GREENFIELD — A proposed $3 million Nash’s Mill Road Bridge replacement project is slated to receive federal and state money, with an estimated completion date of 2020.
At a public hearing in Greenfield High School Thursday, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) officials presented preliminary plans to replace the current structure, built in 1933, with a new single span 105-foot steel beam bridge.
“The bridge has been determined to be ‘functionally obsolete’ and ‘structurally deficient,’” said Peter Perkins, structural engineer at Clough Harbour & Associates, a design firm hired by the town for the project. The bridge now has a weight restriction and one lane open.
MassDOT officials estimate costs at $3 million and designs to be finished by the end of 2018. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2019. The replacement will be “designed to support all current vehicle weights,” Perkins said.
About 200 feet of roadway on both sides of the bridge will be reconstructed 4 feet wider than it is now, with 10-foot lanes, 4-foot shoulders, and a 5-foot sidewalk on the southern side. New abutments will be drilled and socketed into bedrock directly behind existing abutments to minimize river disturbance.
Town-owned land abuts the bridge, a small portion of which will have to be used, said Karen Axtell of MassDOT’s right of way bureau.
At Thursday’s hearing, a half-dozen local officials and residents expressed concern about the amount of time the bridge will be closed — estimated to be for possibly more than a year. In the meantime, residents will have to detour 3½ miles down Conway, Elm and Colrain streets, and Colrain Road.
The hearing was held as an opportunity for residents to air their concerns as part of the documented design process.
“(Nash’s Mill Road) is a major route for people traveling from west Greenfield to east Greenfield. It is heavily, heavily trafficked,” said Councilor at Large Isaac Mass. “I’m concerned about the long period of construction.”
“We’ve been doing everything we can to expedite this process, both in design and construction,” said Greenfield Director of Public Works Donald Ouellette.
The project is expected to span two construction seasons, lasting from spring through late fall.
“It’s becoming a safety issue,” MassDOT Project Manager James Dalton responded, noting, “your points are well taken.”
According to a 2013 traffic study, “approximately 6,980 vehicles, 6 percent of which is estimated to be truck traffic,” traverse the bridge each day, according to the state. The bridge’s speed limit is 25 miles per hour.
A few other concerns raised during the meeting include water flows and levels of the Green River, which Greenfield Recreation Director Christy Moore said the town controls for recreational purposes. Moore gave notice for anyone who might be working around the river.
The project will continue forward through town and state government. Axtell noted, “The project is moving along at a steady rate.”
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo