Mountain Road closures irritate Easthampton residents, business owners

EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - It is a highly traveled road that often has to close due to weather, but despite the sunshine Thursday, Mountain Road in Easthampton was closed for a different reason.

Mountain Road (Route 141), which connects Holyoke and Easthampton, was closed for a good part of the day due to road crews cleaning trees and debris from the side of the road. The road closure caught some people by surprise forcing them to turn around or follow the detour.

The closure of Mountain Road, which is a frequent occurrence in the winter time, does hurt some area businesses, particularly in Easthampton.

“Today my business is very slow since this morning,” said Abdul Butt, the owner of Union Mart in Easthampton. “I don't have any customers because it's closed, and especially when they clean up once a year I don't have any business all morning.”

Easthampton residents are forced to find other ways to get in and out of town.

“It does affect a lot of people and to go Route 5 or another back road is a real hassle,” one resident told 22News, “but I understand they're need to maintain the mountain and take control of it for driver safety.”

Route 141 was re-opened in time for the evening commute, and will be open again on Friday.