West Side takes next steps to improve safety on Route 20

April 21, 2020 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD – On March 25, West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt requested the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) take the next step toward implementing safety recommendations for the Route 20 corridor that runs from the border of Westfield to the intersection of King’s Highway.

A safety audit was conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) on Nov.19, 2019 at the request of the town after a traffic fatality occurred in September. The audit reviewed video of the traffic on Rt. 20 and accident records, among other data.

“There’s a historic problem with speeding along the Route 20 corridor and it’s a safety issue,” Town Engineer James Czach told Reminder Publishing.

The PVPC, the regional planning body for Hampden and Hampshire counties, will now incorporate recommendations from that audit in its draft proposal for the FY21 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). The UPWP consists of planning projects to be undertaken between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30, 2021.

Planning for changes to Rt. 20 will be a cooperative undertaking between the PVPC, MassDOT and West Springfield “to determine a scope of work and data collection to perform analysis of alternatives identified in the study for advancement to implementation,” said Reichelt in a letter to the PVPC.

Czach explained that even though Route 20 runs through West Springfield, the roadway from East Mountain Road in Westfield to the intersection with King’s Highway is owned and maintained by the state.

PVPC Principal Planner/Traffic Manager Gary Roux said the next step would be the release of the draft document for public review and comment at the May meeting of the Pioneer Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the body which approves federally-funded projects in the area.

“Work could consist of additional data collection and analysis that could support efforts by the Town or MassDOT to advance recommendations of the safety audit to construction,” Roux said.

Czach said that there have been no signs that the coronavirus-based economic downturn will affect funding for the next planning phase. Meetings have continued between the town and the MPO, he said.

Projects that come out of this next phase of planning will be a mixture of short-term, mid-term and long-term in scope.

“Be patient. We’re hoping the state can look at some of the low-cost projects,” Czach said, adding that major road construction would be a long-term project. “This is where we’re starting.”

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