MassDOT to Resurface Adams' Howland Avenue
ADAMS, Mass. — The state Department of Transportation is set to resurface all four lanes of Howland Avenue in fiscal 2023, with work expected to begin in the fall.
"We don't know the exact number; we do know that the scope is, essentially, just north of the roundabout, all the way up to the city line by Bounti-Fare," said Town Administrator Jay Green at Wednesday's Board of Selectmen meeting. "The methodology of the resurfacing is yet to be determined. MassDOT engineers need to come out and work with our DPW to do core samples to determine the condition of the roadway that's underneath the surface."
The poor condition of Howland Avenue and other issues on the road, such as speeding and accidents, have become a focus for town officials. Green clarified that the resurfacing work does not mean the end of the Howland Avenue redesign project, which the town showed the first concept designs for in March.
"The idea is to get us, at least, all the way through until we can reduce the road size and execute our master plan for that road, which folks know we are undertaking," he said. "Our engineers are studying collecting public feedback about it and tweaking that design."
Green said work on Howland Avenue would not be possible without help, specifically mentioning Francisca Heming, District 1 highway director, and state Rep. John Barrett III.
"We spent a lot of time strategizing, we spent a lot of time advocating and, as I said, those folks I think really came through for Adams," he said. "We'll monitor the project and we'll and keep the public informed. I think this is great news for the town and it's not going to affect any dollars on our end at all."
The town's been complaining about the condition of the road for years, especially compared to the recently paved Curran Highway in North Adams. The state owns that section of Route 8 but not the road that runs through Adams. Motorists have been riding in the lefthand lane on Howland to avoid the potholes and cracks in the righthand lane.
In other business, Raymond Gargan Jr. of ProAdams updated the board on organizational projects funded by Rapid Recovery Program and state Office of Travel & Tourism grants. These projects include the wayfinding signs, which Gargan helped present to the Zoning Board of Appeals last month; new brochures for the town, web advertising and an updated exploreadams.com website.
"Berkshire County has a great tourism economy, but Adams doesn't get much of that," he said, noting they used as much of the town's existing brand and colors as possible in the designs. "... The idea was to try to leverage some of those attractions that we do have."
The first set of signs, Gargan said, is expected to be completed and ready for installation in the next several weeks. Green thanked the work ProAdams and other organizations are doing with the town.
"You're making a difference, and this community is ever so slowly evolving into the community that we know it can become," he said.
Tags: MassDOT, paving,
