COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION-HIGHWAY DIVISION
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
FALL RIVER ROUTE 79/I-195 INTERCHANGE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Project File No. 605223
Following a MEPA scoping session, MassDOT Highway Division will hold a Public Hearing to present the Environmental
Assessment (EA)/Environmental Notification Form (ENF) and seek public comments on the EA/ENF for the proposed Route
79/I-195 Interchange Reconstruction project in Fall River, MA.
WHERE:
Heritage State Park
200 Davol Street
Fall River, MA 02720
WHEN:
Thursday, July 12, 2012
MEPA Scoping Session 3:00 PM
Public Hearing 6:00 – 9:00 PM
PURPOSE: The purpose of public hearing is to seek public comments on the Environmental Assessment/Environmental
Notification Form for the proposed Route 79/I-195 Interchange Reconstruction Project.
PROPOSAL: The Purpose of the project is to promote safety by addressing the structurally deficient bridges that are part of
the Route 79/I-195 Interchange and thereby reduce life-cycle maintenance costs of the interchange structures. The Need for the
project is to address safety of structural deficiencies, reduce life-cycle maintenance costs, and address safety of substandard
roadway geometry.
The preferred alternative is an at-grade interchange. The At-Grade Interchange alternative will remove the existing two-level
Route 79 viaduct and replace it by combining Route 79 with Davol Street within the project area. A new four-lane roadway
(two through lanes in each direction) will be constructed that will connect with local roads at three new signalized at-grade
intersections. The ramps connecting Route 79 and I-195 will be rebuilt.
Additional improvements include a new roadway being constructed between Route 79 and Water Street allowing improved
access to and from the waterfront, the addition of pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, and the realignment of existing
Connector Street to allow for two-way traffic flow and access to Milliken Boulevard from I-195 eastbound via Pocasset Street.
Plans will be on display one-half hour before the meeting begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions regarding
this project. Project information is available on the MassDOT project website at www.mass.gov/massdot/route79project.com.
Comments on the Environmental Assessment and Environmental Notification Form must be submitted by July 20, 2012.
Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the
proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Pamela S. Stephenson, Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration,
55 Broadway, 10th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02142, Attention: Damaris Santiago; and to Richard K. Sullivan, Jr., Secretary,
Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office, 100 Cambridge Street, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02114, Attention:
MEPA Coordinator; with a copy to Thomas F. Broderick, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT Highway Division, 10 Park Plaza,
Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Mary E. Hynes, Project File No. 605223. Such submissions will also be accepted at the meeting.
Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us.
This meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language
assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other
than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio
tapes, Braille and large print), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Director of
Civil Rights by phone at (617) 973-7171, TTD/TTY at (617) 973-7715, fax (617) 973-7311 or by email to
MASSDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us. Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more
difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made
at least ten business days before the meeting.
In case of inclement weather, hearing cancellation announcements will be posted on the internet at
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Highway.
FRANK DEPAOLA, P.E.
HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATOR
THOMAS F. BRODERICK, P.E.
CHIEF ENGINEER
Boston, Massachusetts