Residents Discuss Mitchell River Bridge Project

Posted by Shoukry Elnahal, MassDOT Deputy Chief Engineer, Bridges & Tunnels

MassDOT held a well-attended public hearing on March 18 at the Chatham Community Center, in which our design team presented design plans for the replacement of the Mitchell River Bridge and listened to comments and answered questions from community members. The plans we presented included a number of features to help the bridge blend in with its surroundings including timber and stone cladding, and a timber railing and walkway. The design team also presented a number of traffic calming measures.
    A number of people at the meeting voiced their concerns about the type of structure presented, the width of the roadway and the proposed type of bridge deck, and how they may potentially encourage speeding. Many people asked that we continue to pursue the use of alternative bridge deck materials. I will follow through with the promise I made to the audience to re-evaluate the bridge width and deck materials.

If you weren’t able to attend the public hearing, you may view review the PowerPoint Slides here and handout here.