This project, which was completed in late 2021, called for the construction of a pedestrian connection between the Brightwood and North End neighborhoods in Springfield.
As part of the project, a fifty-two (52) foot long concrete underpass was constructed under the existing railroad tracks together with a new five hundred and thirty (530) foot long multi-use path connecting to existing sidewalks along Birnie Avenue and Plainfield Street in Springfield.
The $6.7 million project created a new fully-accessible crossing that encourages pedestrian and bicycle access to area resources while also offering significant safety improvements for North End residents traveling between Birnie Avenue and Plainfield Street.
The Notice to Process for this project was issued to the contractor, Daniel O’Connell’s Sons Inc., on April 24, 2019.
Progress images
The precast underpass was installed over a six-day period between August 9–14, 2020 when the railroad line was taken out of service.
The machine on the working on tracks is a ballast tamper.
Further reading
MassDOT Project 607589 (Official site)
Public Hearing Information Packet (PDF) [archived copy]
MassDOT Highway Division | March 10, 2016
Public Hearing Information Packet (PDF) [archived copy]
MassDOT Highway Division | April 25, 2017
“Springfield’s North End neighborhood to get $4.3 million railroad underpass”
By Elizabeth Roman | The Republican | March 15, 2016
“Pedestrian tunnel under Springfield train tracks arriving too late to prevent tragedy”
By Patrick Johnson | The Republican | March 27, 2019
Page last updated: April 15, 2022
Page last reviewed: April 15, 2022