Mapts of the study area were laid out for input at the working group in February.
BLANDFORD – On Monday, April 30, MassDOT will host a public Open House for the I-90 Interchange Study at the Blandford Town Hall, located at 1 Russell Stage Road. The event will run from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The public is invited to stop by during that time to learn about the Study and talk with MassDOT and project team members. There will be information on the study background and goals, planning process, maps of the Study Area, the criteria for siting an interchange location, and the project schedule.
The open house follows a working group meeting held in February to study the feasibility of adding an interchange on the Mass Turnpike between Exits 2 and 3. The feasibility study was voted as an amendment to the budget in May of 2017, sponsored by Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox) and supported with an amendment in the Senate by Senators Don Humason (R-Westfield) and Adam G. Hinds (D-Pittsfield).
Pignatelli was present at the working group meeting, along with Humason’s Chief of Staff Drew Renfro, and Hinds aide Alfred “A.J.” Enchill Jr. Also present were Westfield Mayor Brian P. Sullivan and Gr. Westfield Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kate Phelon, both on the working group, and Chief of Police John A. Camerota along with dozens of officials from the towns between Westfield and Lee
The feasibility study will look at communities adjacent to the turnpike, as well as some hilltowns that may benefit from the access. The goal would be to see how traffic could be diverted from the two interchanges in Lee and Westfield, and whether there is a “sweet spot” in the middle that would benefit the community, according to MassDOT officials at the working group meeting. Objectives include improved access for the towns in the study area, and mitigating traffic on exits 2 and 3.
Other factors that will be studied are environmental constraints in terms of topography and habitat, wetlands, air and noise, cultural resources, archeological and historic resources. They will also look to identify economic benefits to the towns.
Information about the study and documents from the first Working Group meeting can also be found on the project website: www.mass.gov/massdot/i90study Visitors to the website may also sign up for future meeting notices and project information.
For all questions and comments related to the I-90 Interchange Study, contact Cassandra Gascon, MassDOT Project Manager, at [email protected] or (857) 368-8852.
