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| By Nate Luscombe Staff Writer CHICOPEE State Rep. Joseph Wagner (D-Chicopee), Mayor Michael Bissonnette and Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation John Cogliano announced last week that the Center Street reconstruction project will be getting underway soon. The project spans from the Chicopee-Springfield border to Hampden Street. Wagner said the project is a "full depth reconstruction," which will include replacing a 95-year-old water line, and dealing with some old trolley tracks that are underneath the existing Center Street road. Wagner said at the press conference that the road project needs to be timed properly with the completion of the new women's jail in Chicopee, which is being built on Center Street near the former American Bosch site. Wagner said the Center Street project "sat dormant for a while," but added that it's important that the reconstruction and jail projects happen together. "It's not just repaving," Wagner said. "It's going down to the utilities underneath, and then being built back up." Cogliano said the 25 percent design plans are in, and the project is expected to be advertised by the end of the year. He said the state is trying to expedite the project, knowing how important it is to the city. Bissonnette said he is "thrilled" at the state's cooperation on the project. The $3 million project will be reimbursed by the state and federal governments. Wagner said the city water department will pay for the water line, which figures to cost about $1 million. Ward 2 Alderman Chuck Swider also attended the event. The woman's jail and Center Street are located in Ward 2. |