Route 5 in West Springfield to close overnight for flood wall test
WEST SPRINGFIELD — A section of Riverdale Street (Route 5) in West Springfield will be closed to all traffic overnight Saturday as the town conducts a federally mandated flood protection test.
The closure, which affects the stretch between Morgan Road and Elm Street, begins at 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, and is expected to last until 6 a.m. Sunday, town officials said in a press release issued Wednesday.
Traffic will be detoured through Piper Road between East Elm Street and Morgan Road. Drivers are advised to seek alternate routes and expect delays.
The shutdown is necessary for the town to test its stop log flood wall system — a temporary barrier made of steel beams and aluminum panels designed to block floodwaters from the Connecticut River.
The structure is part of West Springfield’s levee system and must be tested every five years under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulations, officials said.
“These tests are essential to maintaining our flood protection system and keeping our community safe,” Mayor William C. Reichelt said in a statement.
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