The city council in New Bedford, Mass., gave the greenlight to build a new $21 million pedestrian bridge, providing a walkway over John F. Kennedy Boulevard and linking it to an under-construction South Coast Rail station in the fishing port city.
The bridge will connect Purchase Street with the New Bedford's Church Street rail station, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
Mayor Jon Mitchell had asked the council to approve a Memorandum of Understanding between the MBTA and the city for the bridge, the New Bedford Standard-Times reported Jan. 27.
"New Bedford deserves public amenities and spaces that are both functional and beautiful," Mitchell said in a press release. "For a highly visible structure like this pedestrian bridge, excellence in design is a must. We have achieved that goal with this design, and I am grateful for the collaborative efforts between our team and the MBTA's. The result will be a new city landmark of which we can all be proud."
The deal came after more than a year of negotiations between New Bedford and the MBTA, with the transportation authority agreeing to design and build the pedestrian crossing according to the city's preferences. In addition, New Bedford will not be responsible for any of the building costs.
Town Councilor Brian Gomes had wanted to refer the Memorandum of Understanding request to a special committee before approval, saying he had questions concerning maintenance costs and long-term security issues. He added that he was in favor of accepting the bridge but wanted an extra session first.
But the New Bedford news source reported that Council President Linda Morad said a special meeting would need to happen before the Feb. 8 deadline on the memorandum of agreement with the MBTA. That led Ryan Pereira, another New Bedford councilor, to say he preferred immediate action from the board, reminding his colleagues construction of the $21 million pedestrian bridge was being paid for by the state, and the city must pay for the upkeep of state property in any event.
Following that, the motion to OK the request was passed in a 6-4 vote.
The construction project is now expected to begin this summer.
South Coast Rail Expanding in SE Massachusetts
The Standard-Times noted that 2022 saw tremendous progress on the long-awaited South Coast Rail project that will connect New Bedford, Taunton, and Fall River to commuter rail access to Boston. Currently, the three southeastern Massachusetts communities are the only major cities within 50 mi. of Boston without commuter rail access.
Last spring, South Coast Rail construction hit the midway point, and work on one of the lines in the system had neared completion as of the end of the year. State and local officials celebrated the substantial completion of the Fall River Secondary Line with a ribbon cutting at Freetown Station on Dec. 5.
When the Church Street Station construction finishes, it will be the next to last stop to the New Bedford station on Acushnet Avenue, the last point on the New Bedford Main Line, which will be serviced by the pedestrian bridge. MBTA officials said the line will offer a "one-seat trip" to Boston in less than 90 minutes. Passenger service is expected to begin late this year.
The agency also plans to run three morning peak trains and three evening peak trains to both New Bedford and Fall River.
Aside from the two New Bedford stations and two in Fall River, the East Taunton Station and the Middleborough Station have also been under construction, according to the Standard-Times. At full buildout, commuter rail service on the Stoughton Line will extend to the New Bedford and Fall River lines.
Council Also Votes On Street Project
In an unrelated matter, the New Bedford City Council also voted Jan. 26 to refer to committee a request by Mitchell that the city solicitor be allowed to obtain appraisals and prepare an order of taking for land located on County Street, from Nelson Street to Union Street, for the purpose of "acquiring permanent and temporary easements for roadway paving, sidewalk reconstruction with new pedestrian ramps, new pavement markings, traffic signal upgrades, tree plantings and new green infrastructure areas."
The mayor said the purpose for the appraisals is to build a road reconstruction project on County Street by the city's Department of Public Infrastructure and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) with the aid of federal funds.
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