Fans headed to see Elton John's final concerts in New England at Gillette Stadium this week might be sitting in traffic for "a long, long time." Those who live near the stadium said traffic has been a nightmare lately, and they are bracing for the worst.
"I've lived here more than 40 years and I've never seen this," Mary Jane Lightbody said.
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Lightbody lives on a quiet street in Walpole that is roughly 2.5 miles from the stadium. She said she has never had a problem, but during the last two concerts, traffic has been bumper to bumper.
"People were in line for hours, so they have to get out of their car and urinate. It's just terrible," Lightbody said.
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Her neighbor on Washington Street could not even get out of her driveway when The Weeknd performed last week. She heard her stories from others.
"One neighbor couldn't get home from the hospital. People were trying to get home from work and it took them three hours," Mary Happ of Walpole said.
Walpole Police blame navigation apps for putting drivers on side roads instead of Route 1. After the last two concerts, they have started closing more streets and putting on more officers to manage the traffic.
"The traffic is so much worse now than we've ever seen. If this doesn't work, we'll adjust and we'll try to do what we can to make sure this goes smoothly," Walpole Police Chief Richard Kelleher said.
Residents in Walpole have come up with their own traffic plan that they said would help neighbors and concertgoers live in harmony. They are planning to speak at the Walpole Select Board meeting next week, but they said the Elton John concerts will be a real test.
"I don't want to judge what the town has decided to do, but I don't think it's enough. We'll see," Lightbody said.
