By Theresa Knapp 

At its meeting on Dec. 16, the Milford Select Board voted to lower the speed limit on Howard Street from 30 mph to 25 mph. 

Howard Street consists of two dead-end sections - one off South Main Street and one off Mellen Street. The winding roads are picturesque with stone walls and old and new homes. Currently, there are no speed limit signs. The roads are about 1.5 lanes wide and are difficult to traverse as noted on a recent afternoon when waste cans were set in the street, construction vehicles and a waste disposal truck were trying to pass regular traffic, and a few residential and commercial vehicles were parked on the street. 

Howard Street consists of two sections of dead-end roads, one off South Main Street and one off Mellen Street. Photo credit: Theresa Knapp

“Howard Street is not without its challenges,” Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino said at the meeting, noting the angles of the road can be difficult. “And I get complaints from people who live on Howard Street so I think this is the first step in trying to mitigate those complaints.” 

“It’s narrow,” said Select Board member Thomas O’Loughlin. “When you first come in, you have the farms, and people park too in the roadway when the weather is such that they’re selling vegetables and things of that kind.” 

Select Board member Paul Mazzuchelli agreed and made the motion to reduce the speed limit based on Tusino’s recommendation. “As you both said, it is a narrow road and it has a lot of curves too in some areas so anything we can do to help the safety of the neighborhood,” said Mazzuchelli. 

Tusino said the MPD will do an awareness campaign once the new speed limit signs have been installed.