PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It was only Tuesday evening when Director of Public Service David Turocy once again made a pitch to secure funding to fix up East Street from Lyman Street to Merrill Road. 

 

He was the sole vote on the Metropolitan Planning Organization to schedule that construction for 2022, the only available funding through the transportation improvement program.

 

It didn't get funded.

 

On Wednesday morning the developers of a proposed Walmart told the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority that they would like to see the intersection improvement as well. The developers said they will pay to repaint the road to create a turning lane and possibly add a new traffic signal.

 

"That project is much more beneficial to the city of Pittsfield and that is our preference," Turocy said. "We saw more of a transportation improvement value with the work along East Street than along Merrill Road."

 

Particularly the city has been looking to make improvements to the intersection of Woodlawn Avenue and East Street. The lights have been reenergized with the reopening of Woodlawn Avenue, which was closed for a decade, but transportation officials feel there is more to do.

 

The plans being developed by the Department of Transportation calls for the creation of a center turning lane on East Street, a median from Silver Lake Boulevard to Merrill Road, new signals for the intersection, bicycle lanes and pedestrian crossings. Transportation officials had also been considering widening the road and creating a consistent four-lane road from each end of East Street but that added costs to the project.

 

"There are some significant improvements that need to be made there," Turocy said.

 

On Wednesday morning Don Harr from Atlantic Retail Properties said the developers of a proposed Walmart on the other end of Woodlawn Avenue would like to make some repairs to that intersection. Harr said Waterstone Retail Development, who would be building the center for Walmart, conducted its own transportation study and recognized that intersection needed work.

 

"They proposed mitigation to the intersection of East Street and Woodlawn as well as obviously Tyler and Woodlawn. They proposed to add a left turn lane for eastbound traffic and I think they are going to replace the traffic signal to include a left arrow, but that is to be confirmed. It is all within the existing right of way so more or less they are restriping and making the road more efficient at this point," Harr said.

 

Harr said the traffic engineers had not been consulting with the state Department of Transportation and that it the determination to improve that intersection was made by the developer's traffic engineers. 

 

"The traffic study determined the impacts and we volunteered to address the issue," Harr said.

 

The proposed work by the developers will be in the existing right of way, won't include adding bicycle lanes or pedestrian crossings, and is limited to just that intersection, whereas MassDOT planned a more extensive project which included some land takings, throughout that section of East Street.

 

The city has been waiting to get that project funded and tried on multiple occasions to secure money for it. But, that money is still a long time away as the project has yet to be included in the Transportation Improvement Plan.

 

PEDA Executive Director Corydon Thurston hopes that with an influx of some private investment, that could push the state to move the project along quicker.

 

"That project is still on the drawing boards. It is more extensive than what Waterstone's traffic people have said. But the good news is that in combination with Waterstone's interest in participating in improving that intersection will move that project. It is a Mass highway so it will still need MassDOT approval for anything that needs to be done," Thurston said. 

 

"I think having private sector investment coupled with what the state has already planned to do for improvements will accelerate that effort."

 

The state has already spent time and effort into designing the full project from Lyman to Merrill Road, which encompasses the intersection. That is at the 25 percent design phase and Thurston says a design development meeting is scheduled with MassDOT in two weeks. Identifying a funding source for the full project is the challenge.

 

The city had previously sought to fund intersection work with a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration which included an array of improvements there tying into the development of the William Stanley Business Park. Federal officials had asked to pull out some items for a grant, such as bringing fiber wire to the park. The city responded by applying for a $1 million grant, which would have been matched by city funds. That, too, was not funded. 

 

After striking out on the federal grant, the city turned to the state, and the Department of Transportation has agreed to take on the entire project, including the design work. The intersection is now wrapped into a $7.6 million project to completely re-do the section of East Street from Lyman Street to Merrill Road. That is awaiting programming of federal highway funds to perform the work.

 

Funding from the TIP program is at a minimum of five years away. The Walmart development is at least two years away from completion. The developers hope to submit the project to the city to start the permitting process by the end of next week.

 

"All said and done we are an inch away at this point. I told people we planned to submit this Friday but we're not. So hopefully it is next Friday but we are that close," Harr said.

 

The Waterstone proposal came before the PEDA board nine months ago and the submissions of a formal proposal has been delayed multiple times. Harr said the delays were caused by Walmart opting to increase the size of the building, which forced an array of reviews and changes by engineers from all parties involved.

 

"Walmart has decided to increase the size of their building, only by 6,000 square feet but that has impacted the design. But that is good. The retail landscape these days is not looking good. More people are downsizing and consolidation or just leaving where Walmart is looking to expand," Harr said. 

 

"We consider that good news. We were expecting them to come back and ask us to decrease the size of the building."

 

Harr said Waterstone has their own engineers. Walmart has internal engineers and contracted engineers. There are environmental, land, and traffic engineers, all of which have been included in crafting the design. 

 

"The engineering is as complicated as it can get," Harr said.

 

The increase in building size is to accommodate a shopper pick up area. 

 

"It is an enclosed area where shoppers can go online, order groceries in advance, and then pick them up. It will be enclosed for weather purposes and Walmart will deliver and pack your car for you. That is an additional service," Harr said.

 

But to make it all fit, that meant such changes as decreasing the width of all 745 proposed parking spaces. Harr said even with minor changes like that, all parties want to be satisfied with the ultimate result and that takes time for reviews.

 

"Nobody is taking a nap, everybody is full speed ahead," Harr said.

 

Waterstone had already planned to make improvements to the intersection on the Tyler Street side, the East Street was an addition. On the Tyler Street side, Harr said the plans include a left turn in lane, a new traffic signal, and new pedestrian crosswalks. He said widening a road was not an option and engineers could not find a good way to "square it off."