MassDOT: $60M to Maintain & Fix Western Mass Bridges

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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The MPO was updated on the projects Tuesday afternoon.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state is currently spending more than $60 million in maintaining the 271 bridges in Western Massachusetts.
 
Peter Frieri, of the Department of Transportation's District 1, said nearly $10 million is being spent on emergency repairs and $51 million on rehabilitation projects. 
 
"Currently, there is $10 million that has been spent or will be spent on bridges," Frieri told the Berkshire Metropolitan Planning Organization on Wednesday.
 
Deck repairs are the most expensive and are being done under a $2.8 million contract with MIG Corp. at various locations throughout the district. SPS New England has the $1.1 million deck-repair contract.
 
The state is spending $1.6 million through J.H. Maxymillian on substructure repairs and $1.5 million with SPS on superstructure repairs. Clayton Davenport has a $2.6 million contract for other structural repairs and SPS again has a $436,000 contract for joint repairs. The completion dates for these repair projects range from May 2015 to November 2016.
 
The district includes not only the Berkshires but also parts of Hampshire, Hamden and Franklin counties. In the Berkshires, there are $51 million worth of bridge projects ongoing.
 
The largest bridge project is the Hadley Overpass in North Adams. That project, at nearly $35 million, is expected to be completed by the end of January 2015. Northern Construction is the low bidder on the next most expensive contract, which is the replacement of the Woodlawn Avenue bridge in Pittsfield. 
 
The next largest ongoing project is on Hopper Road in Williamstown — a $3.3 million project with a bid opening scheduled for this past Friday.
 
A bridge over Route 7A in Sheffield is being repaired by Maxymillian at nearly a $3 million cost. That project is 90 percent done and is expected to wrap up in the spring. A bridge on Route 41 is being replaced by Maxymillian at a cost of $2.2 million. A bridge on Route 8 in Sandisfield is being replaced for $1.4 million.
 
A bridge repair on Route 8 in Adams is nearing completion at a cost of $887,000 by MIG Corp. and a bridge on Route 8 in Sandisfield is eyed for repair at a cost of $695,000.
 
The MPO members said they would like to know how the bridges are prioritized, and Frieri said he would prepare a presentation.
 
"We're going to see more bridges needing repairs because of the weather we've been getting," said MPO member Jim Lovejoy.

Tags: bridge work,   MassDOT,   MPO,   transportation,   

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Two Men Found Guilty of Marijuana Trafficking

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, May 6, Yebin Mai, 32 of Staten Island, NY and Dem Wu, age 52 of Staten Island, NY, were found guilty by jury of their peers in Berkshire Superior Court.
 
Yebin Mai was found guilty of two charges: Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds and Witness Intimidation. Dem Wu was found guilty of Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds.
 
According to a report, on July 30, 2020, State Police responded to a request for assistance from the Eversource Electric Company. The emergency dispatcher stated that two Eversource linemen were attempting to fix an electrical problem when they had a confrontation with individuals at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy. The residence belonged to Bin Huang after he purchased it in 2017 for $200,000 cash.
 
When state troopers arrived, the linemen stated that they responded to a report from a resident at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy claiming that power was fluctuating. When the linemen arrived at the house, they observed severely damaged wires and insulators leading from the roadside poles to the residence. When the Eversource linemen approached the house a man came out to meet them. The man, later identified as Yebin Mai, spoke limited English; therefore, communication between the Eversource linemen and resident became difficult. The linemen tried to explain that they would need to turn the power off to conduct a safety check of the electric meter and surrounding electrical connections. Mai became agitated. He handed the linemen an envelope filled with money later determined to be $600. The linemen attempted to return the envelope multiple times, but Mai would not take it. The linemen decided to leave the property. They called the police and waited for them to arrive, stated a report.
 
A trooper and Eversource supervisor arrived on the road at the end of 72 Jackson Road's driveway. A short time later, Mai drove down the driveway and attempted to leave in a pick-up truck with New York plates. There were two other passengers in the truck, including Dem Wu.
 
The trooper instructed Mai to stop and turn off the truck which he obeyed. All the individuals returned to the residence so the linemen could complete their inspection.
 
In a police report, the following items were observed at and around the house:
  • 4 separate electrical meters in poorly constructed boxes on the side of the house
  • Some melted wires and metal around the meter boxes (believed to be due to an excessive amount of energy being drawn through the wires)
  • Evidence of a small fire around one of the meter boxes
  • A smell of fresh grown marijuana (which grew once power was cut to the house and fans in the residence stopped running)
  • The sound of multiple fans inside the residence with no visible air ventilation system on the outside of the house
  • Windows with curtains drawn and boarded shut
  • A backyard covered in debris from a renovation, green planning pots, and large florescent light fixtures
  • Ring door cameras
  • A small path in the woods that ended in a pile of used potting soil and roots and stalks of freshly harvested marijuana plants

Additionally, Eversource reported that the monthly electric bill for 72 Jackson Road was approximately $10,000 per month, much higher than the average homeowner's bill.

The individuals on the property were questioned and ultimately allowed to leave. On July 31, 2020, Massachusetts State Police, including the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and a member of the DEA arrived at 72 Jackson Road to execute a search warrant. 
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