Main Street Redesign Highlighted in Second Community Workshop on Thursday, June 22

GREENFIELD – The second community workshop for the Main Street Redesign will take place on Thursday, June 22 from 6 – 8 p.m. at the John Zon Community Center 35 Pleasant St. Members of the community are invited to submit their input and learn more about the project, which stretches .7 miles from 100 feet east of Colrain Street to High Street.

The Main Street Redesign aims to implement a complete street rehabilitation, including safety infrastructure upgrades to pedestrian, bicycle and transit accommodations. Some of the specific redesign goals are creating a safer intersection at Main and High streets, promoting safety at state-identified pedestrian and bicycle crash clusters and ensuring accessible access to all sidewalks and ramps. These enhancements follow fundamentals established in Greenfield’s Complete Street Prioritization Plan adopted in 2017 and the city’s Sustainable Greenfield Master Plan from 2014.
According to MassDOT, a complete street is one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes – walking, biking, transit and motorized vehicles – for people of all ages and abilities. Designing streets with these principles contributes toward the safety, health, economic viability and quality of life in a community.

Greenfield continues to collaborate with the engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill in the redesign process. The first community workshop took place on Thursday, February 9, 2023, with the input being utilized to help inform conceptual design schematics. The designs will be presented at the June 22 workshop, which will help finalize a 25% design plan that will be submitted to MassDOT in the fall.

Mayor Roxann Wedegartner appropriated $288,900 of capital funding toward the project's engineering and 25% design phase. The Main Street Redesign will cost approximately $7.8 million and will be paid for by state and federal funds. The project is also set to be included in the MassDOT Transportation Improvement Program.

“If you have ideas about the configuration of parking, crosswalks or bicycle lanes on Main Street, now is the time to weigh in, so that feedback can be included in the design process,” said Mayor Roxann Wedegartner. “Though we’re working toward the 25% design, the time to voice your ideas is now, because many key decisions are made in this stage before MassDOT begins its review.”
Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2026.