New Mall Road Opens In Lanesborough
 U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, said the project was a great use of stimulus money. |
The road that connects Route 7 and Route 8 was reconstructed with $6.3 million in federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and serves as one of the few connections between the two major routes.
The road has been under construction since 2008 and on Wednesday local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to cap off the work.
Last year the main section of the road was opened and Wednesday the second part of the project, which is a new connection to Route 8, was completed. Nearly 50 people crowded the sidewalks for the opening ceremony.
"What a good thing this is as a use for the recovery and reinvestment act monies...Things like this are done all over the country and have put a lot of people to work," U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, said. "I am quite certain Berkshire County will use this new transportation facility quite often."
The road was originally built in 1987 and had eroded into a very bumpy ride. At one point ambulance drivers began avoiding it. The renovation strengthened the road to endure heavy traffic flows and officials expect it to serve the county for many years.
"When you drive over this road, remember this is a road for Berkshire County," project spokesman Mark Siegars said. "This road will never look like that again."
Renovating it became a political battle between the town, Pittsfield and the neighboring businesses. Eventually, the stimulus money got the project rolling.
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The renovation finally came to fruition after officials from the federal down to the local level battled for funding. The town gave out plaques to many people – from engineers to politicians – responsible for getting the shovels in the ground.
"This road has been a godsend for the town of Lanesborough and whether they'll admit it or not, the city of Pittsfield too," Board of Selectmen Chairman William Prendergast said. "There was a lot of time and effort put into this."
Olver said the road came in 25 percent under budget and the remaining money is going toward other construction projects.
Tags: stimulus,
