Governor Deval Patrick today broke ground on the start of construction to replace the Fore River Bridge connecting Quincy and Weymouth.
The $244 million replacement project is one of five “megaprojects” funded through the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Accelerated
Bridge Program. Since the program’s start in 2008, the number of
structurally deficient bridges has declined approximately 20 percent.
The Fore River Bridge project replaces a temporary bridge constructed in 2002 with a new vertical-lift bridge. The Fore River channel will be widened to accommodate the vessels that serve the active petroleum terminal, and its vertical clearance in the down position will be higher to reduce the number of openings for sailboats. Design improvements will improve the aesthetics of the bridge.
“This project is an important link for South Shore drivers, but it is also an important corridor for the industrial shipping uses that need this bridge and this channel just as much,” said Secretary Davey. “The finished product will not only meet those needs, but will also have major upgrades to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists as well.”
The new bridge will consist of two, 12-foot wide travel lanes on each side and a five-foot bike lane on both sides. Pedestrian sidewalks will be six and a half feet wide on the bridge and expand to nine feet in width on the approaches to the bridge.
The joint venture selected for the project is JF White and Skanska-Koch. Completion is scheduled for fall 2016.
AFTER 8:00 PM on November 21????
You must be kidding, or else, you are accepting the fact that the highway transportation system is virtually inoperative.
If you are serious, that means, for example, that travelers from Boston and/or southern New Hampshire can plan to arrive in New York City at 1:00 am on Thanksgiving Day.
Is that what you are proposing? After billions of dollars spent on highway projects, you are telling us that we can't go from Boston to New York before midnight on Thanksgiving Day.
Think about that. Think what you are saying:
It's no better than traveling in third world countries.
Seriously.
Posted by: Elliot | November 20, 2012 at 07:30 PM