An overhaul of one of the most infamous intersections in western Massachusetts will be kicking into high gear this spring, but officials say it'll be a few years before it's finished.
By the time construction is over, new lane directions, lighting and parking spaces will leave Springfield's X intersection looking far different from the current situation.
That was the message Tuesday night as city leaders spoke to an almost-full audience at the former Faith United Church off Sumner Avenue - now a venue known as 52Sumner.
The head of Springfield's DPW, the city forester and Mayor Domenic Sarno led a public information meeting outlining how the $23 million project headed by MassDOT is likely to play out over the next three years at least.
“The biggest thing I'll say is we've told MassDOT it's essential to communicate to the residents and the business community of Forest Park, the X area and throughout the city,” the mayor said. “Communication is key - if you know you're going to have delays, what's upcoming this day or the next day - that's going to be helpful so people can plan out their day.”
DPW Director Chris Cignoli says the work will be extensive and make commutes more interesting than they already are on a section prone to car and pedestrian accidents.
According to MassDOT data from 2019-2021, even with reduced traffic due to the pandemic, the intersections of Sumner Avenue, Belmont Avenue and Dickinson Street are home to at least two of the state's top 200 "Crash Clusters” (90 & 198, according to the department's “Top Crash Locations” map).
That's not including numerous sideswipes that might not be reported, Cignoli says.
With traffic volume only growing, "antiquated" signals and poor-to-non-existent accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists, Cignoli says the changes have been a long time coming.
“Everything out there is antiquated: there's no bike lanes, the pedestrian crossings are awful, the pavement’s not in good condition, the signals are antiquated at best, and the growth that has happened for vehicles - East Longmeadow, farther out 16 Acres, Hampden - the growth has just been unbelievable,” he told the audience.
Another culprit the project looks to address – cut-through traffic. The site's filled with side streets, plaza parking lots and other opportunities tempting drivers to snake around traffic and potentially create more.
Cignoli says various lane direction changes, including flipping the script on one-way streets used for cut-throughs, should have a significant effect on traffic flow, plus local businesses.
“So, now, if you do cut behind Cliftwood Street and Lenox, you come out at Lenox,” he said, referring to two side streets by Sumner and Dickinson often used to circumvent the intersection. “In the future, if you do that, you're going to be coming out at Cliftwood. So basically, taking those two streets one way and turning the other way - that'll stop a couple of different things: nobody's going to be able to cut through any parking lots and the businesses - we have a lot of conversations with them - there's going to be a little better access for people to be able to get into the businesses, their parking lots that are in the rear, as well."
He adds protected lanes for those making turns at the intersection are also part of the plan, another traffic flow solution.
According to MassDOT, the project will also include bike infrastructure, which figures into the widening and reconstruction of various sidewalks, converting them into "shared-use paths." Cignoli says that's the new plan after designers initially called for bike lanes in the road.
The plan also initially called for about 130 trees to come down - a figure city officials have been able to cut in half, City Forester Alex Sherman says.
Most of those trees weren't faring well to begin with, he adds, and thanks to negotiations and timing, the neighborhood is now likely to see a net increase in trees.
“Several of them are Ash trees that are being removed and those - we've had emerald ash borers in Springfield since at least 2018, and so, they’re on borrowed time at this point - some of them are already showing signs of infestation,” Sherman said. “With funding available, now is a good time to remove those trees when there's funding to plant new ones. On that note, there [are] 118 new trees going in, so we're losing 58, we’re planting 118…”
Cignoli says a timeline for the work is likely to appear at a public information meeting held by MassDOT in May.
However, there are estimates on the project's website. This spring is slated to feature "third-party utility work" and site preparation activity before drainage constructions starts in the summer for a year. In summer 2026, water line construction is likely get underway for a year, with electrical and conduit work after that.
That's all to say - it's going to about three years before roadway constructions begins, lasting from summer 2028 to summer 2029.
Project landscaping and sidewalk improvements are the last phase before work is estimated to finish in the summer of 2030.
