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Date: 2/8/2022
EASTHAMPTON – The Union Street rehabilitation project is now in the hands of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and according to city planner Jeff Bagg, the project should be out to bid in March.
The project, which began back in 2015, includes replacement of underground water, sewer and gas utilities; full reconstruction of the roadway from Big E’s to the intersection of Cottage Street and Willingston Avenue, new Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks, crosswalks and curbs, on-road bike accommodations-including sections of bike lanes-an upgraded raised crossing for the Manhan Rail Trail including improved alignment with Union Street, as well as a new crosswalk from Riverside Industries to the Nashawannuck Pond Promenade.
Aside from those changes, the street will also undergo a complete replacement of gas, sewer, and water utilities, as well as the installation of new handicapped-accessible sidewalks. In all, the project will cost more than $5 million, and the majority of the infrastructure project is being funded by MassDOT’s Transportation Improvement Program.
During a meeting on Jan. 19, the City Council approved a motion to take slivers of property from more than 30 owners along Union Street for permanent and temporary easements. On Dec. 9, a letter was sent out to those owners about the easements, with information on appraisals and a fair market value offer. The council also approved a motion to appropriate $89,500 from the Union Street Corridor Capital Project Fund to compensate landowners for the easements. So far, nine business owners have donated temporary and permanent easements to the project.
“Having completed that step with City Council, we’ve achieved final steps with MassDOT,” said Bagg, adding that MassDOT takes over the project for its next steps. “We’ve been trying to make sure we hit all those timelines and deadlines, so we keep that March bid schedule.”
Depending on when in March the bid goes out, Bagg said a contractor could be selected by April or May. Once the contractor is selected, that is when the city will begin to understand construction schedules and the order of operations. According to Bagg, this will be a phased project rather than something that is done all at once.
“What I do know is that [MassDOT] goes for some of the underground utilities first,” said Bagg. “The city’s role will be doing general public outreach for people who live in Easthampton and for people that travel through Easthampton, and then business owners.” The best information the city has at the moment is construction will start in late spring or early summer, according to Bagg.
Temporary easements will be taken for a five-year period, according to Bagg. These types of easements may include where a sidewalk would be demolished and replaced in front of a storefront. “For something that’s just replaced, we have a temporary easement over that space to allow us to do the construction,” said Bagg. A temporary easement may also include a situation where construction crews need to walk on a specific property to access the place in which they are working.
Permanent easements, meanwhile, are areas where the city is taking someone’s property for the project in a permanent manner. Bagg shared an example of a section in the project where a sidewalk has to move three feet onto someone’s property, which will allow the city to keep three parking spaces on the street. The city must take this property over permanently for the sidewalk to move.
The $89,500 approved by the City Council will go toward the specific properties on Union Street that will be impacted by these easements. “The temporary easements almost touch every single property [on Union Street],” said Bagg. “There are some, but fewer permanent easements.”
If a business owner objects an easement, Bagg said the best thing they could do now is appeal the valuation or dollar amount that they are being awarded from the city. According to Bagg, there were no objections to these easements during the City Council meeting.
To learn more about this project, go to the Easthampton website at https://www.easthamptonma.gov/437/Union-Street---20212022-TIP-Infrastructu.