Public Hearing Notice  WESTFIELD - Bridge replacement project of the US202/State Route 10/Southwick Road Bridge over Little River

A Design Public Hearing will be held by MassDOT to discuss the proposed bridge replacement project of the US202/State Route 10/Southwick Road Bridge over Little River in the City of Westfield.

Purpose:

The purpose of this hearing is to inform the public of the proposed US202/State Route 10/Southwick Road over Little River bridge replacement project and to provide an opportunity for public question and comment. All questions and comments raised at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent practicable.

Proposal:

The proposed project will replace the bridge in its entirety, on a new alignment. The proposed bridge will be comprised of one span of curved steel box girders supported on new concrete abutments. Scour protection measures will be installed at the river’s edge to protect the abutments. The roadway will have a new vertical and horizontal alignment for improved traffic safety. The horizontal alignment will include dedicated turning lanes from Southwick Road to City View Road and Mill Street, with full traffic signals at City View Road and Mill Street, with crosswalks. Work will provide bike and pedestrian compliant shoulders and sidewalks. The project also includes; drainage, pavement, and traffic safety improvements. The bridge will be constructed in phases while maintaining two way traffic with limited nighttime closures for girder erection. Pedestrian access through the site will be maintained during construction.

A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT's policy concerning land acquisitions will be discussed at this meeting.

Written comments 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. 400103. 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 this website.