MassDOT Plans 2023 Completion of Holmes Road Bridge
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The highly anticipated completion of the Holmes Road bridge is a year away but details for the new structure were outlined during a second public hearing this week.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is nearing the end of its design review process and expects to unveil the new structure in fall 2023 after a 63-day closure over the preceding summer.
Three options were explored to fix the bridge and it was determined that a $3.5 million replacement of the overpass structure is the best route. The Federal Highway Administration will fund 80 percent and MassDOT will supply the remaining 20 percent.
This includes a new bridge over the Housatonic Rail line, a restored sidewalk, improved bicycle access, new pavement, and new traffic barriers.
The bridge has been reduced to one-lane traffic for about three years and has to the frustration of abutters and commuters.
"Please understand the MassDOT District One office, as well as our office headquartered in Boston, recognizes that this situation has created an ongoing nuisance for the homeowners who live near the bridge as well as others who use Holmes Road," Project Manager William Brown said at a virtual public hearing on Wednesday.
"As many of you know all too well, the situation has also resulted in increased travel times for anyone who uses Holmes Road."
Many residents voiced concerns about construction disruptions, traffic impacts, and timing for more than an hour. The road is a major connector route on the east side of Pittsfield.
State Rep. Tricia Farley Bouvier, who lives in the neighborhood of the bridge, expressed many concerns with the project including conflicts that may arise from the detours that will be utilized during the bridge's closure.
One official signed detour will take travelers down Pomeroy Avenue to Crofut Street and then onto South Street, or Route 7/20. An unsigned detour goes from Williams Street to East New Lenox Road, to Chapman Street/East Street, and then back to Holmes Road.
Bouvier did commend MassDOT for the accelerated technique it is utilizing that reduces construction time, avoids conflicts with the school year, and allows nearby homeowners to retain access to their properties and ensure access for emergency services.
"I do have a lot of concerns about the traffic implications on this project and I appreciate the fact that you are taking that under consideration and that you will in real time, be nimble to make adjustments as things go forward," Farley-Bouvier said.
"I think that the intersection at Crofut and South Street will be a particular choke point there that we might need to be using some traffic signal timing, I'm also very concerned about truck traffic on East New Lenox Road, which was that that other route that there won't be signage for, but as we have experienced many times in Pittsfield people use roads not meant for trucks because the trucks have their GPS and they take routes that really are unsuited for large vehicles and I hope that we can address those,"
"And while many of my constituents will be impacted by the process of this project, the ones who I'm the most concerned about are those who are the abutters and live in the immediate area and so I feel like I need to have my strongest advocacy for those individuals and so that's why I support the closure of the bridge for this project."
She pointed out that residents voiced support for the bridge closure at the first public hearing for the project in August, which fueled her support.
Farley-Bouvier also emphasized the importance of "being a good neighbor" to direct abutters and said that she appreciates the increased bike access.
A routine inspection in 2018 uncovered severe deterioration to several of the bridge's beams and showed that the supporting concrete structure needed rehabilitation.
This prompted a structural evaluation called a Bridge Rating Report that revealed the deteriorated beams could not support the loads they would normally be subjected to.
It was reduced to alternating one-lane traffic in April 2019 with a temporary traffic signal to mitigate the flow of vehicles.
A design effort was initiated in April 2021 and the 100 percent design submission was submitted to MassDOT last month.
Two other alternatives were also considered during the process but rejected: replacing just the bridge's deteriorated beams and replacing the entire bridge.
"The preferred alternative is simply to replace the bridge overpass structure, which supports the roadway over the railroad, this alternative is midway between replacing the deteriorated beams and a full bridge replace," Brown explained.
"To further extend the usable bridge life we will also repair and rehabilitate the existing bridge support structure made up of the country the abutments and retaining walls."
In June and July, MassDOT will advertise the contract for the project and award it in the fall. A contractor will get a financial bonus if the bridge is reopened on time and a financial penalty will be imposed if it is not.
Right of Way Agent Erik Kristensen said the current design plan indicated that no right of way will be required but if that changes, affected property owners will be contacted by the proper personnel.
Project information can be found on the MassDOT website and comments can be emailed to MassDOTProjectManagement@dot.state.ma.us or mailed to:
Carrie Lavallee, P.E., Chief Engineer
MassDOT
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116
Attention: Project Management Section Project File N. 611955
Tags: bridge project,
