Dear Friends in District 3,
I received this notice from Nancy Buffone of UMass University Relations. She alerts us that starting Monday Dec. 20, Lincoln Avenue will have a different traffic configuration. We also learned from Nancy’s note that Tony Maroulis has rejoined UMass, now with the title of Executive Director of Community and Strategic Initiatives. His phone is 413-687-2757. (I do remember in the past that Tony was great in receiving calls and communicating with the public about University business and community impact.)
I am re-sending Nancy’s message (below) and include the site plan with the traffic patterns both in the body of the email and as an attachment.
Stay safe,
Dorothy
Forwarded message:
Subject: UMass Housing Project updates
Date: December 16, 2021 at 2:38:00 PM EST
Good afternoon, Dorothy and George. We continue to make progress with the new student housing projects along Mass Ave. The demolition work at the old Lincoln Apartments has been moving along steadily. We have a big milestone coming up on Monday – we will be putting up construction fencing around parking lot #32 at the corner of Mass Ave and Lincoln Ave. This will allow us to start prepping the site for construction of the undergraduate housing building. It also means that we will be closing Lincoln Avenue from Mass Ave to the entrance of lot 32. I have attached an overview of our next steps as well as a map that shows the detours.
As a reminder, construction will start no earlier than 7 am and there may be times when they need to work on Saturdays. Contractors have been told to reach the site via Mass Ave so there shouldn’t be trucks on the neighborhood streets.
I hope that you would be willing to share this information with your email lists. We are re-imagining the UMass community relations newsletter – which has been dormant for a couple of years – and hope we can work with you after the holidays to encourage neighbors to sign up for it.
Thanks,
Nancy
Nancy Buffone ’95, ’03G, ’09EdD
Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations
University of Massachusetts Amherst
181 Presidents Drive
305 Whitmore Administration Building
Amherst MA 01002
(413) 577-1101
(413) 427-9353 (c)
Dec. 16, 2021. Construction Detours on Mass. Ave., Lincoln Ave. will be in Place Starting Monday, December 20
Starting Monday, Dec. 20, construction fencing will be installed on the UMass Amherst campus around sections of Massachusetts Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, and the full perimeter of Parking Lot 32 East. This work is part of site preparations for pending construction of new undergraduate and graduate housing. Significant changes in traffic and parking patterns will occur.
The following will be in place from Dec. 20, 2021 through Jan. 21, 2022.
· A detour will be in place for Massachusetts Avenue eastbound from Lincoln Avenue to the Visitors Center Lot entrance. Vehicle traffic on Massachusetts Avenue eastbound will merge to one lane before Lincoln Avenue to use a detour as directed. A police detail will be on Massachusetts Avenue during construction activities to guide vehicles, pedestrians and construction vehicles. This detour is scheduled to end at the start of the spring semester, but the other changes noted below are expected to remain in place until construction concludes in fall 2023.
· The entry to the Robsham Visitors Center Lot will be closed to vehicle traffic.
Vehicles may access the lot from Massachusetts Avenue through the Lot 34 entrance. The Visitors Center Lot exit will remain open.
· Lincoln Avenue will be closed from the entrance to Lot 32 to Massachusetts Avenue. Vehicles will use North Hadley Road and Sunset Avenue as a detour.
· There also will be impacts to pedestrian pathways.
Please refer to the related site plan below for impacts that are expected from Monday, Dec. 20 through Friday, Jan. 21.
