Route 20 project to present headache for drivers
Date: 4/4/2012
April 4, 2012By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD — It's a mere 24 inches, but that two feet of adjustment will wreak havoc for drivers traveling a portion of Route 20 for the next two years.
Last Thursday night, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) hosted a public hearing on the proposed Route 20 reconstruction project, which will increase by two feet the height of the CSX railroad bridge — listed as Bridge No. W-21-008 — near Charles Avenue, Gaskill Avenue and Locust Street.
The reconstruction project is necessary to allow CSX to operate double stacked trains, as approved by Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray under a recently signed multi-year rail transportation agreement between the Commonwealth and CSX.
That agreement is designed to expand commuter rail service in the eastern part of the state, strengthen the state's transportation infrastructure, again primarily in the east, and improve the Commonwealth's competitive position in the global economy.
West Springfield Planning Director Richard Werbiskis told
Reminder Publications the town had been aware of the proposed rail bridge reconstruction on that portion of Route 20 for about a year, but had only received the plans presented to the public on March 29 on Tuesday of that week.
Nearly 200 concerned abutters, residents, state and local officials crowded into the auditorium of the Municipal Office Building to hear the presentation hosted by Ken LaMontagne, project manager for the DOT Highway Division , Boston, Richard Masse, DOT District 2 project division engineer and Lenny Velechansky, project engineer with Trans Systems Engineers, Boston.
Over the course of the more than two-hour meeting, the DOT presented its plan for road reconstruction — which includes redesigning that portion of Route 20 to create a sweeping curve leading to and away from the expanded railroad bridge and raising the road bed a total of five feet to accommodate the new bridge height — while a mix of residents and local officials expressed their concerns about both the proposed roadway changes and the problems inherent with the two-year project.
Using a number of drawings and diagrams, Velechansky explained that the project would first involve constructing a temporary two-lane bridge and pedestrian walkway over the existing railroad tracks, as well as a temporary roadway for that portion of Route 20. The second phase of the project would involve demolishing and reconstructing the current railroad bridge and roadway, followed by the destruction of the temporary roadway and bridge.
He told meeting attendees that they would begin to see flags posted on that section of Route 20 — and men doing survey work for the project — beginning on April 2. The project deadline, as agreed to by Patrick, requires the DOT to have the temporary bridge ready to service CSX double-stacked trains by Aug 1 of this year and the reconstructed railroad bridge completed by Dec. 31. The entire project is slated for completion by July 2013.
West Springfield Zoning Board of Appeals Chairman Chet Zymoz said the scope and outcome of the Route 20 rebuilding project was "very distressing" to him as both a resident and taxpayer.
"I see the benefit to Boston and CSX, but not to the town," Zymoz said.
State Sen. James Welch told the audience that the hastily called Thursday night meeting was designed to get residents, and particularly project abutters, input on the project and its impact on the quality of life in that area of West Springfield. It was also designed to clear up misconceptions about the scope of the project.
"I've gotten calls from people who believe Route 20 is going t be completely closed down," Welch said. "Route 20 is not going to be closed down, it's going to be closed from four lanes to two lanes."
At Large Town Councilor George Kelly said he was "very concerned" that the DOT was hosting the public hearing so close to the start of the project.
"I don't know how [the DOT] can take concerns back to the office, it's incomprehensible," Kelly said. "I know you have a timetable you need to keep, but it comes right in the middle of our lives.
"I think there's a rush to get things done here, but let's do things the right way, not the rush way," Kelly continued, adding that he hoped the DOT was not just "fulfilling its obligation for a public hearing" on the project.
Dan Baker, project manager for SPS New England, said the project still needed some permits, but that residents could expect to see actual construction of the project starting "towards the end of April, or early May."
West Springfield Conservation Officer Mark Noonan noted that, despite the proximity of the bridge construction to a nearby stream, he did not believe the DOT planned to file a notice of intent with the town's Conservation Commission. He said if the project were being done by a private firm they would be required to file a notice of intent.
Mayor Gregory Neffinger said the DOT was using something called "best practices," which would not be allowed for a private construction project, to expedite the timetable.
In an interview following the meeting, Werbiskis said the Conservation Commission "does have very detailed concerns regarding the work that is adjacent to the stream [and] is seeking to have Mass DOT come before the Commission for approval."
Resident Joe Duchame also raised the concern about rain runoff from an elevated roadbed, noting the town's sewer system "can barely take the water away now if you raise the road, property owners in the area are gong to have flooded basements."
Velechansky admitted that road reconstruction plans were "not complete" at this point, and that the finished drawings still needed to go through the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs in Boston for approval.
Several residents asked if the road redesign could address the problem with speed and accidents on Route 20. Looking at the design, resident Valerie Caron, who noted "speed is always a problem on Route 20," commented that the DOT was "going to put in a bank [turn] and turn it into a raceway."
Abutters were concerned about the redesign of the entrance to their streets and its impact on traffic flow. Joseph Madore, a Charles Avenue resident, said he was very concerned about pulling out onto Route 20 with the proposed steeper road grade and narrower entrance at the mouth of his street, especially in the winter.
Residents also expressed concern about the ability of public safety vehicles — police, fire and ambulance — to transgress a two-lane Route 20 safely and efficiently during the two-year construction. Caron also asked if anyone had studied the effects of the increased noise and vibration on the 100-plus homes in the vicinity of the CSX tracks near the railroad bridge.
Werbiskis said he was "concerned about traffic management" for the duration of the proposed project.
"That must be an evolving process during construction so we can react to any concerns of the residents, Police Department and public safety officials," he said.
Former Town Solicitor Attorney. James Donahue asked if CSX had submitted a study regarding the possibility of lowering the railroad tracks rather than raising the height of the railroad bridge, and if so, if that study was public record.
"If this is to be a meaningful public hearing, people need more information," Donahue said, adding that he understood there were abutters who objected to the closing of the public hearing that evening.
District 1 Town Councilor Angus Rushlow noted he felt West Springfield "should have been involved in the design [of the bridge] two or three years ago so we could get these ideas out before this."
