Revere rotary may be at end of road

REVERE - City Council President Daniel Rizzo wants state highway officials to consider razing Brown Circle and making it an intersection with traffic signals in a bid to end a string of tractor trailer accidents in the rotary.

Highway officials were weighing the proposal even as their counterparts praised local emergency officials with responding quickly to last weekend’s accident.

State Police cited the driver for Parsons Transportation with speeding and marked lane violations after he lost control of his tractor, spilling 10,000 gallons of heating oil. The crash shut down the busy rotary until mid-afternoon and environmental cleanup crews worked through Monday night and into Tuesday removing oil from the salt water marsh off Route 107.

The accident was the latest to occur in the circle, yards away from two service stations. Fire Chief Eugene Doherty estimates Brown Circle has been the site of seven tractor trailer accidents in 10 years.

Rizzo’s is not the only plan for ending the accidents. Doherty wants to see reforms made in hauling requirements for truck drivers. He also wants the rotary where Route 60, Squire Road and Route 107 meet posted with billboards warning drivers of big trucks to slow down.

State Sen. Anthony Galluccio has filed legislation prohibiting trucks carrying flammable materials from traveling through rotaries.

An Abenaqui Carriers tanker truck carrying over 5,000 gallons of gasoline flipped over in Brown Circle six years ago, spilling fuel and tying up traffic.

Galluccio’s bill would only allow truck drivers carrying fuel loads to use rotaries if a safer alternative route is not available. Echoing Doherty’s concerns, Galluccio has also filed legislation prohibiting truck firms from paying drivers to carry flammable loads based on the size of the load or by number of deliveries the driver makes.

Doherty said some firms pay drivers “as per load” promising them an hourly rate provided they deliver the load in a specified time period. He said the time allotted to the driver is often too short, prompting truckers to use excessive speed.

Galluccio also wants the Legislature to debate increased penalties and safety standards for firms and drivers transporting flammable liquids and explosive materials.