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The Brown Street bridge has been on the state's fix-it list for some time. It was closed 'indefinitely' on Tuesday.

Structurally Deficient Brown Street Bridge Closed in North Adams

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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The bridge was built  in 1952 over the Hoosic River. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The state has ordered the Brown Street bridge closed. 
 
Residents were alerted the closure of the span that connects River Street to West Main Street by the city's CodeRed alert system around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The bridge is closed "indefinitely."
 
The bridge is blocked off on both sides though Brown Street is still accessible from West Main Street. 
 
The 26-foot steel structure's poor condition is well known and it was listed with 19 other bridges in the Berkshires requiring repairs or replacement using funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Brown Street is in line for nearly $1 million for superstructure repairs. 
 
According to MassDOT's bridge inventory, the Brown Street bridge has a deck rating of 7 and a superstructure rating of 3. Bridges are deemed structurally deficient with a rating less than 4. 
 
As of Tuesday, the bridge's information in the system had last been updated on Feb. 23. 
 
MassDOT has had the bridge in preliminary design stage for rehabilitation since 2013 with an estimated project cost of $5.6 million. 
 
The state Department of Transportation was expected to invest more than $3 billion in repairing bridges, addressing more than one-third of the structurally deficient bridge backlog. Last year, it had initiated more 146 bridge repair or replacement projects on 181 bridge structures.
 
Massachusetts has 444 bridges classified as structurally deficient, according to the National Bridge Inventory, and has identified more than $15 billion in repairs for 4,901 spans. 
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey confirmed on Tuesday that state inspectors had closed the bridge and said she would be able to speak on the bridge Wednesday. 

Tags: bridge work,   

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Companion Corner: Stink at No Paws Left Behind

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There's a cat at No Paws Left Behind looking for his forever home.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Don't let the name fool you! Stink is a 4-year-old domestic shorthair tabby who has been at the shelter for about a month.

Volunteer Claire Morin introduced us to him.

Stink came from his previous home after not getting along with some of the cats there.

"He came from a woman who had horses. He was an indoor cat, but he also spent some time in the barn, and I think he was not getting along with the other cats at the house."

Stink does like to roam around and check new stuff out. He can be a little shy at first but once he comes out he likes to play with toys and get a lot of pets. He can be quite territorial especially around male cats.

"He clearly likes treats. He likes to explore when he's out. He is a little bit territorial, so he has not come out that much. Actually, I'm surprised that he's out today, but, like I said, he prefers the company of female cats," she said. "He has been sort of interacting today with the male cats that he can now see ... he hasn't been acting out or hissing or anything towards them."

While it takes him a while to get out of his shell he is not shy to chat with you, most likely asking for more pets or to play.

"He does like people, he's very affectionate. He would not come out on his own for a long time. We could open the cage and he would interact with us, and he would be super sweet. You could interact with him, but he really preferred to stay in his cage. But now that he started to come out more, he's a lot more interactive," she said.

Stink would have to go home as the only cat or with a female cat because of his aversion to male cats.

"I think his perfect home would be someone who has children who are over the age of 8, because he can be a little bit territorial," Morin said. "The home can be cat friendly, there can be other cats, but preferably female, because he has been reactive towards male cats here at the shelter, and he can go home with dogs that have interacted with cats before."

Stink is a very sweet guy who can't wait to talk and snuggle up to you. Plus, you can pick a new name for him.

"I just think he's a super warm, friendly cat. He's clearly exploring the whole space today. He doesn't come out that often, but he's very gentle and very sweet," she said.

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