WESTFIELD – The Conservation Commission concluded its environmental impact review of the Route 187 reconstruction and improvement project, which includes the installation of stormwater management systems. The board approved a notice of intent and issued a variety of conditions to address environmental impacts.
The commission’s action allows the state Department of Transportation to advertise and award the $4.5 million project this fall. The reconstruction and stormwater drainage work involves about three-quarters of a mile of Feeding Hills Road, the first, and most complicated, of the three-phased plan to reconstruct Route 187
The reconstruction of Route 187, estimated at $16 million, also involves reconstruction of Little River Road, the proposed second phase, and construction of a new bridge over Great Brook which will be relocated north of the existing bridge that will be removed after the new span is operational.
The improvements to Feeding Hills Road include installation of several drainage systems, working independently as dictated by terrain features, collecting stormwater and routing it to existing brooks. The other improvements include widening the roadway, which means that the new drainage systems will have a larger footprint and, hence, greater environmental impact.
The city filed a notice of intent for the project, which starts on Feeding Hills Road about 1,000 feet north of Old Feeding Hills Road, to the Agawam line, a length of about three quarters of a mile.
Last night the Conservation Commission approved a number of conditions to protect land that will be disturbed by the construction effort, and then targeted for wetland replication. Much of that land is under the five-year temporary easement meaning that the city will eventually lose control of those areas, some of which are currently used as pasture.
One condition approved by the Conservation Commission last night requires the installation of a split-rail fence around one of the replication areas to protect the new plants from cattle grazing in the adjacent pasture.
The Commission also voted to require that native wetland plant species be used for the wetland replication efforts.
Another concern raised during the commission’s review of the project is that one of the existing culverts, which will be replaced with a six-by-six concrete box culvert, has unique historical significance. That culvert is being replaced because of concern that the stone structure has been weakened by the weight of traffic and needs to be removed. The plan is to remove the capstones and fill in the channel, leaving much of the stone walls in place.
The Conservation Commission, at its June 25 session, requested Conservation Coordinator Karen Leigh to contact other municipal departments to collect information on the culvert and determine its historical significance. Leigh and representatives of other departments inspected the culvert during a July 17 site visit.
The commission attached a condition that requires the contractor, when selected, to remove that stone and turn it over to the city for reuse in future projects.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti said it is the hope of the city that the state, with approval of the notice of intent, can advertise and award the project, possible as soon as by the end of the month.
