Bridge closure, power canal drawdown extended in Turners Falls

The Fifth Street Bridge over the canal in Turners Falls, also known as the Green Bridge, will remain closed until Friday, Oct. 25.

The Fifth Street Bridge over the canal in Turners Falls, also known as the Green Bridge, will remain closed until Friday, Oct. 25. STAFF FILE PHOTO

Staff Report

Published: 10-18-2024 2:14 PM

TURNERS FALLS — The Fifth Street Bridge over the canal, also known as the Green Bridge, will remain closed until Friday, Oct. 25, as maintenance work being conducted by the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) continues.

According to a post on Montague’s town Facebook page, “significant progress” has been made on steel repairs on the bridge. Although repairs were originally expected to be completed by Oct. 18, the 24/7 closure will continue through Oct. 25, MassDOT confirmed.

Traffic will be detoured across the Turners Falls-Gill Bridge to Route 2, and back to Route 2A on the Greenfield side of the bridge. Drivers may also use the General Pierce Bridge to travel over the Connecticut River between Greenfield and Montague.

The decision to close the bridge for an extended period came at the same time that FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. decided to extend its annual power canal drawdown to conduct repairs to mitigate water seepage at the left dike. MassDOT took advantage of the continued drainage to make repairs, and the Green Bridge closure has been in place since Oct. 8.

“The nature of the repairs are below the deck and thus must be done when the canal is drawn down,” Montague Town Administrator Walter Ramsey said earlier this month. “The work will allow the bridge to remain open while the comprehensive bridge replacement project slated for 2027 is developed.”

Meanwhile, FirstLight is now extending its power canal drawdown a second time, through Nov. 1, according to FirstLight Communications Manager Claire Belanger.

While the drawdown continues, FirstLight is in contact with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “to identify approaches to supporting effective fish passage during the drawdown to mitigate its impact,” a statement from the company reads.

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