image description — Residents have had to take a lengthy detour to get from one side of Onota Brook to the other because of the closure of the bridge on Peck's Road. Their travel time could be reduced as early as late March with the arrival a new bridge next month.

New Peck's Road Bridge Coming Soon

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:35AM / Thursday, January 23, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A new Peck's Road bridge will be installed in February after six months of closure.

On Wednesday, the city reported that progress is "well underway," with the bridge structure expected for delivery in early February and installation in the following 2-5 weeks.

"Several unexpected delays have occurred during this project due to the unplanned, sudden closure of the one lane crossing as required by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) due to observed structural failures. This necessitated significant changes to the project plans, specifications, and approach, transitioning from a phased, side-by-side installation to a single, complete bridge installation," the city wrote in a press release.

"Despite these challenges, progress is well underway. The bridge structure has been fabricated and is ready for delivery. DOT has approved shop drawings for installation, and utility companies are on track to complete their preparatory work this week."

The bridge was abruptly closed to traffic in July following a MassDOT inspection found six areas of deterioration.

Work includes the demolition of the old bridge, which happened last fall, and reconstruction of the span over Onota Brook that had been reduced to one lane for five years. A detour takes travelers from Peck's Road to Onota Street, Vin Herbert Boulevard, and to Valentine Road.

Rifenburg Construction is set to mobilize by the end of next week and the bridge structure is expected to arrive during the week of Feb. 3. Installation will reportedly take two to three weeks in favorable weather conditions and up to four to five weeks if weather interruptions occur.

The bid was awarded to the contracting company for $1,535,420 with a 10 percent construction administration budget and a 10 percent contingency budget, bringing the total estimated cost to $1,842,504.

"We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we navigate the challenges ahead. Further updates will be shared as the project progresses," the city wrote.

During the inspection on July 22, MassDOT found:

settlement in the wearing surface along the east curb, full length by 3 feet wide by up to 2-inches deep (This aligns with bay 17)
buckling of beam 18 along with a gap between the deck and the beam forming up to 1/4 inch
beam 17 bottom flange is distorted up to 1/4 inch full length
beam 16 bottom flange is distorted 3/4 inch full length. (Beam has several holes in the flange and web)
beam 14 has holes at the north end and the web is distorted 1 1/4 inch out of the plane
beam 13 web is distorted 5/8 inch out of the plane

For more information, contact the Department of Public Services and Utilities at
dpw@cityofpittsfield.org or by calling 413-499-9330.

Tags: bridge project,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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