MONTAGUE — After experiencing a hit-and-run earlier this month at the intersections of Routes 47 and 63, Gabrielle Slavin was looking for answers to two questions: Who hit her? And what can be done to fix a road design that’s experienced more than 35 crashes since 2010?

After the Leverett resident posted to Leverett Connects, the town’s email group, she was unable to figure out who rear-ended her car; however, she was informed of an ongoing Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) process where her concerns about the intersection could potentially be addressed. FRCOG is in the process of updating the county’s Regional Transportation Plan, a comprehensive account of transportation needs, issues and funding sources.

Part of the process of updating the Regional Transportation Plan involves public feedback, which FRCOG is accepting until Friday. An English survey can be found at bit.ly/3leLBUk and a Spanish survey can be found at bit.ly/3mIgPDC. The agency also has an interactive map where residents can identify difficult intersections and roads, such as Routes 47 and 63, at bit.ly/429S8QS.

Slavin said her vehicle was hit from behind as she was creeping out onto Route 63 from North Leverett Road, which has blind spots that require drivers to inch into the state highway before continuing forward. The intersection experienced 35 crashes from 2010 to 2020 — due to a wide variety of reasons, such as failure to yield, speeding and lack of visibility — according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s crash database.

“I had time to think about the accident and I wish she had stuck around. … In something like this, there’s actually something bigger to focus on, like fixing the problem, so it doesn’t keep happening to other people,” Slavin said. “I have a 14-year old that is going to start driving in two years and when I think about him at that intersection, it scares me.”

Updated on a four-year cycle, FRCOG will be presenting a draft Regional Transportation Plan this spring, with a final version to be published in May, according to a timeline presented by the agency.

Overarching goals of the plan include examining infrastructure to facilitate mobility, improving transportation safety, reducing vehicle emissions, promoting economic development and providing sustainable transportation.

“The recommendations in the plan provide the framework for transportation projects in the county,” an overview of the process reads. “It is from this plan that projects are chosen to be designed, funded and implemented.”

Of the 25 proposed projects in the 2020 Regional Transportation Plan, 10 have already been completed. Three of those projects are expected to be completed in 2023, including the Franklin Regional Transit Authority’s Turners Falls facility, trailblazing signs on the Franklin County Bikeway, and the recently finished rehabilitation of the General Pierce Bridge linking Greenfield and Montague.

For more information about previous Regional Transportation Plans, as well as the process for updating it, visit FRCOG’s webpage at bit.ly/3yHwdD4.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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