In early 2023, the city of North Adams, Massachusetts received a $750,000 federal grant to study redevelopment of a downtown overpass. The structure that feeds Route 2 into the city is in dire need of repair, creates a complicated traffic pattern, and lacks pedestrian or bicycle considerations. On Friday, North Adams will hold a belated celebration of the grant and study kickoff at art museum MASS MoCA alongside state officials. Mayor Jennifer Macksey spoke with WAMC.
MACKSEY: We're very excited. We're going to have some state officials out. We are really kicking off our study and our work that we've done there. As you know, we received a grant for Reconnecting Communities, and we had to go through some documentation processes to get us to this point, but we're excited that we're actually going to be able to start kicking off the actual work and the assessment that needs to be done through that grant.
WAMC: Give us a sense of the timeline- Now with the grant secured and these folks on board from state and federal agencies, what happens next?
Yeah, so the next step is we start working with MassDOT and doing evaluations. The timeline is for me is yet to be determined, because these things sometimes go a little slower than what we want, but we were thrilled that we were able to work with MassDOT to get to this point. So, probably in the next 30 to 45 days, Josh, I'll be able to give you a better timeline with actionable items. But this is kind of the kickoff of the work that is yet to be done.
When you think about reevaluating the Route 2 overpass, what do you think are the most important things to address?
Definitely traffic flow, pedestrian access, and most importantly, safety. As you know, we've had to close that bridge because of some safety concerns, which we're also working with MassDOT on. But for us it is, what is the best traffic pattern of the new North Adams? And it includes cars, bikes, people, and how can we make the downtown and the surrounding the surrounding streets more accessible? For example, if you came to visit me, Josh, and you wanted to get out of city hall at four o'clock, you'd probably sit in the city hall parking lot for a good 12 minutes before you could get out, because traffic is backed up at the light here. Same is true if you're coming over State Street, or even somedays coming into the city off of Route 2. So, the goal is to really evaluate our flow of traffic and people.
Now, for those who know North Adams, the Route 2 overpass really sits in the heart of the city. It's hard for some folks to imagine approaching this issue without being concerned about the city grinding to a halt during that time. What considerations are underway to think about those kinds of measures that are going to allow for business and life to continue in North Adams while this crucial piece of infrastructure is dealt with?
I think that's yet to be determined, Josh. We really need to evaluate what it is that the flow has to be. For me, it seems a little strange to think about not having a bridge, but that hasn't been determined yet. So, we can't get too far ahead of ourselves. We need to focus on the evaluation and the data it presents and go from there.
Do you have any models of other cities or other bridges that might be an inspiration for this reimagined Route 2 overpass?
I do not right today readily accessible to comment on that.
Anything else about this folks should know heading into this meeting on April 12th?
Just, keep open minded and this is just one of many steps to help develop projects as we move forward.
