Beginning with a bridge replacement in 2007, the stretch of I-91 from Northampton to Holyoke has been under repair at various points almost continually for 4 years. Watch video
In this file photo from 2009, traffic on I-91 backs up as it approaches the scene of construction on the highway over East Street in Easthampton. The stretch between Holyoke and Northampton has seen numerous road repair projects since 2007.HOLYOKE – Someday, John Torrone tells himself when he is stuck in traffic on Interstate 91, he’ll be able to accelerate along the highway at a normal speed.
Someday.
“I know in the back of my mind someday it’s going to get better, but it’s been going on for so long,” said Torrone, of Westfield.
But, with construction on different projects between Exit 17 in Holyoke and Exit 18 in Northampton now ongoing for four straight years, it is only natural to wonder if someday will ever come.
Torrone works as a lawyer in Holyoke, and part of his job is to stop in regularly at the probate courts in Springfield, Northampton and Greenfield. The most direct route between those three cities is I-91, but thanks to construction and traffic tie-ups associated with it, the shortest distance between two points is not necessarily the fastest.
“It’s hit or miss,” he said.
Sometimes the traffic flows normally, he said. “And, other times it’s a parking lot.”
Torrone said he often takes alternative routes, such as Route 5 through Holyoke to Northampton, just to avoid the interstate.
“I’ve added 5 to 10 miles to my commute,” he said.
Work is under way this summer at multiple points on I-91 in both directions along a 5.8 mile stretch between Holyoke and Northampton, said Michael Verseckes, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
The $9.7 million project, awarded to Lane Construction Corp., of Cheshire, Conn., calls for resurfacing sections of the roadway and performing maintenance on several bridges in both directions, including those over Route 141, Bemis, Country Club and Reservation roads.
The project is scheduled to be completed in the spring.
Work will be ongoing during the daytime behind barriers throughout the summer and into
the fall, Verseckes said.
Workers have begun doing milling of road surfaces and paving between 7 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
“This should go on all summer long, starting northbound along the long stretch between Bemis and Country Club roads, and then turning southbound along the same stretch,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of rain this May and June, but nevertheless we’re progressing along.”
The ongoing project is not as extensive as one along the same stretch of highway that wrapped up last summer. The replacement of two bridges spanning East Street in Easthampton affected travel in both directions from 2007 until last summer.
State Police Sgt. Matthew Murray said the construction is not an issue for troopers from the barracks in Northampton, who are responsible for patrolling that stretch of highway.
He said he is not aware of any problems related to the barriers or construction. There has been no dramatic increase or uptick in the number of accidents, nor have there been any problems with traffic tie-ups, he said.
“It’s going as smooth as construction projects can in the summer time,” the sergeant said.
Alfonso Santaniello, who runs a marketing firm in Holyoke located at Open Square, said he has to drive to Easthampton and Northampton three to four times a week on business.
The construction particularly in the last month, causes traffic to gum up each afternoon at spots where the road narrows, he said.
“The slimming down of the road causes people to go real slow,” Santaniello said.
And, even after cars pass through the construction zone, some tend to continue driving slow, he said.
Santaniello said he has no problem with upkeep on the highway because he wants roads that are smooth and bridges to be safe. It is just that the resulting slowdown of traffic plays havoc has a spill-over on to how he does his job.
“I have such a hectic schedule. I’m always rushing from point A to point B,” he said.
Like Torrone, Santaniello said he often gets off the highway to take back roads because of the traffic. Other times, he makes accommodations for the extra time in transit and takes the highway anyway.
“It doesn’t make me crazy because I know it’s there,” he said.
But, Santaniello says he’s sat stopped in traffic on I-91 and watched drivers in cars beside him pounding on the steering wheel, screaming and gesturing every which way.
“You can’t do anything but laugh,” he said.