Williamstown's Route 7 Bridge Closed for Resurfacing Sept. 16 to 19

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced it will temporarily close the Moody Bridge located on Route 7 at Simonds Road over the Hoosic River and Pan Am Railroad in Williamstown. 

The bridge will be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic from 6:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 19, to allow crews to safely and efficiently conduct bridge deck resurfacing operations. A detour will be in place to direct traffic to follow Route 2 (Mohawk Trail) to Cole Avenue to North Hoosac Road to Bridges Road to Sand Springs Road.

Drivers who are traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution. All scheduled work is weather dependent and/or may be impacted due to an emergency. 

For information on traffic conditions travelers are encouraged to:  

• Dial 511 before heading out onto the roadways and select a route to hear real-time conditions.  
• Visit www.mass511.com, a website which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information, access to traffic cameras, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions.  
• Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions. 
• Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road. 

Williams Grads Reminded of Community that Got Them to Graduation

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:14PM / Sunday, June 02, 2024

The graduates heard from two speakers — Phi Betta Kappa speaker Milo Chang and class speaker Jahnavi Nayar Kirtane. The keynote speaker, Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was unable to attend and recorded his speech for playback. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College said goodbye Sunday to its graduating seniors.

 

And a representative of the class of 2024 took the time to say goodbye to everyone in the community who made students' journey possible.

 

Milo Chang, the Phi Beta Kappa speaker for the class and one of two students to speak at Sunday's 235th commencement exercises, explained that the term "Williams community" applies to more than those who get to list the school on their resumes.

 

"It includes everyone who has shaped our experiences here, from loved ones back home to the dedicated staff members who make campus their second home," Chang told his classmates. "During our time at Williams, we've seen this community step up in remarkable ways to support us."

 

Chang talked about the faculty and staff who gave their time to operate the COVID-19 testing centers and who greeted students before they could take their first classroom tests in the fall of 2020, and the dining services personnel who kept the students fed and somehow understood their orders through the masks everyone was wearing when this class arrived on campus.

 

And he shared a personal story that brought the message home.

 

"We often underestimate the power of community until we experience a taste of its absence," Chang said. "I remember staying on campus after our first Thanksgiving at Williams, after most students went home to finish the semester remotely. I remember the long hours sitting in empty common rooms. I remember the days you could walk through campus without seeing another student.