WESTFIELD – Road work being done on North Elm St. is nearing its end. The paving is already down on the road and the markings are in progress of being completed.
With the constant construction work that has been done on North Elm St., it has increased traffic as well as disrupting travelers, residents, and businesses.
As North Elm St. has always been four lanes, part of the project involves installing a fifth lane. The hope for the fifth lane is to help reduce traffic and make it easier for oncoming vehicles to make left turns heading down North Elm St. Travelling south through the intersection with Notre Dame St., the fifth lane will surely accommodate that intersection.
North Elm St. is one of several roads that are being worked on in Westfield. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Three medians on North Elm St. have also been created to help pedestrians to cross the street and be able to see the oncoming traffic. All three medians sit up about six inches with a beveled curbing and landscaping in the center. The landscaping is kept low and is expected to be finished before January 2017.
Westfield City Engineer Mark Cressotti addressed the many parts to the North Elm St. project on The Westfield News Radio Show on WSKB 89.9 FM Thursday Sept. 1 with Westfield News President Patrick Berry.
The progress with the medians is certainly moving forward with the main priority still being targeted.
“We added the medians to give the pedestrians a safe haven,” said Cressotti. “Those medians need to be addressed.”
The North Elm St. project started about a year ago and was locally funded from a bond that was passed several years ago.
With the project being an important issue for the City of Westfield, there are positive steps forward.
“We’re just about done, we still got some things to wrap up,” said Cressotti. “I think the project is going to be a success.”
