The new Brightman Street Bridge in Massachusetts will be finished in 2007. At least that’s what the Massachusetts Highway Department is saying now.
The project to build a new bridge that will span the Taunton River between Somerset and Fall River has suffered a series of delays since work began several years ago. The bridge was originally scheduled for completion this year, but the target date has been pushed back several times – first to 2003, then to 2005, then to 2006.
Now, in the latest delay, it’s 2007.
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“The timetable has shifted a little bit again, due to changes in the design from one of the contractors on contract 2, which is the redesign of the fender system and the supports for the piers,” said Bernard McCourt, a district highway director at MassHighway.
McCourt was referring to an incident that occurred earlier this year, when two of the concrete piers that support the bridge structure on the Somerset side were built incorrectly, and had to be torn down.
They are currently being rebuilt.
The mistake pushed back the timetable for finishing the bridge by more than a year, said McCourt. Jay Cashman Inc., the Boston-based contractor that made the mistake, is paying for the cost of replacing the faulty piers. The delay will add to the cost of the total bridge project, estimated at $170 million, said McCourt.
When it is completed, the new Brightman Bridge will be 60 feet high and 200 feet wide – about twice the size of the old Brightman Bridge. The new bridge is being built just north and within eyesight of the existing span, which was built during World War I.
Workers recently began pouring concrete for the building of the piers that will have the moving drawbridge parts, said McCourt.
“They’ve just started the placement of concrete underwater so they can start working on the piers. They’re pouring the foundations for those two main piers. That work will continue through the summer and certainly into next year,” he said.
Massachusetts officials will start looking for a contractor to build the span that will run over the river sometime next year.
After that, all that remains is the building of the on- and off-ramps and some road work on each side of the river before the old bridge can be destroyed, said McCourt.
In the meantime, commuters who use the existing Brightman Bridge may continue
to experience traffic delays caused by the old, small bridge, which is often
in need of repair. Earlier this spring, traffic had to be detoured away from
the Brightman Bridge to the Braga Bridge, carrying Interstate 195 across the
Taunton River, when the Brightman needed repairs.
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