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Date: 10/4/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — After a monthlong delay, the downtown West Springfield rotary project has entered its early stages, according to Mayor William Reichelt.
The project would install a rotary at the intersection of Elm and Westfield streets, and widen the sidewalks in the area. The project would also narrow Elm Street to one lane approaching the rotary on both sides. The land reclaimed from traffic lanes will be filled with green space, trees, picnic tables, benches and light fixtures.
The project is currently budgeted at $3 million. It will be paid for with a $1.3 million grant from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and with Chapter 90 funds, state aid for local road projects.
Reichelt said the project officially began in August. It was planned for June but hiccups in the bidding process set it back a month. He said the town’s contractor, Caracas, is now working out a timeline with the town Engineering Department. Other early tasks include putting out warning signs, giving businesses early notice, and cutting trees.
“We hope to get some work done before the end of the construction season but it’s really going to depend on what projects they have going on in town and in other places,” Reichelt said.
The intersection will remain open throughout construction. However, there will inevitably be delays and lane closures.
“It really depends on what’s going on and when you’re coming through it,” he said.
Ultimately, Reichelt is excited for construction to begin: “This is a project that I’ve been hoping for and working for a while,” he said. “I think in the long run, this will be seen as a great reinvigoration of the downtown.”
Reichelt sees the rotary project as a method to beautify the area, as well as making it walkable and bikeable.
“We want to get [people] out of their cars so they’re going into businesses and spending money and enjoying the Common downtown,” he said.
Reichelt acknowledges that rotaries can be controversial, and change to an established downtown can be difficult. However, he said a rotary should make this intersection safer than it is now with traffic lights and turning lanes crossing a median strip.
“A lot of people are yelling and screaming that [a rotary is] awful, and then you see as it works that it’s better for traffic,” he said. “It slows people down and it makes the road safer.”
Ultimately, Reichelt asks that residents have patience and understanding as the project progresses.
“We have the best interests of town traffic and safety in mind,” he said.