Route 147, 75 and 159 Roadway & Bridge Improvements

Creating safe, efficient community connections were key to the successful highway and bridge safety improvements project linking the Town of Agawam and City of West Springfield, MA.

A Benesch-led study confirmed that the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge needed to be replaced and identified insufficiencies at three key intersections along Memorial Avenue (Route 147). The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) recognized a “complete streets” approach to these improvements would benefit the adjacent communities. Benesch worked closely with numerous stakeholders to incorporate the complete streets features while carefully balancing the impacts to the project costs and schedule.

Construction of the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge replacement and associated roadway improvements was completed by Northern Construction in coordination with MassDOT and project stakeholders. The project involved bridge replacement over the Westfield River, roadway widening, utility coordination and complete streets enhancements designed to improve long-term transportation safety and efficiency throughout the corridor.

Along with designing the new bridge structure over the Westfield River, Benesch designed one mile of roadway widening, new signals and intersection improvements to accommodate increased vehicle capacity.

Additionally, Benesch worked closely with both towns and MassDOT to implement the complete streets features for pedestrian and bicycle accommodations. Features such as a two-way bicycle facility with bicycle signals, bicycle crossings and two-stage bicycle turn boxes were designed while maintaining horizontal separation from the pedestrian facilities.

These new features promote safe, efficient and predictable paths of travel for residents of all ages. According to the Agawam Town Engineer, this project has created a ripple effect of additional projects in the area, further expanding the complete streets network established as part of this project.