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Hospital Hill Task Group's News Release
Hospital Hill Task Group Unveils Proposal for New Paradise Parkway, Providing Northampton's Missing East-West Link to Connect Route 66 with Conz Street
Plans for construction of a new Northampton roadway to connect Route 66 with Conz Street, via the abandoned rail bed behind the Smith College parking garage and Forbes Library, were unveiled on Wednesday by the Paradise City Forum's Hospital Hill Task Group.
In a scale drawing of the proposed new "Paradise City Parkway," Northampton architect Tristram Metcalfe demonstrates the feasibility of building a connector road from Route 66, at the current entrance to Veteran's Field, directly through the already built road in the municipal parking lot behind the Peter Pan Bus Station to the Conz Street traffic light.
Metcalfe's analysis shows that there is more than enough room to accommodate a two-lane road as well a bicycle/pedestrian trail. "There is room for construction of a parkway connector that would provide an east-west link for Northampton and help to alleviate stress at the confluence of Routes 66, 9 and 10," said Metcalfe. "The highest and best use for this now overgrown 1,200 foot stretch of old rail and river bed would be to develop it for multiple purposes: bikes, traffic, 50 new parallel parking spaces, and sidewalks for pedestrians."
Plans for Phase One development at the former Northampton State Hospital are expected to increase traffic by at least 4,700 additional vehicle trips per day. Subsequent development at Hospital Hill and at other sites west of the Mill River is may eventually triple or quadruple the number of additional vehicles utilizing West and South Streets.
"Building a bypass connector to give traffic direct access to and from downtown Northampton and the Interstate makes sense," said Metcalfe. "It would address both current and future traffic problems while creating a park like setting in what is now just a useless dumping ground."
Metcalfe noted that developing the old rail bed only for a bicycle path will limit its usefulness and do little, if anything, to reduce automobile traffic on West and South Streets. Moreover, he said, the design of the Round House Parking lot clearly envisioned the potential for a road to be developed. "The way parking is laid out, the road already exists between Old South Street and the point it crosses under South Street," he said.
"With a bit of minor re-engineering--such as road paint or curbing with stop signs--traffic could be streamlined to bypass the most congested and heavily settled streets in Northampton, including pedestrian-concentrated areas near Smith College and Forbes Library," he said. "This plan provides a perfect solution for addressing traffic and safety issues at the worst intersection in Northampton."
The Hospital Hill Task Group plans to seek endorsement from the full Paradise City Forum for the proposed Paradise City Parkway. The group also is urging the developers of the Village at Hospital Hill, the Citizens Advisory Committee for the former Northampton State Hospital and the Northampton Planning Board to carefully consider the feasibility and benefits of building a new connector road.
View a sketch of the Paradise City Parkway proposal
For More Information:
Tris Metcalfe
413-586-5775
twm3@rcn.com