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Date: 7/20/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Cyclists will soon be able to traverse West Springfield from the Holyoke to Agawam town lines using dedicated bike lanes, according to Town Engineer Connor Knightly.
A combination of dedicated bicycle paths and bike lanes added to roadways will connect the Connecticut River Bikeway along Route 5 to Elm Street, Park Avenue, Memorial Avenue, and the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge. The construction projects are all part of West Springfield’s “Complete Streets” prioritization plan, which was completed in 2017 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Work on the Town Common area downtown is part of the plan.
Right now, “a lion’s share of that project has been completed,” according to Knightly. Contractors are waiting on traffic signal equipment to be delivered, but delivery has been held up by ongoing supply chain shortages.
Construction on Park Street and Park Avenue is expected to be substantially complete prior to the opening of the Big E this year.
Meanwhile, designs for a $22 million rebuild of Memorial Avenue have been finalized. According to construction plans published by the town Department of Public Works, bicycle lanes will run on both sides of the road from the Memorial Bridge rotary to Circuit Avenue, then converge into a separated two-lane path from Circuit Lane to Gate 1 of the Eastern States Exposition. In addition to the bike lanes, Memorial Avenue will see new sidewalks, increased street parking, and improved bus stops with turn-outs and shelters.
The project was slated to be put up for bid on July 19. Construction is planned to begin in 2023.
A bicycle path was already included in the reconstruction of the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge and nearby intersections in Agawam, which finished in 2021.
Heading north from Memorial Avenue, a second phase of construction is being planned for the Connecticut River Bike Path. West Springfield is working with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to ensure construction does not negatively affect the river.
Phase I of the project, which built 1.5 miles of pedestrian and bicycle trails along the Connecticut River parallel to Riverdale Street, has been completed.
Plans are also in the works for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure farther north along Route 5. A project expected to go to bid next May, with construction beginning in late 2023 or early 2024, would see expanded sidewalk access on one side of the road, and dedicated bike lanes on the other, along Riverdale Street from the area of the Cinemark theater to the Holyoke line.
The new bike lanes are likely to see traffic from an increasing number of electric assist bicycles. Last year, Valley Bike Share expanded into West Springfield, adding docks for rental bikes on Memorial Avenue and Park Street. The town is looking into adding more, according to Knightly.
Additionally, a rider to the $10.4 billion transportation bill passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives last month could bring even more electric bicycles to the state, if approved by the Senate. The amendment, sponsored by state Rep. Natalie Blais, allocates $1 million for the Department of Energy to issue rebates of up to $500 for general consumers, and up to $750 for low-income and moderate-income consumers, towards the purchase of electric bikes.
According to 2020 census data, 10 percent of West Springfield households do not own a car.