Holyoke accepts MassTrails planning grant for Main Street complete-streets work

The Holyoke Finance Committee voted Nov. 24 to accept a MassTrails program grant to support planning work on Main Street from Route 5 to Springdale Park and to authorize a cash match drawn from the city's smart‑growth fund.

Aaron, the planning/engineering presenter, told the committee the award would take the project to roughly 15–20% design: "This is focusing on the area of Main Street from Route 5... to Springdale Park... this grant gets us to about 20% design." He said the work is intended to be part of a multi‑phase complete‑streets effort — adding bike lanes, lighting, sidewalks and raised crosswalks — and to coordinate with a separate MassDOT grant proposal that covers adjacent segments.

The item packet showed a MassTrails grant of $239,000 and a cash match coming from smart‑growth funds. Committee members asked about the project endpoints and whether the planning grant would address a traffic signal at Springdale Park that a drunk driver had knocked down; Aaron said the MassTrails award covers planning only, and deferred immediate signal questions to the DPW. Mike Gallagher of DPW joined remotely and said engineering studies previously determined a traffic signal at that intersection was "not warranted" and that there was no plan to replace it immediately; he said DPW had installed no-parking signs and planned other interim measures.

The committee voted to accept the grant and the associated transfer. Staff said the planning award represents another incremental step toward a larger Main Street corridor project that will require additional funding and coordination with state agencies.