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Springfield secures federal safety grant for signal upgrades; residents press DPW for earlier 'signal screens' in Mason Square
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Summary
DPW told the committee the city received federal funding for a multi‑intersection safety project covering about 11 corridors and 15 intersections; DPW said design and state approvals mean construction will begin about a year out, while residents urged immediate installation of yellow signal back plates in Mason Square and other locations.
The Springfield maintenance and development committee on April 28 reviewed planned pedestrian and traffic-signal upgrades funded by a federal safety grant and heard heated appeals from residents who want quicker, visible improvements in Mason Square.
"We received from the federal government, received a safety grant — $18,000,000 project. We received $15,000,000 from the federal government," said Chris Ignoli of DPW, describing a program of design and construction that staff expect to move to the construction phase about a year from now. Ignoli said the work will cover roughly 15 intersections and 11 corridors, including State Street and the Mason Square area, and will replace signal back plates and upgrade pedestrian features. He said neighborhood-level public meetings are likely this fall with more detailed design materials.
Ignoli listed crosswalks the department plans to include in state grant applications: Saint James Boulevard at Marshall Roy Field; Dickinson Street by the synagogue; a location at Duggan/Wilburham Road; Tiffany Street at Dickinson; and Dickinson near the JCC. He said MassDOT and the state changed scoring and presentation expectations and now assign points for presenting projects to the council before application.
Residents and neighborhood advocates urged faster action on signal back plates and other aesthetic improvements. "It's very dark and dank... I'm about aesthetics," said Montenia Scheider, a long-time area resident and advocate, pressing DPW to install yellow "signal screens" in Mason Square now rather than wait for the larger federal-funded construction schedule. Scheider added the upgrades would be "motivational and uplifting for the community."
Ignoli responded that many of the signals with new back plates are MassDOT projects or developer-driven installations, that the federal grant requires design approval and state sign-off before the city can spend money, and that the city only recently received permission to start design. He said the project will be packaged and go out to construction next year and that signal back plates can be expensive at scale, though he estimated the back-plate installation itself at roughly $400–$500 each.
Committee members sought clarification on timing and locations; Ignoli said some intersections already on a Safe Routes to School program (and other state-led projects) will get new signals sooner. The DPW said a more detailed outreach schedule and project list will be posted after the design phase advances.
What happens next: DPW plans neighborhood meetings later this fall and will report an update to the committee at the May 4 meeting; residents urged continued follow-up and immediate interim measures where feasible.
