February 22: Interchange 19 Project Advisory Committee Meets Today; Download Slides of Latest Concepts

Engineers working to improve I-91 Exit 19 are holding a meeting of the Project Advisory Committee today from 6-8pm. We encourage concerned citizens to attend. Download the meeting agenda (PDF). Download the slides showing the latest concepts being discussed (PDF).

February 19, 2010

Hello PAC Members:

The agenda and presentation for our PAC meeting on Monday are now posted to the project website. Please visit http://www.interchange19.org/html-pub_involve/project_comm.html for more information.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 22, 2010 from 6 to 8 PM at the Bridge Street School Library, 2 Parsons Street, Northampton. If the school is closed on Monday due to inclement weather, the meeting will be the following day at the same time and location.

See you then.

Marcy

Marcy Miller, AICP
Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc.
72 Cedar Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Main Phone: 860-247-7200
Direct Line: 860-256-4913
Fax: 860-540-1010
www.fhiplan.com 

See also:

Gazette Guest Column: “One member ponders best questions for Exit 19 project advisory group” (12/3/09)
James Lowenthal is a member of the Exit 19 Project Advisory Committee… Today’s Gazette publishes this guest column by Mr. Lowenthal:

One member ponders best questions for Exit 19 project advisory group

What exactly is the problem that the new highway ramps are intended to solve? If the answer is safety, then we need to know in very concrete terms how expanding the highway will improve safety…

Who initiated the project to build new highway ramps in the first place? Was it the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission? MassHighway? The city of Northampton? U.S. Rep. John Olver’s office? There appears to be a lot of opposition to this project and very little genuine public support. Someone needs to claim responsibility if the project is going to move forward…

Other cities (Providence, San Francisco, Portland, Ore. ) are tearing down waterfront highways and reclaiming the land for parks and public spaces. Expanding the Exit 19 interchange would do exactly the opposite: take precious Connecticut River waterfront, some of the country’s richest farmland and historic neighborhoods and pave them over. Is that loss really worth the uncertain gains?

Video: Exit 19 Update from Project Advisory Committee, 11/16/09 

Northampton Media: “Highway Planners Present Dog-and-Pony Show on Exit 19; Offer No New Plans” (11/17/09)
When asked by an audience member about the possibility of a “no build” option, Bua said that that would not be out of the question if the data supported the option.

Northampton Redoubt: Interstate 91 Interchange 19 update (2/8/08)

Northampton Office of Planning and Development: I-91/Exit 19 Interchange Reports