Pittsfield's Pecks Road Bridge Opens

The old bridge was demolished last  year and the new one completed within six months. The span had been limited to one lane for five years. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After nearly a year of full closure, the Peck's Road bridge is back online.

On Tuesday, the city announced on social media that the $1,689,000 project was complete. The bridge was reduced to one lane of traffic for five years and completely closed last summer after an inspection from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation found six areas of deterioration.

This means that drivers will no longer need to detour from Peck's Road to Onota Street, Vin Herbert Boulevard, and to Valentine Road. There will be no ribbon cutting, according to the city. 

Because it had to be fully shut down, construction took about half the time it would have with a partial closure, which was initially planned.

The bridge was first ordered to be closed completely in the fall of 2019. 

"The state made the requirement after they performed the annual inspection. After hearing that the bridge needed to be closed we requested a second review of the inspection and state came back, allowing the bridge to be open for a one lane 10 feet wide," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales wrote VIA email, adding that the state of the bridge and prior inspections didn’t find that it needed to be replaced.

Work included demolishing the old bridge, which happened last fall, and the reconstruction of the span over Onota Brook. A paved sidewalk runs along one side of the bridge.

The bid was awarded to Rifenburg Construction of Troy, N.Y.

During the inspection in July 2024, MassDOT found:

• settlement in the wearing surface along the east curb, full length by 3 feet wide by up to 2-inches deep (This aligns with bay 17)
• buckling of beam 18 along with a gap between the deck and the beam forming up to 1/4 inch
• beam 17 bottom flange is distorted up to 1/4 inch full length
• beam 16 bottom flange is distorted 3/4 inch full length. (Beam has several holes in the flange and web)
• beam 14 has holes at the north end and the web is distorted 1 1/4 inch out of the plane
• beam 13 web is distorted 5/8 inch out of the plane

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.