State Plans 2026 Construction Start for Holmes Road Bridge

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:38PM / Thursday, February 26, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The state Department of Transportation plans to begin construction on the structurally deficient Holmes Road bridge this year.

The structure between Cooper Parkway and Pomeroy Avenue closed on Wednesday so that a signal can be installed for one-lane traffic beginning next week.

"While the timeline for repairs is still being finalized, MassDOT aims to advertise this project for bids this summer, with construction set to begin later this year," John Goggin, MassDOT communications analyst, said via email on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the city notified residents that the bridge on Holmes Road, a well-traveled route, will be reduced to one lane indefinitely beginning March 2.

Following a partial load rating analysis, MassDOT recommended that the city close the state-owned bridge with a plan to reopen it with an alternating one-way traffic pattern, Goggin reported.

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

Two years ago, a bridge farther down the road over the rail line on Holmes 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.

It has been selected for inclusion in Gov. Maura Healey's Funding for Accelerated Infrastructure Repair (FAIR) program, which assists cities and towns with bridge preservation projects. MassDOT does not have a cost estimate at this time.

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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