Public Meeting Notice  PITTSFIELD - Proposed Bridge Replacement Project on New Road over the West Branch of the Housatonic

A Design Public Hearing will be held by MassDOT to discuss the proposed Bridge Replacement Project on New Road over the West Branch of the Housatonic River in the City of Pittsfield, MA.

When:

Thursday, June 7, 2018 @ 7:00 PM

Purpose:

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed New Road bridge replacement project in Pittsfield. All views and comments made at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

Proposal:

The proposed bridge project consists of the replacement of the pre-existing partially collapsed single span metal plate arch bridge and single lane temporary steel panel truss bridge structures. The proposed new 67-foot Single Span Precast Prestressed Concrete NEXT Beam superstructure will be supported on integral cast-in-place reinforced concrete abutments founded on steel H-piles. The proposed bridge will have a 28’-0” curb to curb roadway width providing two 10’-0” wide vehicular traffic lanes with two 4’-0” wide shoulders that will also accommodate pedestrians. The bridge will be closed during construction. Traffic and pedestrian access will be maintained with a temporary detour. Starting at the east end of the project on New Road, the proposed detour for vehicular traffic will follow New Road east, north on North Street, west on Keeler Street (private way), south over private way to the north end of Chatham Street, continue on Chatham Street, then back east on New Road to reach the west end of the project. Total detour length is approximately 0.6 miles. Proposed approach roadway work includes the construction of full depth asphalt pavement for approximately 134 feet of the westbound and 130 feet of the eastbound approach. The proposed approach roadway will match the existing approach roadway between guardrails and the existing 24’-0” approach roadway between curbs will be widened to 28’-0” between curbs. There will be no sidewalks on the proposed bridge or approach roadways.

A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Permanent and temporary easements may be required. The City of Pittsfield is responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be discussed at this hearing.

Written views received by MassDOT subsequent to the date of this notice and up to five (5) days prior to the date of the hearing shall be displayed for public inspection and copying at the time and date listed above. Plans will be on display one-half hour before the hearing begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions regarding this project. A project handout will be made available on the MassDOT website listed below.

Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Bridge Project Management Section, Project File No. 608523. Such submissions will also be accepted at the hearing. Mailed statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the public hearing transcript must be postmarked within ten (10) business days of this Public Hearing. Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us.

This location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio tapes, Braille and large print), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT's Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), fax (857-368-0602), TTD/TTY (857-368-0603) or by email MASSDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us. Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, 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 meeting.

In case of inclement weather, hearing cancellation announcements will be posted on the MassHighway website http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Highway/.