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Date: 8/2/2022
EASTHAMPTON – Easthampton was recently awarded a total of $486,000 from two Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) programs for pedestrian safety improvement projects on Payson Avenue and Holyoke Street.
The city received $286,000 from their Complete Streets program and $200,000 from their Shared Streets and Spaces program to fund the construction of the improvements. Both projects will enhance key pedestrian and bicycle routes used to access downtown, the rail trail, and the new pre-K-8 Mountain View School.
The city’s Conservation Preservation Act Committee funded the preliminary design and preparation of bid-ready plans by the BETA Group for the Payson Avenue project and the city’s cannabis stabilization account was used for the design of the Holyoke Street project.
The Payson Avenue project will include the creation of a raised crossing for the Manhan Rail Trail over Payson Avenue including rectangular rapid flashing beacons. It will include the widening of the existing sidewalk along Payson Avenue to 10 feet to allow two-way use by pedestrians and bicycles. It will also include the construction of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb cuts at the entrances to the Public Safety Complex and City Hall, minor realignment of the intersection and crosswalk at Railroad and Payson and the installation of a new bike rack at 50 Payson Avenue.
The Holyoke Street project will include the construction of ADA compliant ramps on both sides of Holyoke Street and the installation of rectangular rapid flashing beacons at East/West Green Street and Allen Street intended to aid pedestrians crossing the midblock crossings. It will also include the construction of a new sidewalk at the end of East Green to increase pedestrian safety and will enhance the existing sidewalk accessing the Housing Authority residents on Allen Street.
“The big picture is those three crosswalks on the Manhan Rail Trail are going to be upgraded,” said Bagg. “That’s going to be a major corridor for students to hit those crossings that are safer and more visible.”
According to City Planner Jeff Bagg, Precinct 3 City Councilor Thomas Peake expressed concern about the safety of pedestrians on Holyoke Street about a year ago, which is when the city started to pursue the MassDOT grants through the Complete Streets program for that project
“As the Precinct 3 city councilor and a Holyoke Street resident, I am very excited to see the city address these long-standing accessibility and pedestrian safety concerns,” said Peake. “Many Precinct 3 residents use these crosswalks in order to access our downtown, and these improvements should ensure that they can do so safely. I am also excited for these upgrades to the Manhan Rail Trail, which is already a great asset to our community.”
Bagg said, “We thought that maybe there was a way to combine Complete Streets with the Chapter 90, then we actually can get more bang for our buck. We’re lucky that we got the $286,000 from Complete Streets, and that covers the crosswalks and associated sidewalks on both sides, and then we’ll add the Chapter 90 on top of that, which covers all of the paving work. We’re just trying to combine the two funding sources together.”
This Complete Streets funding is part of a broader plan from 2017 that highlights specific upgrades and projects that the city wants to finish in the coming years.
The goal, according to Bagg, is to continue this efficient streak by putting both of these specific projects out to bid together – this way, one contractor can complete both parts of the project.
Bagg told Reminder Publishing that there should be no road closures on Payson Avenue throughout the course of the construction, but he added that it is unclear if there will be any closures on Holyoke Street throughout the process.
“With the Payson Avenue project, there are still some final design plans,” Bagg said, regarding the immediate next steps. “In the fall, we’ll be working with the consultant to prepare the final design plans, and then the project will most likely go out to bid in the winter, and then the project will start in the spring.”
Despite the fact that Holyoke Street involves a full paving process, Bagg said that construction should also begin in the spring.