We Need to Talk About the New 140-195 Merge

Do you know what I'm not a huge fan of? Feeling like I'm about to get into a car accident. I know I'm not alone in this. There are a couple of local places that make me feel this impending doom almost daily. I say a prayer and try my best to brace myself beforehand.

The first spot that I dread traveling is the rotary in Middleborough. It was pretty bad before the work they'd done to it, and I'm sure they thought the two-lane update was going to be an amazing upgrade. Nope. An accident waiting to happen. I can't tell you how many near-misses I've experienced. Avoid it at all costs.

The second inevitable wreck is the new anxiety-inducing merger going from 140 southbound onto 195 eastbound. That ramp has already proved to be tricky in tough weather. So many spinouts in the snow and hydroplaning in the rain. Add to that the new lines that cut three lanes of traffic down to two in approximately 3.5 seconds, and you have yourself a certified panic attack on your hands.

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I'm not saying that this was a terrible plan, but you cannot tell me I'm the only one who has ever been stuck trying to merge off that ramp and has run out of lane before exclaiming "Jesus Take the Wheel" and hoping for the best.

The other day I had a choice between going faster or slower than the huge oil truck beside me. Since I really didn't feel like getting hit by an oil truck going 55 mph+, I decided to slow down and let it pass me. The only problem was that the car behind it also decided to speed up and wouldn't let me merge. So there I was, no lane left to drive, an oil truck in front of me, and two large cars behind me. No idea how I managed to get over. I won't question a miracle.