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News Briefs: Transportation plan info session; Mass Pike roadway construction

there will be crews doing roadway construction work and bridge repair operations on the Mass Pike in Becket beginning Monday, Oct. 15, and continuing through Friday, Oct. 19.

Berkshire Regional planning Commission to hold Regional Transportation Plan info session

Pittsfield — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will hold a public information session Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 5 p.m. at the Berkshire Athenaeum to review Berkshire County’s long-range Regional Transportation Plan. The RTP is a 20-year horizon planning document that sets the direction for all regional transportation priorities and investments. BRPC is currently working to update the plan. The public information session will give Berkshire residents the opportunity to learn about the existing RTP, upcoming projects and major regional initiatives. It will also serve as an opportunity for residents to provide input and help identify future transportation improvement projects for the region.

The RTP is updated every four years and provides a vision of the regional transportation goals, objectives and strategies. This vision must be realistic and fit within fiscal constraints. In addition to providing a vision, the RTP has specific functions that include:

  • Providing an assessment of the current modes of transportation and the potential of new travel options within the region;
  • Projecting/estimating the future needs for travel and goods movement;
  • Identification and documentation of specific actions necessary to address regional mobility and accessibility needs;
  • Identification and detailing of needed transportation improvements such as road resurfacing, bridge replacement and bike path projects;
  • Employing performance measures that demonstrate the effectiveness of transportation improvement projects in meeting the intended goals; and
  • Involving community-based organizations and the public early in the transportation-planning process to include them in discussions and decisions on the social, economic, air quality and environmental issues related to transportation.

For more information, contact senior transportation planner Eammon Coughlin at (413) 442-1521 x19 or ecoughlin@berkshireplanning.org.

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MassDOT schedules roadway construction, bridge deck repair on I-90

Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division, District 1, has announced that travel will be possible on Interstate 90 next week; however, there will be crews doing roadway construction work and bridge repair operations in Becket beginning Monday, Oct. 15, and continuing through Friday, Oct. 19.

The schedule and locations for the lanes closures for the respective roadway and bridge work is as follows:

I-90 westbound

  • West Stockbridge – Roadway maintenance activities have been scheduled at mile marker 2.8 westbound for Tuesday, Oct, 16, with a low-speed lane closure from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Becket – Joint repair work has been scheduled in the high-speed lane at mile marker 17.4 westbound over Route 20. Lane closures will take Monday, Oct. 15, through Friday, Oct. 19, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

I-90 eastbound and westbound

  • West Stockbridge – Bridge deck paving operations have been scheduled at mile marker 2.5 eastbound and westbound for Wednesday, Oct. 17, with low-speed lane closures from 7 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Drivers who are traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed, and use caution. All scheduled work is weather dependent and/or may be impacted due to an emergency situation. For more information on traffic conditions, travelers are also encouraged to:

  • Dial 511 and select a route to hear real–time conditions;
  • Visit https://mass511.com, a website that provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions;
  • Follow MassDOT on Twitter; and
  • Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.
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