Traffic moves on Route 60 at its intersection with Lakeview Road earlier this week. Photo by M.J. Stafford

The state Department of Transportation is considering a widening of Route 60 at its intersection with Lakeview Road, Pomfret town Supervisor Dan Pacos said this week.

Pacos told the town board at its monthly meeting that DOT officials said to him they plan a public hearing on the widening in early January. They were considering the Fredonia Opera House for the hearing, he added, apparently in anticipation of high public interest.

The widening would be for the purpose of installing a turning lane from Route 60 to Lakeview Road. Pacos formally asked the DOT in 2020 for a traffic light at the intersection, and said Wednesday he still wants that. However, that does not appear to be under consideration at this time.

Numerous horrific accidents have occurred in recent years in the vicinity of the intersection. Lakeview Road, which starts in Fredonia as Lakeview Avenue, can carry heavy traffic to and from the village at certain times of day — particularly from the nearby Fredonia school district.

One of the most recent accidents has been the focus of a trial after the death of Emmaline Wilcox, 7, in February 2020. In defending his client Nicholas Mineweaser who was charged in the accident, attorney Michael Dwan said the unfortunate event should be blamed on Route 60. He noted the road had 82 deaths in the past 50 years. He also argued that vehicles are driving too fast on a road without a turning lane, especiallly near that Lakeview Road location. “I hope after this case, something is done with Route 60,” he said on Thursday.

The intersection is also less than a mile from a busy choke point for traffic, the roundabout at Routes 20 and 60.