Interim Safety Improvements Complete On Dangerous Curve In Oxford

OXFORD (CBS) – Road improvements along a three mile stretch of Route 20 from Oxford to Charlton are now complete, three months after a mother and baby were killed.

MassDOT spent $2.3 million completing the interim safety improvements Wednesday. They include a wider highway and the installation of guardrails.

"This should have happened 18 year ago," said Lisa Brodeur.

Lisa Brodeur and her family were hit by a drunk driver along the sharp, infamous curve in Oxford in 1997. Her husband was killed, her then 10-year-old son was paralyzed.

"It changed our whole life. I didn't ask to become a single parent. I didn't ask to watch my son suffer in all this pain," Brodeur said.

The Charlton mother of three campaigned to improve this stretch for years.

"They still have a long way to go, but I'm very thrilled at what they have done," Brodeur said.

Along with state lawmakers, Brodeur is pushing the state to fast track the permanent, next phase of the project – eliminating the curve and installing concrete barriers.

Construction is planned for 2025, but Brodeur would like work to begin in three to five years.

"Guardrails are good for temporary, but they will age. You can go through a guardrail," Brodeur said.