City Set to Repair Hubbard Ave Underpass

Drivers who use the Hubbard Ave underpass have been dealing with a rough ride for a while now, and the city says relief is on the way.

I sat down with Pittsfield Commissioner of Public Works Ricardo Morales this week to talk about the underpass and a few other road projects around the city. Morales said the city is putting out a bid for mill and paving work that includes the Hubbard Ave underpass, and the repairs will go beyond a simple resurfacing job.

I asked Morales if the city could widen the underpass while they're at it, since it's been a tight squeeze for years. He said that's not up to the city. CSX (rail company) owns the underpass itself, and any decision to widen it would have to come from the railroad. The city only owns the road and the structures underneath it. The bid is going out right away, and Morales said the goal is to have the work finished by the end of fall.

Government Drive

I also asked about last week's inspection of the Government Drive bridge. Morales said the city hasn't heard anything back from MassDOT yet, which he says is a good sign. "That tells me there is no emergency," he said. "Bridges get inspected all the time. The public only hears about them when they need to go down to one lane."

As for paving Government Drive itself, Morales said it's not as simple as sending out a crew. Because it's a bridge, the city has to first engineer for the added weight of milling machines and pavers before any work can start. The vibrations from the machinery, roller, tamping, etc all need to be taken in account for as well as the added weight of the asphalt.