Pond Road almost got a big makeover in the form of a senior living facility at the top of it, but in the aftermath of that plan being dashed, the road has been in major makeover mode.
Over the summer, Wellesley’s Department of Works erased the potholes and smoothed over the road with fresh pavement. The only downside is that some driving up and down the hilly strip are feeling free to go faster. With traffic seeming to worsen daily on Routes 16 and 135, Pond Road has become more of a cut-through to try to avoid backups.
Topping off the makeover are replacement signs emphasizing the narrowness of the road and the fact that it’s a designated scenic road. The road could probably be made a little more scenic with some sign editing (not sure the “No Parking Any Time” sign is really needed given that the sign above it already states the same message).
Reader KD, who shared photos of the signs, said “It may be a contest between Pond and Cheney as to which scenic road can have the most, but the signs would indicate a Narrow win for Pond.” (Cheney Drive connects Rte. 16 to Elm Bank Reservation.)
It supposedly could still cost you $15,000 to litter on Pond Road, per existing signs. Let’s hope the old scenic road and “narrow” signs were disposed of properly.
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It’s odd that the built-in speed mitigation solution, bumps and potholes (which weren’t bad to begin with), were sacrificed so cars could go faster on a scenic road. Guess they’ll be adding man-made ones now.