just give you some extra cash for it ". No, seriously though... this is like, a classic case of trade-offs and compromises... but I feel like the town is being forced to take a huge risk by not taking care of that intersection.

It's also got me thinking about the bigger picture, like, what does it say about our society when we can't even get funding for something as basic as road safety? Like, are we just gonna keep putting people in harm's way because it's cheaper to build more houses than it is to fix some roads? It's a tough question... but I think it says a lot about how we value certain things over others.