Lanesborough Bridge Closed for Next Year

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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The state has closed a second Berkshire County bridge because of structural issues. 
 
The 20-foot span on Bridge Street was ordered closed by the Department of Transportation at 9 a.m. on Friday, based on an inspection conducted Thursday that identified further structural issues and holes.
 
On Tuesday, the state ordered the Brown Street bridge in North Adams closed because of structural deficiencies. 
 
The steel girder bridge over Town Brook was built in 1945 and had most recently a deck rating of 3 and a superstructure rating of 5 and 6. 
 
Town Administrator Gina Dario said in a release on Friday that MassDOT had advised the town that the Bridge Street closure would continue until 2025 and the cost to replace it is estimated at $2.9 million.
 
She said MassDOT had confirmed that the design for the replacement of the bridge is nearly finished, however there are further items that will need to be completed before the repair work can begin.
 
The bridge is on the MassHighway project list at 100 percent design as of last August and is on the county's Transportation Improvement Plan for funding in fiscal 2025 through the federal Surface Transportation Block Grant. 
 
Construction is expected to begin late this year or early next year.
 
The existing three-span bridge will be replaced with a single span pre-stressed concrete box beam bridge on new abutments, according to the state. The roadway profile will remain relatively unchanged from existing conditions. A new sidewalk on one side of the bridge is proposed along with a share use vehicle/bicycle lane in both directions of travel. 
 
The bridge was posted with a six ton weight limit and the  northerly westbound lane had been closed because of holes in the pavement and concrete deck that had been covered by a steel plate.
 
Massachusetts has approximately 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. 
 
Massachusetts DOT 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.
 
The town's Department of Public works will be working to ensure access is clear on the alternative roads. The town will continue to provide information as available.

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DA Clears Trooper in Fatal Hancock Shooting

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

District Attorney Timothy Shugrue says the results of an autopsy by the medical examiner will not change his findings, which are based on the video and witnesses. With him are State Police Lts. Chris Bruno and Ryan Dickinson and First Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey.
 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — District Attorney Timothy Shugrue has determined that State Police Trooper William Munch acted in compliance during what is being described as a "suicide by cop" earlier this month.
 
On Sept. 9, 64-year-old Phillip Henault reportedly placed a fictitious 911 call about an ongoing violent assault. Body-camera footage from the trooper shows the man advancing on him with two knives before being shot twice and collapsing in the street in front of his Richmond Road residence.
 
"Mr. Henault was actively using deadly force against law enforcement. There were no other objectively reasonable means that the trooper could have employed at the time in order to effectively protect himself and anyone that was in the home or the public. By virtue of his duties as a police officer, the trooper did not have the obligation to run away from Mr. Henault," Shugrue said during a press conference on Friday.
 
"Mr. Henault posed an active threat to the trooper and to the public. The trooper had a duty to arrest Mr. Henault who was engaged in various felonies. His arm was an active threat."
 
The DA determined that Munch's decision to fire his weapon at Henault under the circumstances was a "lawful and reasonable exercise of self-defense and defense of others" compliance with the policies of the State Police and commonwealth law, clearing the trooper of criminal charges and closing the investigation.
 
The lethal force was labeled as an "unavoidable last resort."
 
A preliminary autopsy determined the unofficial cause of death was two gunshot wounds to the torso with contributing factors of wounds to the wrists that were inflicted by Heneault. The final report from the medical examiner has not been issued.
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