Adams Asks For State Help With Route 8

The Berkshire Eagle  reports for years, Howland Avenue has been the source of many drivers' frustration with pot holes and car damage  on Route 8.

Town Administrator Jay Green and state Rep. John Barrett III are looking for solutions to solving the problem.

The main problem is, while the co-joined Howland Avenue and Curran Highway are part of Route 8, the highway in North Adams is a state road. Starting at the Adams town line, the four-lane, 1-mile strip of Howland Avenue is not. That means it is town road, and therefore the town is responsible for maintenance and repair. But the cost of fixing the stretch of troublesome thoroughfare would break the town's entire annual budget for road work, which is about $275,000 in state funding.

"It is beyond our capabilities," Green said. "

So, the town is working with officials in the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to find alternatives.

Two options may be to get MassDOT to pay for the town to rebuild the road, or to transfer it to the state for oversight, much like Curran Highway.

A torrent of public comment is focused on how some drivers won't drive in the slow lane anymore — which has the most acute damage — causing people to drive more slowly in the passing lane and others to pass them on the right, which could cause a traffic calamity.