A New Landscape 

January 2004: With sledge hammers in hand, Transportation Secretary Dan Grabauskas and Mass Highway Commissioner John Cogliano joined state and local officials yesterday to start the demolition as part of the $36.6 million Hurley Square reconstruction project in Worcester, the northern tip of Rte 146.

Mass Highway Commissioner John Cogliano introduced the speakers which included Rep Paul Frost, Worc Rep John Fresolo, City Manager Tom Hoover, Sen Guy Glodis, City Councilor Paul Clancy - all of whom spoke briefly about the wonderful coalition of forces that worked to bring this project forward. "We're excited to get underway with the demolition and move one step closer to providing residents of the Worcester and Blackstone Valley area with improved infrastructure and expanded access to the region", said Grabauskas.

The Hurley Square project involves the reconstruction of a three-quarter mile segment of Rte 146 between Providence Street and the Route 290/Brosnihan Square interchange. The project also includes the reconstruction of 1 1/2 miles of local streets and construction of three new bridges. Work will be performed by JF White Contracting of Framingham and is expected to be complete by 2006-7.

Three buildings will be will be completely or partially demolished. They include the Rome building which will be partially demolished on the southern portion with the remainder expected to be renovated into a Visitors Center for the National Heritage Corridor, the Starr Scrap building due for complete demolition and the 40A Ballard Street building which inhabited by businesses which will stay as partial removal of the eastern section occurs to allow room for construction of a service road to access  an existing industrial park. The Rome building and Starr Scrap were part of the largest wire mesh/barb wire manufacturing complex of the late 1880s.

Hurley Square is one component of the overall $299.8 million Route 146 improvement project to enhance economic development, quality of life and access to central Massachusetts. The entire project will relocate, widen and divide four miles of Rte 146 from Rte 122A in Millbury to Route 290 in Worcester.

The Brosnihan Square segment, which will complete the corridor and tie the new Route 146 into Route 290 with a reconstructed interchange, is in the final stages of design. It will be advertised for bid later this year. The design on the current project kicked off January 21, 2004 was completed in 2001.

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