NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday approved four temporary easements to accommodate the $2.2 million reconstruction of a collapsed section of Walnut Street over the next year. 

 

Walnut Street runs above and parallel to State Street and the section that collapsed is above a large gorge just north of the closed Oak Avenue. A pipe runs under the road and streams water into the gorge — a 20 or 30 foot drop. 

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey said the easements are for two years and are required to move utilities from one side of the street. 

 

"As we get ready to do this project and make it come to life, we need to move the utilities," she said. "So, as you will understand in true City of North Adams fashion, all of the utilities run along the wall. So we have to temporarily remove the gas and the electric, telephone cable and whatever else is attached up there to the opposite side, and move the utilities onto properties."

 

Residents have been expressing concerns about the road's condition for 30 years. The more than century-old dry stone stack retaining wall on the steep grade began to significantly deteriorate four years ago and the roadway was blocked off to one lane along the wall. The east edge of the road gave way in April 2022 and collapsed during the night, reportedly loudly enough that it woke the occupants in the home across the way.

 

"We tried for several grant rounds, and we finally were successful last year, receiving a grant from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program in the amount of $2 million," the mayor said. "Part of that grant application was a required match, so the city is basically matching $200,000 that we have remaining from our flood recovery money that we received a few years ago. ...

 

"The project has been a long time coming."