New Holmes Road Bridge On Schedule For August OpeningBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:46AM / Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | |
 A road has been built for heavy equipment to access the Holmes Road Bridge site. The bridge will be closed for two months this summer during replacement work. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Crews can be seen at work on the Holmes Road Bridge with an expected opening late this summer.
But the state Department of Transportation warns the bridge will be closed for weeks beforehand.
"MassDOT is on schedule with the project and the new bridge is anticipated to be open for travel in August 2023," communications director Kristen Pennucci reported last week.
The bridge has been reduced to one lane for four years after being found structurally insufficient and needs a $3.5 million replacement of the overpass structure. This includes a new structure over the Housatonic Rail line, a restored sidewalk, improved bicycle access, new pavement, and new traffic barriers.
Northern Construction Service LLC was awarded the project and has begun abutment repairs under the bridge adjacent to the railroad. An access road was constructed to facilitate the transport of heavy equipment needed for the work.
Travelers must take an alternative route for around 60 days before the new bridge opens.
"The date for the bridge closure is set for June 23, 2023," Pennucci said. "Traffic is anticipated to have an official detour via Route 7 and Route 20. Information regarding the bridge closure and detour will be communicated prior to the closure."
The project remains on budget and is funded by federal and state monies.
Last year, MassDOT held a public hearing during which abutters largely voiced concerns for more than hour about construction disruptions, traffic impacts, and timing. The road is a major connector route on the east side of Pittsfield.
When asked if there have been complaints about the reduced lane or construction, the MassDOT representative said there had been a small number of questions regarding travel through the area and that they have been answered.
A routine inspection in 2018 uncovered severe deterioration to several of the bridge's beams and showed that the supporting concrete structure needed rehabilitation. This prompted a structural evaluation called a Bridge Rating Report that revealed the deteriorated beams could not support the loads they would normally be subjected to.
It was reduced to alternating one-lane traffic in April 2019 with a temporary traffic signal to mitigate the flow of vehicles.
Built in 1977, the bridge is in need of a superstructure replacement that includes bridge demolition, concrete repair to the existing substructure, pre-cast beam erection, a cast-in-place topping slab, sidewalk, and safety curb construction, and new pavement on approaches and over the bridge.
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