image description — A section of Massachusetts Avenue will be closed for the installation of a 5-foot diameter stormwater pipe.

Mass Ave Section Closed for Culvert Construction

08:36AM / Monday, August 21, 2023Print Story | Email Story

The first phase of the $2.4 million stormwater project has been completed under Ashton Avenue, which reopened to traffic on Monday.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There's some good news for residents in the west end of the city: Ashton Avenue has reopened as of Monday.

There's also bad news: Massachusetts Avenue is now closed to through traffic from Ashton Avenue to Protection Avenue for at least the next three months.

The city is using a $2.4 million MassWorks grant to fix infrastructure issues that have slowed attempts to redevelop the Blackinton Mill.

A 5-foot diameter stormwater pipe is being installed between Ashton Avenue and Wood Street to address stormwater issues. The 1-foot to 2-foot drainage pipes under Wood and Ashton are undersized to handle the amount of water coming off the mountain to the north.

The waterway under the Blackinton mill and the culverts on Ashton Avenue had become clogged with sediment and debris, causing flooding.

The plan is to replace the existing pipes with a 60-inch pipe down Wood Street and then mostly along the same track, until it crosses under Massachusetts Avenue to the south before the intersection with Ashton to avoid a 24-inch water line.

A box culvert was installed below Ashton Avenue, which has been closed since early spring to allow for construction.

Eastbound traffic on Mass Ave will be routed over Ashton to Route 2 and westbound traffic over Protection to Route 2. The city sent out Code Red over the weekend and on Monday morning to alert motorists.

Tags: road project, stormwater,

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North Adams Airport Commission Discusses Damaged Hangar

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
03:46PM / Monday, February 23, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission discussed what to do with the now-closed, city-owned Shamrock Hangar on Tuesday.

Chairman James Haskins said that after pipes burst in the hangar last winter, the Shamrock has basically been sitting empty.

"Pipes were frozen in the walls and broke," he said. "It was shut down a year ago. The pipes are still broken, and the city did fix a broken pipe outside that led up to the building a few weeks ago, but we have to make a decision on what to do with that space and make a plan."

The city purchased the hangar in 2017 with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funds. It was subsequently renovated and opened as a public space. Commissioner Dean Bullett expressed disappointment that the building was never winterized.

"This is something that should have never happened in the first place," Bullett said.

Haskins clarified that the city intended to winterize the property, but due to "overlap," officials could not get to the hangar quickly enough to do so properly. He noted that although some work has been done to repair the hangar, the project needs to be completed.

Airport user and former commissioner Trevor Gilman said that when it was open, the Greylock Soaring Club leased space in the hangar. The city waived the lease fee, and in exchange, the club maintained and cleaned the area.

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