Across the region, locals and commuters alike rightly refer to the Concord Rotary as “broken.” MassDOT’s data reveals that nearly 90 percent of the 50,000 vehicles that pass through the Concord Rotary daily are through-trips that must merge with local traffic in what becomes a daily bottleneck.
When Massachusetts Correctional Institute-Concord closed in 2024, the opportunity arose to separate local and regional traffic movement, add accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists, and improve safety and air quality.
There are currently four options being considered by MassDOT and local stakeholders. One of these options (number three) would require that the Freeman Cuming house be moved to a new location. The Freeman Cuming house is an historic site sacred to the memory of Brister Freeman and the other people enslaved there. Whether the house is moved or not, its future use should be looked at closely by the Concord community.
The Freeman Cuming House 