Here is the traffic and construction update for the week of 11/14/11:
Main Street:

Paving has been completed on Main Street between George Street and Noble Street as of Saturday.   Lynch Construction will now focus on the following:

Monday – The side streets off of Broad Street and Main Street will be paved leading into the newly paved main roadways. These feeder streets could be closed up to 2 hours each as they lay the pavement and it sets.

The rest of the week – The paving crews will be working on the driveway aprons of both the commercial and residential properties on Broad Street, East Silver Street, West Silver Street and Main Street.

Lynch should also be able to complete the lane markings by mid week.

Construction is expected to run into the first week of December, weather permitting, with the final pieces put into place in early March.

Park Square Area:

The work on the Park continues and it is starting to become very noticeable as you drive by. Many of the concrete foundation pieces are in place as are some of the lighting pieces.

The addition of granite pieces have also started. You are also seeing some of the safety bollards being installed around the outside portion of the park.

It is starting its return to be the focal point of our southern reach of downtown. Spring will result in our Park coming to life and we will be able to enjoy the new area during the summer.

Broad Street/East Silver Street/West Silver Street:

Monday – The side streets off of Broad Street and Main Street will be paved leading into the newly paved main roadways. These feeder streets could be closed up to 2 hours each as they lay the pavement and it sets.

The rest of the week – The paving crews will be working on the driveway aprons of both the commercial and residential properties on Broad Street, East Silver Street, West Silver Street and Main Street.

Lynch should also be able to complete the lane markings by mid week.

Construction is expected to run into the first week of December, weather permitting, with the final pieces put into place in early March.

Thomas Street Lot:

The Thomas Street public parking lot has been paved and is ready for regular use. Thank you for your patience during this phase of improving our downtown.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

No schedule of work was provided.

Great River Bridge Project:

The contractor laying pavement on the bridge deck.  They are continuing on a plan to begin traffic flow going southbound on the renovated bridge during Thanksgiving week – weather permitting.

As a reminder this is a State funded/State controlled project and we are gathering information and moving it out to you as it becomes available.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

As the Holiday season fast approaches please remember to support our local businesses – they are our neighbors and friends.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

The Westfield Business Improvement District would like to thank Capt. Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Department and City Councilor Jim Brown for making this information available to all of us so we may plan accordingly.

Here is the traffic and construction update for the week of 11/7/11:

TRICK OR TREAT IS BEING HELD IN WESTFIELD ON MONDAY 11/7/11 FROM 5PM to 8PM

PLEASE STAY ALERT WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON MONDAY NIGHT.

Also, this Friday we will be celebrating Veterans Day and Westfield will honor our veterans with a parade.

The Veterans Day Parade will kick off at 1030 from Chapel and Elm Streets. It will travel down Elm Street

Onto Broad Street and then turn right onto East Silver ending at Parker Park.

Please join us on the parade route and at Parker Park as a way of paying tribute to our veterans.

Main Street:

Lynch Construction will be opening all four (4) lanes of Main Street starting Monday.

This will be in preparation for the paving of Main Street.

As part of this preparation they will be raising the underground utility structures along all of Main Street.

Paving will be done on Thursday and Friday from George Street to just past Noble Street. This will be the first phase.

Park Square Area:

The work on the Park continues and it is starting to become very noticeable as you drive by. Many of the concrete foundation pieces are in place as are some of the lighting pieces.

The addition of granite pieces have also started. You are also seeing some of the safety bollards being installed around the outside portion of the park.

It is starting its return to be the focal point of our southern reach of downtown.

Broad Street/East Silver Street/West Silver Street:

The paving of Broad Street, South Broad Street, East and West Silver Streets has been completed.

Monday thru Thursday of this week Lynch will be paving the driveway aprons along Broad Street, South Broad Street, East and West Silver Streets.

You can expect minor delays in this area as this paving is being completed.

Thomas Street Lot:

On Thursday the Thomas Street lot will be closed for paving. It should be reopened on Friday with the paving completed.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

The G&E will stay focused on the individual homes and businesses still without power.

They will also be driving up and down all of the roadways in the city checking on the wires and poles.

They will also be on the lookout for any additional tree branches that may cause a problem during future storms.

There will be an occasional minor outage throughout areas of the city as the G&E returns the circuits to the correct pattern.

They will announce the areas that might be effected as they begin to work on this.

Great River Bridge Project:

The contractor is preparing the bridge deck for pavement that could be started late next week.

They are continuing on a plan to begin traffic flow going southbound on the renovated bridge during Thanksgiving week – weather permitting.

As a reminder this is a State funded/State controlled project and we are gathering information and moving it out to you as it becomes available.

Public Parking Options:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop & Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

Thank you to Capt. Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Dept. and to City Councilor Jim Brown for providing these traffic reports so we can all plan accordingly.

Here is the traffic and construction update for the week of 10/17/11:

Main Street:

Lynch Construction will stay focused on Main Street from the Park to White Street.

There will be a push by the contractor working to install the new sidewalks and curbing on the Main Street section.

Because some of the remaining sidewalk work is crossing the front doors of businesses, Lynch Construction will be building temporary ramps over the new cement to gain entrance into these businesses.

This is being done for the businesses that do not have a rear or side entrance that patrons can temporarily use during this phase.

You will see minor delays in the area as the new sidewalks cross over the business entrances but please continue to support our downtown merchants.

Park Square Area:

The work on the Park continues and it is starting to become very noticeable as you drive by. Many of the concrete foundation pieces are in place as are some of the lighting pieces.

The addition of granite pieces have also started. You are also seeing some of the safety bollards being installed around the outside portion of the park.

It is starting its return to be the focal point of our southern reach of downtown.

Broad Street/East Silver Street/West Silver Street:

There will be a lot of activity in this area this week as Lynch Construction crews along with Westfield Gas & Electric start to raise the manhole structures, gas line controls and other ground utility controls on all of the streets.

I am sure you have seen the raising of the catch basins on the side of the road as well as the manhole structures on South Broad Street and they will now move onto the other structures in preparation for paving.

Broad Street, East  Silver Street and West Silver Street are scheduled for the final coat of pavement beginning the week of October 24th.

Thomas Street Lot:

The reconstruction of the Thomas Street public parking lot continues this week as we work towards expanding the service provided in this City lot.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

East Silver Street: between Noble Street and Coleman Avenue will see the final preparation for pavement that is scheduled for this week along East Silver Street and the feeder streets that have seen the installation of the new gas main service. The pavement is scheduled to be completed this week.

Thomas Street: from Elm Street to Mechanic Street, will also see the completion of the installation of a new gas main this week and pavement in that area as well.

East Mountain Road: Westfield G&E will start the new gas main service on East Mountain Road from Grandview Drive to the Western Massachusetts Hospital complex.

Northridge Road and Vincent Drive: pavement, loam and seeding will occur this week to wrap up this gas main project.

Shaker Road: there will be gas main maintenance work being performed on Shaker Road at near the intersection of Canal Drive.

Great River Bridge Project:

Westfield Gas & Electric will begin to raise the underground utility controls in and around the work area of the bridge project as this too is scheduled for pavement this year.

This State funded/State controlled project is moving forward this week as the cement trucks have started to arrive and the replacement deck is being poured.

The target for re-opening the “old” bridge is now mid-November and the traffic patterns and flow will change at that time.

I was told this week that this date was still the target for opening the west side bridge to allow southbound traffic. I will keep you posted.

Public Parking Options:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop & Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

The Westfield Business Improvement District would like to thank Capt. Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Department and City Councilor Jim Brown for providing this traffic information so we may all plan accordingly.

Here is the traffic and construction update for the week of 10/10/11:

There is no work scheduled for today, Monday – Columbus Day.

Main Street:

Lynch Construction will stay focused on Main Street from the Park to White Street.

There will be a push by the contractor working to install the new sidewalks and curbing on the Main Street section.

Because some of the remaining sidewalk work is crossing the front doors of businesses, Lynch Construction will be building temporary ramps over the new cement to gain entrance into these businesses.

This is being done for the businesses that do not have rear or side entrance that patrons can temporarily use during this phase.

You will see minor delays in the area as the new sidewalks cross over the business entrances but please continue to support our downtown merchants.

Park Square Area:

The work on the Park continues and it is starting to become very noticeable as you drive by. Many of the concrete foundation pieces are in place as are some of the lighting pieces.

The addition of granite pieces have also started. You are also seeing some of the safety bollards being installed around the outside portion of the park.

It is starting its return to be the focal point of our southern reach of downtown.

Broad Street/East Silver Street/West Silver Street:

There will be a lot of activity in this area this week as Lynch Construction crews start to raise the manhole structures on all of the streets.

I am sure you have seen the raising of the catch basins on the side of the road and they will now move onto the other structures in preparation for paving.

Broad Street, East  Silver Street and West Silver Street are scheduled for the final coat of pavement beginning the week of October 24th.

Thomas Street Lot:

The reconstruction of the Thomas Street public parking lot continues this week as we work towards expanding the service provided in this City lot.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

East Silver Street: between Noble Street and Coleman Avenue will see the installation of new gas mains and service runs to customers homes. Work will continue in this area and the side streets off of East Silver Street throughout the week.

I have had many questions about the “trench” that has been left behind on East Silver Street and I have been told that once that patch settles there will be additional patch installed to bring it to level grade for the winter.

Thomas Street: from Elm Street to Mechanic Street, will also see the installation of a new gas main this week.

Free Street:

New Pavement: On Monday (9/26) Free Street will be closed as the new pavement is put down as that portion of the project wraps.

Great River Bridge Project:

This State funded/State controlled project is moving forward this week as the cement trucks have started to arrive and the replacement deck is being poured.

The target for re-opening the “old” bridge is now mid-November and the traffic patterns and flow will change at that time.

I was told this week that this date was still the target for opening the west side bridge to allow southbound traffic. I will keep you posted.

Public Parking Options:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop & Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

The Westfield Business Improvement District would like to thank Capt. Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Department along with City Councilor Jim Brown for providing these weekly traffic updates so we may all plan accordingly.

Here is the traffic and construction update for the week of 9/26/11:

Main Street:

Lynch Construction will stay focused on Main Street from the Park to White Street.

This is being done so that the work crews can concentrate on the new sidewalks and curbing along the road.

You will see minor delays in the area as the new sidewalks cross over the business entrances.

Park Square Area:

The work on the Park continues and it is starting to become very noticeable as you drive by. Many of the concrete foundation pieces are in place as are some of the lighting pieces.

The addition of granite pieces have also started. It is starting its return to be the focal point of our southern reach of downtown.

Thomas Street Lot:

The reconstruction of the Thomas Street public parking lot continues this week as we work towards expanded the service provided in this City lot.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

Lindbergh Boulevard will see the G&E working on gas lines all week long which will cause delays during the construction day.

East Silver Street, between Noble Street and Coleman Avenue will see the installation of new gas mains and service runs to customers homes.

Fox Hill, Carriage Lane and Yankee Circle will also see the installation of a new gas main this week.

Free Street:

New Pavement: On Monday (9/26) Free Street will be closed as the new pavement is put down as that portion of the project wraps.

Great River Bridge Project:

This State funded/State controlled project is moving forward this week as the cement trucks have started to arrive and the replacement deck is being poured.

The target for re-opening the “old” bridge is now mid-November and the traffic patterns and flow will change at that time. More info to follow.

Public Parking Options:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop & Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

Special thanks to Capt. Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Department and to City Councilor Jim Brown for providing this information to all of us so that we may plan accordingly.

Here is your construction and traffic update for the week of 9/6/11:

Main Street:

Lynch Construction will stay focused on Main Street from the Park to White Street.

This is being done so that the work crews can concentrate on the new sidewalks and curbing along the road.

Park Square Area:

The work on the Park continues and it is starting to become very noticeable as you drive by. Many of the concrete foundation pieces are in place as are some of the lighting pieces. It is starting its return to be the focal point of our southern reach of downtown.

Thomas Street Lot:

The reconstruction of the Thomas Street public parking lot continues this week as we work towards expanded the service provided in this City lot.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

Lindbergh Boulevard will see the G&E working on gas lines all week long which will cause delays during the construction day.

Elm Street will see gas line work this at the intersection of Elm Street, Arnold Street and Thomas Street.

Free Street:

Free Street will be closed, during the workday, at the Main Street intersection. Access to Free Street will be available from Thomas Street.

Great River Bridge Project:

This State funded/State controlled project is moving forward this week as the cement trucks have started to arrive and the replacement deck is being poured.

The target for re-opening the “old” bridge is now mid-November and the traffic patterns and flow will change at that time. More info to follow.

Public Parking Options:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop & Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Schools are Open – Be Alert:

The Westfield Public Schools will be in full operation starting this week as they now will add the Kindergarten programs.

That means K-12 kids, cars and busses will be on our streets and sidewalks so be watching for them.

Also, Westfield State University will start classes at the Main campus this week for both day and evening courses so you can expect an increase in traffic there as well.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

Special thanks to Capt. Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Department and to City Councilor Jim Brown for providing this information to all of us so that we may plan accordingly.

Here is the traffic and construction update for the week of 8/29/11:

Main Street:

Lynch Construction will stay focused on Main Street from the Park to White Street. The binder coat of pavement is in place and on Monday the barrels will return and one lane of traffic in each direction will be in place on Main Street.

This is being done so that the work crews can concentrate on the new sidewalks and curbing along the road.

Park Square Area:

The work on the Park continues and it is starting to become very noticeable as you drive by. Many of the concrete foundation pieces are in place as are some of the lighting pieces. It is starting its return to be the focal point of our southern reach of downtown.

Thomas Street Lot:

The reconstruction of the Thomas Street public parking lot continues with the front quarter of the lot, that is the section closest to Main Street, available for parking as the rear sections are being repaired.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

Lindbergh Boulevard will see the G&E working on gas lines all week long which will cause delays during the construction day.

Public Parking Options:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop & Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

Here is a special update for this week (8/24-25-26/11):

Main Street:

Lynch Construction is now beginning to pave the Main Street areas from White Street to Park Square on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as well as into next week.

This will leave the area with a binder coat of pavement similar to what is in place on Broad Street, on all roads that have been under construction , except Free Street.

They will be leaving the roadway open to one lane of traffic in each direction, utilizing the center lanes for travel while closing the curb side lanes to allow for easy access to complete the new curbing and sidewalks.

This should allow traffic to flow through the area without much delay.

Main Street Traffic Lights:

The Traffic Control system company will arrive next week (8/29) and begin to activate all of the features of the new traffic control lights and crosswalk signals.

They will work on the timing of the lights and other features so that the system will be ready to go as the project begins to wrap up.

Public Parking Options Reminder:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop & Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

Special thanks to Capt. Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Department and to City Councilor Jim Brown for providing this information to all of us so that we may plan accordingly.

Main Street Project:

The Lynch Construction work area will remain active from Meadow Street up to the corner of Elm Street near Park Square.

This week will see Lynch Construction continuing to work on the water and sewer systems on Main Street in this work area.

The work will be done from 7am to 5pm and road closures will only be during this time period.

Main Street:

The work area is now concentrated from White Street to the Park on the South Side, with some additional work being completed between Cross Street and White Street as well. The temporary traffic lanes have been paved and it is helping to move the traffic through the area.

Please remain alert and follow the directions of the Westfield Police Officers who will be working throughout the work sites.

Park Square Area:

Now that Lynch Construction has been awarded the overall Park Green project you will continue to see major work on the site as it transforms into a classical New England Community Green and modern gathering point. There will be No Parking on Broad Street in front of Tavern Restaurant during the construction day however the city parking lot will be open and available, except on Monday – see below.

Thomas Street Lot:

The reconstruction of the Thomas Street public parking lot continues with the front quarter of the lot, that is the section closest to Main Street, available for parking as the rear sections are being repaired.

Morse Avenue:

The first thing that people are saying is where is Morse Avenue, well it is the official name of the “road” that goes behind teh Tavern Restaurant and the Niagara Bank properties. This area will be closed on Monday inorder to complete underground utility work. This will mean that the city parking lot behind the Tavern will be closed, during the construction day, on Monday only.

Clinton Ave:

On Wednesday, Clinton Avenue will be reduced to one lane of traffic during the construction day.

Westfield G&E Work Zones in various sections of the City:

On Monday the G&E will be working on gas lines on Chapel Street, which will cause delays during the construction day.

On Tuesday the G&E will be working on gas lines on Clinton Avenue, which will cause delays during the construction day.

On Thursday and Friday G&E will be working on gas lines on Union Street near Katherine Street, which will cause delays during the construction day.

Lindbergh Boulevard will see the G&E working on gas lines all week long which will cause delays during the construction day.

Public Parking Options:

The public parking lot behind the Tavern Restaurant is open and available as well as the Stop n Shop parking areas closest to Main Street.

A parking area has been established with an entrance off of Elm Street next to Mina’s Spirits.

The public parking lots on the west side of Elm Street remain open and available and can be accessed via School Street, Church Street, Arnold Street and Franklin Street.

Please use these additional parking areas to support our downtown merchants and restaurants – they are open for business, lets support them.

Other info:

Please remember to use your directional signals so we all know your intentions and be alert for the police personnel who will be guiding you through the construction zones.

Thank you for your patience as we make Westfield a better place to live, work and relax.

We would like to thank Captain Michael McCabe and the Westfield Police Dept. and City Councilor Jim Brown for making this information available to us so we can all plan accordingly.