Roundabout Considered for Pittsfield's East, Fenn Intersection
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A roundabout is under consideration to improve safety at the intersection of East and Fenn Streets.
Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales reported this on April 2, while speaking to Shawn Serre, Pittsfield Community Television's executive director, on WTBR's "Morning Drive."
"It is definitely a troublesome intersection," Morales said. "We have multiple crashes there every year, and reducing that property and potential life loss is important to us."
East Street is the subject of a $10 million redevelopment led by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to widen the corridor from the intersection of East and Lyman Street to the intersection of East and Merrill Road, and add landscaping and pedestrian amenities.
It began with underground utility work that took longer than anticipated because of unexpected road bumps, including an unknown abandoned sewer line and the removal of contaminated material.
Morales reported that the city will do some milling and overlay work with the state to address the road's condition during work delays.
"We're working with the state to get that done because it's just been prolonged so long that the condition of the road, at one point, we were thinking about resurfacing that. We saw the project come in, we talked early scheduling, the schedule looked like 2026-2027 would have the new surface on," he said.
"That's not the case anymore with all of the actual conditions and the work that Maxymillian, the contractor, has to do there. We need to do something temporary, and that's what we're working on with the state right now."
The contract with Maxymillian is through August 2028.
Under the Transportation Improvement Plan, bidding on the next phase of the East Street reconstruction from Lyman Street to the Appleton Avenue intersection will begin in 2028, scheduled to follow the first phase of construction.
Morales explained that they will be dealing with two "very critical: intersections: Fenn Street and East Street, and East Street and Appleton Avenue, next to Pittsfield High School.
"There's going to be some public input and information sessions coming along. But that intersection, at this point, we are considering a roundabout there," he said about the intersection of Fenn and East Streets.
"… We're working with property owners; there are a few dealerships there, there's the lock shop, so we're working with them to minimize the property impacts and fit the roundabout the way it should fit. If all goes well, that's the plan at this point."
The first open house about Pittsfield's Safety Action Plan will be on Wednesday, April 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hot Plate Brewing Co. Pittsfield received federal funding to develop a safety action plan and traffic calming program that will guide future transportation safety investments, including improved infrastructure, policy, and programs.
Morales explained that this is through the Safe Streets For All, SS4A, program that Pittsfield received funding through a couple of years ago.
"It was held with all the federal government holding monies back, and finally, we got the contracts, and now we have been working internally, we have been working with action groups, and now we're opening to the public for our first drafts of the programs, the safety action plan," he said.
The SS4A program funds regional, local, and tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries. It will give the city a safety action plan, a toolkit for safety and repairs standards, and funding for a pilot installation.
Those traveling between upper and lower West Street will notice the installation of a traffic signal at the well-traveled intersection. Morales reported that lights will be turned on in about a month and a half, and infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike paths, curbing, and catch basins will be installed.
"And then the road work starts, the actual pavement, and then we wrap up with some markings and landscaping," he said.
"So that's coming along, that's going to be done this summer, and we'll have a new segment of our streets much safer than what we had before. We will have some raised crosswalks. We'll have some flashing pedestrian crossing signs, these are the rapid flashing beacons, or RFPs, and that's going to make it so every crossing will have these, and it's going to be important for folks to use to make sure that you're visible when you're crossing."
West Street is described as a "key" connector in Pittsfield and serves a mix of residential, school, and commercial areas. Still, over the years, vehicle speeds, inaccessible and deteriorating infrastructure, and traffic congestion at the West Street intersection have been of concern.
In January 2023, Shaloon Milord was struck and killed while crossing in front of Dorothy Amos Park, and in October 2023, Shane Cassavant was struck and killed farther up the street while doing roadwork.
Tags: roundabout, traffic safety,
