Tree House paying for Route 20 redesign due to traffic concerns

Hours-long lines are common at Tree House Brewing's Charlton headquarters, as it is the only place the company sells its beer.

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By Zachary Comeau

Tree House Brewing Co. is paying for a redesign of a small stretch of Route 20 in Charlton in response to ongoing traffic issues at its property.

Since the brewery opened an $18.5-million, 53,000-square-foot facility on nearly 70 acres on Route 20, the town has been grappling with traffic -- some from across the country -- to purchase the beer at the only location it’s sold.

To deal with that traffic, the brewery has submitted a redesign to the state to widen the roadway, widen the brewery’s driveway and add deceleration lanes for traffic traveling in either direction turning into the brewery on the four-lane undivided highway.

The plan, which must now go through several state approvals with work possibly beginning by the end of the year, is in response to what Police Chief Graham Maxfield said at a July 30 Board of Selectmen meeting was 184 violations from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year.

In that time there were three accidents, which was actually down from what was there prior to police officers becoming more active at the site.

Tree House Office Manager Kim Golinski said the brewery has expanded its operating hours to alleviate some traffic concerns. The brewery has paid for police details and large electronic signs to help direct traffic.

The brewery and town are hoping for a quick turnaround from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, but designs likely wouldn’t be approved until the fall.

Selectmen asked Town Administrator Robin Craver to seek expedition from the state of the approval process.