Major Roadwork In Adams' Future

By Jen Thomas
11:02AM / Monday, January 28, 2008

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ADAMS - Several major road projects are ready to begin construction as town and state officials have partnered up to move forward with long-awaited improvements.

According to Town Administrator William Ketcham and Department of Public Works Director Thomas Satko, construction on Route 116 (Orchard Street) and the Leonard Street bridge are slated for the spring and summer months and plans for the extension of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail have been established.

Repairs to a 7,900-foot section of road from the Cheshire town line north to near where Orchard Street meets Commonwealth Avenue will be undertaken by the state Highway Department and will hopefully begin in the spring, said Satko. The road, which was also the site of water main construction by the Fire District earlier this year, will be repaved, sidewalks and a 300-foot retaining wall will be rebuilt and minor drainage issues will be addressed.

"Right now, the sidewalks are black top and they only extend totally down one side of the street. They'll be replaced by concrete and widened to five feet [to meet Americans with Disabilities Act specifications]," said Satko.

Stairs that lead up to residences along Orchard Street may need to be removed and then replaced, said Ketcham, and stone walls that were built by property owners will need to be moved back because they are encroaching on state property.
Additionally, as a result of public hearings, concrete retaining walls along one side of the street will have stone veneers, which are much more aesthetically-pleasing for homeowners living opposite them, he said.
 
The total project will cost about $1.7 million, according to MassHighway.

Orchard Street, which is owned by the state but is maintained by the town during winter months, will be under the town's ownership following construction, Satko said. An agreement struck between the town and MassHighway will see the state take over maintenance of Howland Avenue (Route 8) from Specialty Minerals Inc. to the North Adams city line in exchange for the town's full-time maintenance of Route 116.

"When they're done, they'll give us a nice new road," Satko said.

Ketcham said the state may consider a reconfiguration of Howland Avenue to help assuage snow plowing issues that have local residents up in arms.

"There may be some kind of reconfiguration for the future, perhaps some narrowing," he said.

Patchwork paving on Orchard Street after water main work last year.

The Leonard Street bridge will also see construction this spring, as the town expects the aging bridge to get a complete $990,700 makeover. Contracted to Petricca Industries Inc., the project is expected to begin in April and be completed in October.

"It'll be a big change for the residents in that area," said Ketcham.

During the duration of the construction, parking will be suspended on both sides of the street on Bellevue Avenue and detours will be set up to keep traffic off the bridge.

The town's other big project is the extension of the Ashuwillticook Rail trail past Cook Street and north to Lime Street. The approximate 1.2-mile extension of the popular walking and biking trail will cost an estimated $1 million and is still in the planning stages.




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