MassDOT, State Police, and AAA Remind Motorists to Slow Down in Work Zones

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BOSTON — Ahead of National Work Zone Awareness Week and as construction season gets underway, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Massachusetts State Police, and AAA are reminding motorists to exercise caution when passing through active construction and maintenance projects.
 
This includes following traffic laws, reducing speed as indicated by signage and as necessary to prevent a crash, and remaining alert when passing through active construction and maintenance projects. 
 
National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual event that brings attention to work zone safety and education around preventing crashes and fatalities in these areas. MassDOT promotes work zone safety throughout the year, to help protect the men and women who work on the roads.  
 
"Here in Massachusetts and across the country, construction workers risk their lives every day to build and maintain the roads we all rely on," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "We owe it to them—and their families—to do our part. When driving through a work zone, slow down, stay alert, and be aware of your surroundings. Protecting workers from injury or tragedy isn't just a seasonal responsibility—it's something we all must commit to, every time we get behind the wheel." 
 
Contractors involved in road projects in the United States report frequent crashes in work zones. Sixty-four percent of highway contractors report that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, putting motorists and workers at risk, according to the results of a highway work zone study released in May of 2024 and conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America and HCSS.  
 
Meanwhile, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST), 4,319 people were killed in work zone crashes in the United States between 2018 and 2022. The number of work zone fatalities has grown from 757 fatalities in 2018 to 891 in 2022, an 18 percent increase. 

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Pittsfield Signs Negotiating Rights Agreement With Suns Baseball Team

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Suns will call Wahconah Park home again. 

On Tuesday, the Parks Commission accepted a negotiating rights agreement between the city and longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns. It solidifies that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated. 

It remains in effect until the end of 2027, or when a license or lease agreement is signed. Terms will be automatically extended to the end of 2028 if it appears the facility won't be complete by then. 

"It certainly looks like it lays out kind of both what the Suns and Pittsfield would like to see over the next year or so during this construction plan, to be able to work together and work exclusively with each other in this time," Commissioner Anthony DeMartino said. 

Owner Jeff Goldklang, joining virtually, said he shared those thoughts, and the team looks forward to starting negotiations. After this approval, it will need a signature from Mayor Peter Marchetti and the baseball team. 

The negotiating rights agreement recognizes the long-standing relationship between Pittsfield and the team dating back to 2012, and the Suns' ownership group's historical ties to Wahconah Park and the city dating to the 1980s. The team skipped the 2024 and 2025 seasons after the historic grandstand was deemed unsafe in 2022.  

The Suns were granted the exclusive right to negotiate in good faith with the city for a license or lease agreement where the Suns will be the primary tenant. During the terms of the agreement, the city can't negotiate or enter into an agreement with another party for leniency, licensing, or operation of Wahconah Park for professional or collegiate summer baseball. 

"The Parties acknowledge the historic and cultural importance of Wahconah park to the residents of Berkshire County and share a mutual goal of providing community access, engagement, and programming on a broad and inclusive scale," it reads. 

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