Two Wareham intersections on ‘most dangerous’ list

Oct 12, 2021

Two intersections in Wareham made it on the 2017-2019 “Top 100 Most Dangerous Intersections in Southeastern Massachusetts” list. The list was prepared by Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District — a regional planning agency serving 27 area communities — and the crash data was pulled from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s crash data portal. 

Both of Wareham’s “most dangerous” intersections involve Cranberry Highway. The intersections are listed from worst to best, meaning the No. 1 intersection would be the worst, according to a Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District spokesperson. 

Coming in at No. 30 on the list is the intersection of Cranberry Highway and Glen Charlie Rd./Depot St. This intersection was the site of 54 crashes between 2017 and 2019, according to the list.

Although the list indicates whether or not improvements are planned or have been completed at each intersection, there is no information available about the status of this intersection.

No. 62 on the list is the signalized intersection of Cranberry Highway and the road that leads to Home Depot. Between 2017 and 2019, there were 34 crashes at this intersection. According to the report, improvements are “currently underway” at this intersection.

The intersections were also ranked using a system that considers frequency and severity of crashes to assign a score. The higher this number is, the more dangerous the intersection is, according to the spokesperson. The No. 1 intersection on the list, located in Swansea, had a score of 82.33. 

In Wareham, the Cranberry Highway and Glen Charlie Rd./Depot St. intersection had a score of 30. The Cranberry Highway and Home Depot intersection had a score of 24.67.