Over $117 Million is Being Spent to Repair Bridges in Worcester County Right Now

Monday, June 08, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Birds eye view of Burns Bridge

As part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP), the state is spending $117 million on current projects to improve and replace bridges in Worcester County.

SEE LIST BELOW: The Most Structurally Deficient Bridges in MA

There are five active projects in construction right now in the area. The largest of which is the replacement of Kenneth F. Burns Bridge that crosses Lake Quinsigamond and connects Worcester to Shrewsbury via Route 9.

That project alone is costing nearly $90 million. (For a “birds-eye view,” click here: Burns Bridge)

Frank Depaola, Administrator of the MassDOT Highway Division and COO, and interim General Manager of the MBTA, told GoLocalWorcester, “The estimated cost to rehabilitate the Burns Bridge that connects Worcester and Shrewsbury is $118 million...the lowest responding bid was $89.7 million, which went to Middlesex Construction. The final bridge will be a six-lane bridge, three-lanes in each direction. It will provide for a much more open structure. It will have pedestrian sidewalks on each side of the bridge.”

The Burns Bridge is set to be completed early next year.

Current work area of Burns Bridge - Courtesy of MassDOT

Where Are Bridges Going to Be Fixed?

ABP Construction Jobs - Courtesy of MassDOT

MassDOT spokesman, Michael Verseckes told GoLocalWorcester, “Structurally deficient means that a bridge has to be reviewed for any remedial action, if necessary. It does not necessarily mean there are any safety concerns. Bridges with safety issues are closed immediately.”

In Worcester County, aside from the Burns Bridge project, the other four projects in construction include structural repairs and painting on I-290 in Worcester ($20 million), a bridge replacement over the Quaboag River in Brookfield ($3.3 million),bridge rehabilitation over the Blackstone River in Blackstone ($2 million) and a bridge replacement over the Quinapoxet River in Holden ($1.9 million).

Another project in Millbury in procurement will replace a bridge on route 146 over West Main Street. This project does not yet have a start date.

The ABP program, which began in 2008, has already seen nearly $85 million spent on repairing bridges - consisting of 25 completed projects - in Worcester County.

According to MassDot, as of May 1, 2015, there were 5,763 construction jobs in Worcester County that were created or sustained by ABP.

For the most structurally deficient bridges in Massachusetts, see the list below:

Related Slideshow: See the List: The Most Traveled Structurally Deficient Bridges in MA

According to the American Road and Transportation Builder Association, nine percent of the bridges in Massachusetts are considered to be structurally deficient. Here are the ten most traveled strucuturally deficient bridges in the Commonwealth.