Trial run for Main Street redesign: Easthampton aims for safer, more walkable area

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of Easthampton’s Main Street experimental redesign.

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of Easthampton’s Main Street experimental redesign. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

Easthampton Highway Department employees Tom Cormier, left, and Andrew Bishop, right, set up a barrier as part of the experimental Easthampton Main Street redesign while Andrew Howard, owner of Team Better Block, watches. The barrier is between the bike lane and handicap parking.

Easthampton Highway Department employees Tom Cormier, left, and Andrew Bishop, right, set up a barrier as part of the experimental Easthampton Main Street redesign while Andrew Howard, owner of Team Better Block, watches. The barrier is between the bike lane and handicap parking. STAFF PHOTOS/CAROL LOLLIS

Jake Morris, an employee of Team Better Block, paints a mural on the pedestrian portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign. Next to Morris is a designated bike lane.

Jake Morris, an employee of Team Better Block, paints a mural on the pedestrian portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign. Next to Morris is a designated bike lane. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign.

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign.

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign.

Phil LaFlamme, an employee of the Easthampton Highway Department, paints a bike lane symbol on a portion of the Easthampton Main street experimental redesign. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS—

By JAMES PENTLAND

Staff Writer

Published: 04-11-2024 5:54 PM

EASTHAMPTON — Drivers and pedestrians will be noticing a change on Main Street this week as the city implements a trial run of a proposed redesign, adding bike lanes and narrowing the street for a key pedestrian crossing.

The experiment, on the section of Main between Union Street and Pulaski Park, also changes on-street parking from angled to parallel.

One driver of the change is pedestrian safety, City Engineer Dan Murphy said.

“The biggest concern is the Campus Lane crossing,” he said.

That crossing, 90 feet wide with no safety island in the middle, has been shortened under the experimental shift.

Highway department workers and volunteers have been helping to paint new markings on the road, creating parallel parking spaces and short-term parking zones and showing where bike lanes could be added.

“It’s just temporary, to try it out,” Murphy said. “It may stay up until Memorial Day.”

Staff engineer Diane Rossini said it’s exciting to re-envision Main Street, but she acknowledged that change could be hard.

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“We are looking for a design that will serve the residents, business owners, and visitors of Easthampton best, whether they, walk, bike, or drive to and around our City,” she said in a statement.

Public Works Director Greg Nuttelman noted that the parallel parking set-up reduces the number of parking spaces on Main Street. He said people are encouraged to park on Campus Lane or at the Pepin School.

The changes have been developed from community ideas to increase parking and walking traffic to local businesses. City officials are looking for public feedback on the changes and have been handing out flyers explaining the changes.

An art walk and design input session was held Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., providing an opportunity for people to experience the evolving Main Street design and share their impressions.

“The Better Block initiative offers a unique opportunity to try various concepts and gather real-time feedback before implementing permanent changes,” the city states.

“These trial initiatives allow for experimentation and evaluation of different design elements, so the final plan submitted in 2027 reflects the needs and preferences of the community and local businesses.”

The Main Street redesign is part of the Envision Main Street Easthampton project, a plan to improve accessibility, support local businesses, and preserve the historic character of the whole downtown section from the Manhan River bridge on West Street to the Emily Williston Memorial Library.

Community meetings were held last March and June to gather public comment, and another will be held at the conclusion of the experimental Main Street traffic shift, Murphy said. Another next step is for project consultant Bowman Consulting Group Inc. to prepare a draft 25% design document.

James Pentland can be reached at jpentland@gazettenet.com.