Intersection Near Foxfield Plaza to Become Roundabout

By Daniel Libon, Mansfield Patch, Nov 4, 2016

FOXBOROUGH, MA — A dangerous intersection at the Foxborough-Mansfield town line is about to get a makeover thanks to a new grant from the state.

Friday, the Town of Foxborough received a $625,000 MassWorks grant to turn the intersection between Route 140 and Foxfield Plaza into a roundabout. The work is being done as part of the plaza's renovation and transformation into Forbes Crossing.

The new project is being called a solution to what has been a problem on Foxborough Boulevard. In addition to the grant, the developer, Saletin Real Estate, has covered the design and engineering costs.

"The intersection has been dangerous for decades and a development like this can't have that. That intersection has been a problem since we got here," Jeff Saletin, president of Saletin Real Estate said. "Talking with town officials we said 'we'll provide the seed money and you talk to the state,'"

Local officials, state officials, the Department of Housing and Economic Development, and the Department of Transportation all had a role in the grant process. State Rep. Jay Barrows said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash saw the plaza as part of a September 2015 bus tour of the area and Highway Department officials also received the same tour about two months later with Foxborough Selectman Ginny Coppola. It was during the second tour that a Highway Department employee looked at the intersection and recommended a roundabout. A grant proposal was written by Foxborough Town Planner Paige Duncan in September, with the grant's total being revealed during a ceremony Friday afternoon.

Town officials knew funds were coming their way following Tuesday's Foxborough Board of Selectmen meeting when Barrows promised a big surprise , but they didn't know if they would receive the full grant.

Work on the roundabout is part of the Forbes Crossing project, which will replace the current Foxfield Plaza. The new development will include current Foxfield tenants Bangkok Cafe, Antonia's Deli, Edible Arrangements, and Foxboro Mandarin. A Hampton Inn hotel is being planned.

Foxborough Town Manager Bill Keegan said he expects construction on the roundabout to start in the spring.