Public Hearing Notice  Easthampton – Mountain View School Improvements (SRTS)

A Virtual Design Public Hearing will be hosted on the MassDOT website below to present the design for the proposed project in Easthampton/District 2, MA.

Purpose:

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed project. All views and comments submitted in response to the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

Proposal:

This project will create a safer, more comfortable, and more utilized route for the increased number of students expected to access the new school by walking or biking. The proposed project consists of an 8- to-10-foot-wide bituminous shared-use path for improving pedestrian and bicyclists’ safety and accessibility along the east side of Park Street. The proposed shared-use path will either be grade-separated by curbing or be separated from the roadway by a grass buffer depending on Right-of-Way constraints and tree locations. 

All existing pedestrian ramps at intersecting streets will be upgraded to be Public Right Of Way Accessible Guideline (PROWAG) compliant. Two additional crossing locations on Park Street at Friel Circle and Garfield Avenue will be added for students, as well as the public, to safely access the residential developments on the west side of Park Street. The installation of a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) will enhance pedestrian safety. High visibility City standard continental style crosswalks will be striped at each intersection with pedestrian crossings. 

A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. The city is responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be presented in the hearing.

Project inquiries, written statements and other exhibits regarding the proposed undertaking may be submitted to Carrie E. Lavallee, P.E., Chief Engineer, via e-mail to massdotprojectmanagement@dot.state.ma.us or via US Mail to Suite 7360, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Project Management, Project File No. 612772. Statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the hearing transcript must be emailed or postmarked no later than ten (10) business days (14 calendar days) after the hearing is hosted.

This hearing is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (e.g interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, live captioning, videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats), as available.  For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), TTD/TTY at (857) 266-0603, fax (857) 368-0602 or by email (MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us). Requests should be made as soon as possible and prior to the hearing, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten business days before the hearing. 

This hearing will be hosted, or a cancellation announcement posted, on this website.