Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 9/13/2023
SPRINGFIELD — Two midblock crossings will be installed at 459 Main St. and 201 Parker St. following approval from the Traffic Commission.
Springfield DPW Engineer Luca Mineo explained that the proposal for two midblock crossings in Indian Orchard comes from the city’s 2022 Shared Streets Grant. “As part of that grant there was $83,000 for bike equipment” which was for the bike shares that were seen around the city, Mineo said.
“The problem is that earlier this year the vendor who operates and maintains those facilities went bankrupt,” which is why people will no longer see the bikes, he added.
Mineo explained that the vendor reneged on their contractual obligations with the city, its partners and the Pioneer Valley for the entire ride share program.
“Instead of letting that money go to waste, we reached out to the state to reallocate the funding to expand on a scope of the grant that was already included which was midblock crossing,” Mineo said.
The two locations — on Main and Parker Street — were selected by the Indian Orchard Citizens Council because the bike share money was supposed to go to Indian Orchard. “We wanted to keep that money in Indian Orchard,” he shared.
The Main Street crossing will be in close proximity to the Orchard Center Plaza, which includes Save a Lot, the only grocery store in the neighborhood. Currently, the crossings in closest proximity to the plaza are at the intersection of Main and Parker streets to the east and Main and Milton streets at the Family Dollar to the west. The Main and Milton intersection is approximately a quarter-mile away from the plaza.
The Parker Street crosswalk is in the area of Hubbard Park, which sits to the east on the busy throughway. Currently, there is no direct access to the park for those in the residential neighborhood on the westerly side of Parker Street; the only crossings near the park are at the corner of Parker and Goodwin streets to the north of the park and Parker and Oak streets to the south. Both are signaled intersections.
Once the Indian Orchard Citizens Council provided the locations, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation was responsible for reviewing and determining if the locations would be appropriate for a crosswalk.
Mineo said the crossings will be solar powered, rectangular rapid flashing beacons — allowing drivers to know that people are attempting to cross the street.