Friday, August 25, 2017
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Patrick J. Sullivan, Executive Director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation, have announced that the preliminary geotechnical investigation has commenced at the Main Greeting Road entrance to Forest Park. Up to six test borings are planned, at a depth of 50 feet, and the work is scheduled to be completed by Monday, August 28, 2017. The soil borings are necessary to determine the integrity of the embankment supporting the road. The information gained will be used in the evaluation and design of permanent remedial actions.
New England Boring Contractors will perform the soil borings; with engineering oversight provided by GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Main Greeting Road will remain closed during this geotechnical investigation. Results of the study will be available on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 and then the city will determine when the road can be reopened.
Mayor Sarno stated, “I appreciate the residents’ patience and understanding during this geotechnical investigative work. It is my intent to reopen the road at a time when we can ensure that this entrance to Forest Park can be safely accessed. I appreciate the cooperation received from Governor Baker, Lt. Governor Polito, and EEA Secretary Beaton in exploring all avenues to repair or rebuild this earthen structure and culvert. We will be finalizing our engineering report early next week and submitting it to the Commonwealth for their review. As always, our Governor is only a phone call away to assist our city and this is greatly appreciated.”
Patrick Sullivan stated, “The Springfield Park Commission is thankful for Mayor Sarno’s immediate response in providing the resources to properly draw down Swan Pond and prevent further deterioration of the Main Greeting Road earthen structure. At the completion of the drawdown last week, it became apparent that the culvert is collapsed and water has traveled in and around the culvert pipe, and has seeped through the northern section of the road structure. This necessitated having to take soil borings to determine the integrity of the road infrastructure prior to reopening. Results of these tests will be available early next week and allow the city to determine a timeline for permanent repair of the road and culvert infrastructure.”