NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city of North Adams is hosting three community walks this week to solicit input on a study of the 60-year-old Central Artery project. 

 

The focus is on the deteriorating Veterans Memorial Bridge that carries Route 2 and connections between the downtown and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The site visits will be led by Openbox, a community-centered design partner for the study, in collaboration with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition 

 

The community walks will be held on one evening and two mornings:

 

Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 14, from 7:30 to 9 a.m.

Friday, Nov. 15, from 7:30 to 9 a.m.

 

The walks are open to all and attendees are asked to register here and indicate and accessibility needs.  Attendees should arrive within the first hour and plan to spend between 30 to 45 minutes in total during the 90-minute timeframes.

 

Meet at the UNO Community Center on River Street for a self-guided site walk around the Route 2 overpass and

return to the center for conversations about people's everyday experiences moving to, through, and around Route 2 and North Adams.

 

The city, in conjunction with Mass MoCA, has received a federal Reconnecting Communities grant of $750,000 for a planning study. North Adams was one of only 46 communities out of 450 applications to receive a grant; the $1 billion pilot program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. 

 

The study will analyze traffic flow and multimodal access and come up with alternative streetscape designs that will better connect the north and south sides of Route 2. It will consider other plans that relate to downtown connectivity, commission transportation, urban design and environmental analyses of the overpass and its surroundings, and engage diverse segments of the community to comment on planning and the feasibility study. 

 

Contact Raissa Xie at raissa@opnbx.com or 734-545-3976 with questions. More information here: rt2overpass.info