DCR Promises Saftey Evaluation, Inventory Review After Lynn Fells Pawkway Death

MELROSE, MA — The state Department of Conservation and Recreation is still investigating a fatal crash on the Lynn Fells Parkway in Melrose earlier this month, according to a letter sent to concerned residents this week.

In the meantime, the agency has promised a physical inventory of the parkway area around the crash site in addition to a safety evaluation based on state crash data.

The Lynn Fells Parkway stretches through a large portion of Melrose, connecting the Middlesex Fells Reservation to the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus. The DCR manages the parkway, which also passes through parts of Stoneham and Saugus, as part of its larger parkway network.

Residents along a stretch of the parkway in Melrose raised concerns last week after a crash killed one person and sent two others to the hospital over Labor Day weekend.

READ: 'A Literal Death Trap': Locals Call For Action After Melrose Crash

Taking place near the intersection of the parkway and both Elm Street and Linden Road, the crash was the latest in a line of incidents, residents said, that highlighted dangers inherent in the Lynn Fells Parkway’s design.

In its response, the DCR said it is working with the State Police to investigate this most recent crash.

While waiting for results of the investigation, the agency said it is moving forward with a physical inventory, which has crews assessing roadway conditions and identifying visual obstructions such as trees, other plantings, poles or fences.

Staff plan to replace missing or damaged signs and add new signs where needed after that inventory wraps, the DCR said.

The agency said it may also add new lines on the road, augmenting line repainting work done earlier this summer.

The DCR said staff have already started a separate safety evaluation. That work, the DCR said, will draw on state crash data to help identify crash causes and possible safety solutions for the agency’s engineering team to address.

As residents called for action last week, city officials similarly noted concerns. They called on the DCR to help improve safety in the area.

“We've got to go right up the ladder on this and make sure that we get the attention that we deserve,” Mayor Paul Brodeur told Patch last week.

The Lynn Fells Parkway has seen at least 198 crashes since 2016, according to state data. Within that, 50 crashes have resulted in at least one non-fatal injury.

Officials said the DCR has done some work to date. Both residents and local leaders alike, though, said the agency needs to do more to enact improvements throughout the Lynn Fells Parkway

Where officials said DCR needs to act, some also placed some responsibility on drivers speeding through sections of the parkway.

“It's a bit challenging to engineer (solutions to) some of the, bluntly, crazy, stupid things that some drivers do,” Brodeur said.

The DCR on Tuesday said it is committed to public safety. The agency added that it looks forward to continuing work with Melrose and community stakeholders to improve safety on the Lynn Fells Parkway.