Samantha Silverberg Named Undersecretary of Transportation Policy

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BOSTON — Interim Transportation Secretary Phillip Eng announced that Samantha E. Silverberg has been hired as Undersecretary of Transportation Policy at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). 
 
A former senior transportation advisor to President Joe Biden, Silverberg will oversee policy development and implementation at MassDOT and manage special projects and initiatives to deliver a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system across the state.  
 
"Interim Secretary Eng is building a strong team at MassDOT to deliver the type of transportation system that our residents and businesses deserve," said Governor Maura Healey. "We are excited to welcome Samantha Silverberg to the team, whose extensive transportation policy experience at both the state and federal levels will be a valuable contribution to the important work that MassDOT is doing every day." 
 
Silverberg was a senior transportation official throughout the Biden Administration, beginning as Special Assistant to the President for Transportation and Infrastructure and later rising to Deputy Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator and finally Deputy Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Implementation in the Office of the Chief of Staff. In this role, she was President Biden's primary policy advisor on matters related to transportation and infrastructure. She was responsible for designing, negotiating, and implementing his signature bipartisan infrastructure law, deploying over $600 billion across transportation, water, high-speed internet, clean energy, resilience, and other sectors.  
 
"It's an honor to return to working in transportation policy in Massachusetts," said Silverberg. "Because of Governor Healey's transportation investments, we have an incredible opportunity to make significant upgrades to roads, bridges and public transportation across the state, while also doing the work now to set this system up for long-term success. I'm grateful to Governor Healey and Interim Eng for placing their trust in me, and I look forward to getting to work with the entire team." 
 
Prior to joining the Biden Administration, she served as Senior Director of Capital Program Planning and then Deputy Chief Administrative Officer at the MBTA during Governor Baker's administration. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.  
 
 
Silverberg joins MassDOT's executive leadership team alongside Undersecretary of Transportation and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. 

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15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive. 

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour. 

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.  

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children.  The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation.  One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue. 

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out. 

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release. 

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