MARK CRESSOTTI
WESTFIELD – City residents, especially those of the Prospect Hill and lower Notre Dame Street neighborhoods, are invited to attend a 7 p.m. informational meeting Monday night at Westfield High School to hear details of a project to revamp the intersection of North Elm Street and Notre Dame Street, sponsored by the Engineering Department and the Board of Public Works.
City Engineer Mark Cressotti said last night at the BPW meeting that the project involves construction of dedicated left-turning lanes, both north and south on North Elm Street at the intersection located at the base of Clay Hill, and a widening on the east bound lanes at the base of the Notre Dame Street hill.
Cressotti said the left-turning lane on North Elm Street south of the intersection will be extended to provide a safe island for vehicles attempting to make left turns into businesses on both sides of North Elm Street.
“There will be some traffic dampening measures,” Cressotti said. “It won’t be a suicide lane like in Southwick.”
BPW Chairman John Sullivan asked if the lower section of Notre Dame Street, coming down from Prospect Hill, would be widened to provide three lanes at the intersection of North Elm Street, one for left turns to go up Clay Hill, another for traffic crossing North Elm Street and a third for right turns into the southbound lane of North Elm Street.
Cressotti said that the plan presently calls for just two lanes, a combined left turn and crossing lane and a right turn lane.
“There is not enough room to add another lane at that location,” he said. “The intersection will be widened a little to give a little more shoulder room for the two lanes there now.
“None of this work will begin until the Pochassic Street (Drug Store Hill) Bridge is opened, which is on schedule for a June opening,” Cressotti said. “Opening the Pochassic Street Bridge should relieve some of the traffic pressure coming off Prospect Hill on Notre Dame Street.”
