SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) – Some local lawmakers led a rally Wednesday to call for roadwork to be sped up along McGrath Highway in Somerville.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Mayor Joe Curtatone joined the Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets to urge the State Department of Transportation to prioritize safety over speed along what is colloquially known as the “corridor of death” that stretches from Mystic Avenue to the intersection of Broadway and the highway.
“These tragedies were 100 percent preventable which is why I will fight for funding for McGrath Highway,” Pressley said.
That stretch of road is known to be dangerous and was most recently the scene of a deadly hit-and-run last month.
The victim, 72-year-old Marshall Mac, who immigrated to Somerville after fighting alongside the U.S. in South Vietnam, was hit while carrying groceries from Stop & Shop. He was found by police near the intersection of Route 28 and Broadway.
He died two weeks after the crash.
Police say the driver turned himself in days later.
“My family and my life has forever changed,” Mac’s son Hop told those assembled. “When I was younger, he would wake me up for school and work. Now… now I ask for him to wake me up from this horrible nightmare.”
The alliance said that since 2019, four pedestrians have been killed in the area.
“This is a residential area and the closest grocery store requires walking if you don’t have a car,” said resident Bonnie Denis. “And there are no curb cuts on any of the major intersections and you are required to go into the middle of the highway. So, there is really no safe way for anybody with any sort of mobility challenge to do that on their own.”
These Somerville residents hope the pressure leads to changes that saves lives and spare more families the pain Marshall Mac’s loved ones will live with for the rest of their lives.
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