MassDOT will close a state highway bridge over the Connecticut River to vehicular traffic for a few hours this weekend. It is not for emergency repairs, but to accommodate a street festival.
The unprecedented closing of the Route 116 bridge connecting Holyoke and South Hadley between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday May 7 is for the first ever Connecticut River Roll and Stroll Street Festival.
Pete Sutton, MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Coordinator, said the event will promote cycling and walking as transportation options.
" It is an 'open streets' event, which if you are not familiar with that term, is something that is gaining in popularity throughout the country," explained Sutton.
The festival will feature a parade across the bridge with people holding hundreds of Japanese fish kites. The span will be rededicated Sunday as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge.
