SPRINGFIELD — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Springfield DPW are hosting a public hearing on the Birnie Avenue/Gerena School Pedestrian Tunnel project on April 2 at Gerena School Library.
The hearing, scheduled for 6 p.m., will focus on the project’s design plans, anticipated construction schedule and general construction impacts, according to the MassDOT announcement.
“Due to ongoing speeding concerns, a permanent speed table is proposed in the vicinity of the Gerena School Pedestrian Tunnel,” the MassDOT announcement says. “Additionally, to address water infiltration issues in the pedestrian tunnel, waterproofing methods are proposed.”
The tunnel, which runs to Gerena Community School under Birnie Avenue, was constructed in conjunction with Gerena school in the early-1970s as a connector between Plainfield Avenue and Main Street so students and residents could access the school while bypassing the railroad, Birnie Avenue and Interstate 91.
For many years, though, the tunnel experienced leaks, flooding and mold. In summer 2019, the DPW asked Alfred Benesch & Company to complete a study within the project area to determine the magnitude, scope and construction cost of a proposed reconstruction and repair of the roadway and tunnel.
In 2020, the city was approved by MassDOT for construction funding repairs in and around the tunnel. After delays because of COVID-19, the city moved its portion of the project forward in 2021 by utilizing a $2 million municipal bond for scheduled improvements and repairs of the Gerena tunnel.
The city said in 2021 that the project would cost around $4 million, with a portion of it covered by MassDOT and the rest covered by the city.
According to the MassDOT website, the 25% design package was received in summer 2023, but no other updates were made on the website since then.
When the project officially commences, Birnie Avenue is not anticipated to close, however “one travel lane may be closed at a time throughout the duration of construction,” according to MassDOT.
The announcement of this meeting comes a few months after the city announced that they are also working on roadway updates at the intersection of Birnie Avenue and Arch Street, as foot traffic continues to increase around that area.
Mayor Domenic Sarno met with DPW Director Chris Cignoli, Ward 1 City Councilor Maria Perez and New North Citizens Council President Carmen Santana in mid-December 2024 to talk about different ways the city can improve safety measures in an area that has seen heavier car traffic and pedestrian crossing over the past couple years.
According to the city, construction of the new state-of-the-art Brightwood-Lincoln School, the pedestrian tunnel under the railway tracks, and the increased activity of programs and services at the New North Citizens Council’s Youth Services Center have recently led to a significant increase in pedestrian traffic on Birch Avenue.
“With the activity at our New North Citizens Council Youth Services Center on Birnie Ave. and the students and families that use the pedestrian tunnel to go between Birnie Avenue and Plainfield Street, the existing crosswalk at this intersection isn’t enough,” Perez said. “We need something to better enhance safety for our pedestrians and the vehicle traffic.”
After meeting with Sarno in December, Cignoli released a statement saying the intersection project would go out to bid sometime in the spring or summer this year.
In addition to those projects, the city is also working on building a new Gerena school. In late 2024, the City Council voted to approve a $2.5 million bond for a feasibility study of the school with the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
According to previous reporting by Reminder Publishing, the school was originally built in 1972. Flooding due to a water main break prompted a renovation of the building in the mid-1990s.
