Hingham Board Unanimously Backs Fountain Square Redesign and Speed Limit Expansion

HINGHAM — August 26, 2025 — Hingham Select Board unanimously approves Fountain Square redesign and endorses a 22-project Complete Streets plan targeting a roundabout near the high school. The three-member board, chaired by Bill Ramsey, voted Tuesday to accept traffic committee plans to eliminate the westerly leg of Lincoln Street, expand green space in front of New North Church, bury two utility poles, and install a rectangular rapid-flash beacon crosswalk — all funded through a state Shared Streets grant and Chapter 90 funds, with construction set for this fall and completion targeted for April or May 2026. The board also endorsed a Complete Streets prioritization plan identifying 22 projects for state grant funding, with the first construction application targeting a roundabout at the Main Street, Middle Street, and Short Street intersection, where Hingham Police Sgt. Jeff Kilroy reported approximately 25 crashes since 2021. A final roundabout vote is expected by late September ahead of an October 1 MassDOT deadline. The board additionally approved a common victualer license for Hook Pizza Company at 73 South Street and made six appointments to the Human Rights Commission.