MONTAGUE — The state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is planning a mass replacement of Turners Falls Road’s “White Bridge,” the cross-canal “Green Bridge” and Sixth Street’s Bailey Bridge as part of an estimated $56 million project slated to begin in four to five years.
The announcement was made during Monday’s Selectboard meeting. The project, anticipated to be a three-year process, is expected to be funded through Gov. Charlie Baker’s $9.7 billion infrastructure bond bill. As far as town officials are aware, “Montague is not paying any money out of its own pocket at this point in time,” according to Town Administrator Steve Ellis.
“It is made possible by the federal infusion of funds, we’re quite certain, that has suddenly changed the economic picture for bridge projects across the state,” Ellis said.
Officials expect bid-ready plans to be developed by 2026 and the project to be put out to bid in fiscal year 2027. In the interim, the construction process for the new Fifth Street pedestrian bridge will likely be halted. The General Pierce Bridge between Montague and Greenfield is scheduled for completion in May 2023, allowing it to serve as a primary means of transit between the two communities.
The Bailey Bridge on Sixth Street was reopened to limited traffic in spring of 2021. It had been closed unexpectedly in fall 2020 following a MassDOT inspection that revealed structural problems.
MassDOT originally announced intentions to replace the Green Bridge and the White Bridge in December 2021 with a letter to Selectboard Chair Rich Kuklewicz that shared limited details. Ellis said in January that he anticipated completion of the project, expected to cost around $45 million, would likely be “several years out.”
The town then received what Ellis called a “totally unexpected” announcement from MassDOT toward the end of last week, as discussed at Monday’s Selectboard meeting. A week prior, Ellis said, the state had hinted at a significant project update.
“First and foremost, this was a very sudden announcement,” he said. “We got a call a week before last saying that DOT was considering doing something much more substantial than just the Sixth Street utility bridge, which is currently scheduled for FY26 advertisement.”
Kuklewicz said the replacement project is set to be approached by the state “on an expedited basis.”
“Expedited is a relative term when it comes to bridge repair, but the state has these bridges already on a list of allocations,” he added.
Ellis said that he, Kuklewicz, Department of Public Works Superintendent Tom Bergeron, Town Planner Walter Ramsey and officials from MassDOT attended a meeting to discuss the project after it was announced. During this meeting, Ellis said, MassDOT “affirmed a commitment to the project.” Kuklewicz added that preliminary ideas for the replacement bridges were aired, conceptualizing realignment along the canal and involving “somewhat lessening the curve of the White Bridge and basically making the flow of the road better.”
“It’s not anything with any official design, just a concept that they would probably cross a bit further upstream … and swing a little different, but there still is all that design work that has to happen,” Kuklewicz said.
All proposed bridges would also have pedestrian walkways on them, according to Kuklewicz. This, paired with surety that the new bridges would obstruct the site of the Fifth Street pedestrian bridge that was set to be delivered in July, necessitated deliberation by the Selectboard as to how the town should proceed.
Kuklewicz argued that the pedestrian bridge would “almost certainly be removed” to make way for the vehicular bridge replacements.
“In my mind, I guess the question we have is: ‘Should we try to look at that project and possibly redirect some of the funds to other parts of the project that we opted not to do that might enhance that area before we invest all the money in a bridge that is just going to be removed after a few years?’ … My thinking is that it’s irresponsible, in my mind, for us to build a bridge that’s going to get torn down in a few years even when it’s inconvenient for the time being,” he said.
The current Fifth Street pedestrian bridge (the smaller brown bridge next to the green vehicle bridge) has been closed since August 2017, when the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) found it was not up to code. David G. Roach & Sons Inc. was awarded the construction project with a higher-than-expected low bid of $2.3 million, funded using a MassWorks grant. Thus far, Ramsey said, around $300,000 of the grant funding has been spent on design costs and preparatory utility installation at the intersection of Fifth and Canal streets. Money spent on water, sewer and drainage systems, Ramsey said, would not be a waste, regardless of whether Montague puts in the planned pedestrian bridge.
“That’s all stuff that is going to be a benefit for the community for the next four or five years, even if it has to be reconfigured as the bridge goes in,” he said.
Ellis said he plans to immediately notify involved vendors of Montague’s intention to discontinue the pedestrian bridge project, and then follow up regarding confirmation by next week. A week’s time would allow officials to plan further and establish a better-defined course of action, Ellis reasoned. The town will not, however, tell David G. Roach & Sons to immediately pause work at the intersection because the roadwork must be completed for future use.
Later in Monday’s meeting, Kuklewicz expressed the desire for the town to finally cease its 18-month effort advocating for MassDOT to paint the General Pierce Bridge as part of its repair project. The bridge closed for a $13.7 million multi-year construction project on April 26, 2021 and is slated for a May 15, 2023 completion date. Kuklewicz said now that MassDOT looks to undergo this new three-bridge replacement project, it is more important than ever that the General Pierce Bridge be opened expeditiously.
“I would like to see the bridge opened as soon as possible,” he said, “and if that means it’s not painted, it’s not painted.”
Ellis said his advocacy efforts directed toward MassDOT will shift to focusing on the Center Street Bridge replacement project. The bridge, which was built over the Sawmill River in 1937 and had been reduced to single-lane traffic in 2018 due to structural concerns, was reported to “have areas of severe rust delamination with moderate to severe section loss” throughout six of its support beams, as noted in a recent inspection report. It was closed abruptly and indefinitely toward the end of last month.
Despite the sudden notice and need for adjustments, Ellis described the state’s plans as “an exciting commitment.” Even if the plans weren’t in Montague’s best interest, Ellis noted, the town is powerless to refuse.
“We can’t say no,” he said. “They’re going to put up the bridges.”
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.