MARK CRESSOTTI
WESTFIELD – The state Department of Transportation will conduct a public hearing on the Columbia Greenway North rail trail and bridge project to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed Columbia Greenway – North project.
The design public hearing is slated for Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the City Council Chambers of City Hall at 59 Court Street.
The proposed project begins at the Cowles Court Access Ramp and ends just after the Westfield River Bridge. The project includes rehabilitation of the former Pioneer Valley Railroad Bridge over the Westfield River.
The total project length is approximately 853 ft. or 0.16 miles. Elements of the project include installing a new cement concrete bridge deck measuring 10 feet in width and rehabilitating the bridge abutments and center pier.
The Westfield Engineering Department and the Columbia Greenway engineering consultants, VHB and Tighe & Bond, will also conduct an informational hearing on construction of the next segment of the Columbia Greenway from East Silver Street to the area of Main Street following the DOT hearing.
RALPH FIGY
City Engineer Mark Cressotti said the DOT hearing is specific only to the North Phase and is expected to end around 8 p.m.
“After the DOT has closed its hearing, we will open an information hearing to talk about what’s left for the Columbia Greenway construction, The Westfield River Levee multi-use trail and the Planning Board’s master plan for pedestrian and bicyclist accommodations citywide,” Cressotti said.
The city has received a $2 million grant from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the next phase of Columbia Greenway construction which includes installation of a new bridge and proposed construction of a 25-foot-long underpass, connecting two neighborhoods to be installed under the raised rail of the former New Haven to Northampton Railroad.
The phase will include construction of a bridge with a 14-foot-six inch clearance over East Silver Street and underpass for a multiuse trail connecting the Hedges Avenue/St. Dennis Street neighborhood with the Taylor Avenue/Ashley Street neighborhood.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph Figy, in whose ward much of the Columbia Greenway is located, said Friday that he excited about the opportunity the informational meeting will provide residents of the city.
“It’s a great opportunity for the citizens of Westfield, and surrounding communities, to get accurate information, to keep abreast of happenings in the ward and to provide their input,” Figy said.
“I’m hopeful that by being proactive it will avoid conflict with residents, that they attend the meeting to get information and give their input so they can accept the rail trail,” Figy said. “Hopefully this will break that cycle of opposition we’ve seen with every new phase of construction.”
Figy is also a member of The Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Advisory Committee, which was formed by the Planning Board “to promote, enhance, and restore physical, social, political and economic environment in which bicycling, walking, and alternate transportation are valued as essential for a clean, safe, healthy and vital community.”
