image description — The Holmes Road bridge over the Housatonic is heavily traveled, as this September image from Google Maps shows. When the other bridge was reduced to one-lane, it created long backups from travelers.

Another Holmes Road Bridge in Pittsfield Down to One Lane

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Tuesday, February 24, 2026Print Story | Email Story

The location of the bridge on Holmes Road.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Another bridge on Holmes Road will be reduced to one lane indefinitely beginning next month and closed for the rest of the week.

It's the third bridge so far in the Berkshires that's been downgraded in the past month: The Briggsville bridge in Clarksburg is set to be replaced by a temporary bridge and the Park Street bridge in Adams has had weight restrictions placed on it.

On Tuesday, Pittsfield announced that the bridge over the Housatonic River, located between Cooper Parkway and Pomeroy Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic from Monday, March 2, until further notice.

"Due to a recent inspection by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation," a press release stated, it will be closed in both directions from Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 25) to Sunday, March 1, so that barriers and a signal can be installed.

Two years ago, a bridge farther down the road over the rail line reopened after a partial closure since 2019 and a full closure of more than 60 days.

The bridge over the Housatonic is identified as being structurally deficient by the state based on an inspection last October. Built in 1962, the 35-foot steel-and-concrete span has an overall condition of 4, or poor.

Pittsfield has identified a temporary detour during this work, using Pomeroy Avenue, Marshall Avenue and Cooper Parkway.

On March 2, two-way traffic will be restored in one lane and directed with a temporary signal.

Pittsfield reported that the state has selected this bridge for repair as part of the Funding for Accelerated Infrastructure Repair program and will take responsibility for design and repair "in an accelerated way." Gov. Maura Healey announced the program last month using funds from the Fair Share Act, and is part of the governor's $8 billion transportation plan.

iBerkshires has reached out to MassDOT for more information on this project.

Residents and officials celebrated the reopening of the bridge over the railroad in August 2023. It had been reduced to one lane since 2019 after being found structurally insufficient and in need of a $3.5 million replacement of the overpass structure. This included a new superstructure over the Housatonic Rail line, a restored sidewalk, improved bicycle access, pavement, and traffic barriers.

Tags: bridge project,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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