VIDEO: MassDOT Demolishing Bridges in Fall River as Part of Route 79/Davol Street Project
Thu May 11, 2023 - Northeast Edition #11 Fall River Herald News
One Massachusetts Route 79 overpass along Fall River's waterfront has been brought down by demolition experts, while two more bridges are meeting the business end of construction equipment, including one whose absence will drastically change the view for many drivers in the southeast Bay State town.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) began work to tear down the Cory Street U-turn overpass May 8, and plans to do the same to Fall River's President Avenue overpass starting May 15.
Construction work on the Mass. Route 79/Davol Street Corridor project is set to take place Mondays to Fridays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Detours are in place 24 hours a day during the bridge demolition work period.
MassDOT is flattening the area between the two halves of Davol Street at the waterfront and removing bridges that once held Mass. Route 79 expressway lanes. The project started in February, part of a years-long effort to remove the expressway and transform Davol Street into a ground-level urban boulevard.
The Herald News reported May 5 that since demolition of the expressway began, the landscape has seen dramatic changes, with the waterfront visible from the northbound lanes of Davol Street for the first time since the mid-1970s, when the Mass. Route 79 expressway was built in the town.
The removal of the overpass across President Avenue may be one of the more dramatic visible changes to Fall River's landscape. The intersection of President and Davol Street is a major route for drivers going to and coming from Somerset on the west side of the Taunton River. On President Avenue facing west, the bridge currently obstructs the view of Veterans Memorial Bicentennial Park.
The plan, which is expected to be complete in mid-2026, will create more street access points to Fall River's waterfront and will open 19 acres of developable land.
Streets to Be Transformed into Urban Boulevard
MassDOT wants to transform the Mass. Route 79/Davol Street corridor into a multi-modal urban boulevard, connecting the neighborhood to the Taunton River while creating the new parcels of land for Fall River's economic development.
Massachusetts Route 79 between the Veterans Memorial Bridge and Central Street in Fall River is a divided limited access highway, carrying two lanes in each direction, where the speed limit ranges between 40 mph and 45 mph. In addition, Mass. Route 79 handles between 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day and has excess capacity, according to the state transportation agency.
President Avenue provides the only access between neighborhoods east of Mass. Route 79 and the waterfront, and the corridor currently lacks any accommodations for bicyclists. When the project is complete, though, MassDOT said it will make the roadways more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists while improving their access to the waterfront.
The new urban boulevard construction also will:
Reduce the number of travel lanes from four to two lanes in each direction.
Establish four cross street connections between Fall River's neighborhoods and waterfront.
Build 2 mi. of sidewalks and more than 2 mi. of shared use paths.
Add coordinated traffic signals along Mass. Route 79.
Introduce landscaping elements throughout the corridor.
Replace the bridge carrying northbound Mass. Route 79 at the southern end of the project.
Improve the corridor's stormwater and sewage systems.
The Mass. Route 79/Davol Street corridor is an important highway for local and regional traffic traveling north and south. The two roads also provide local access in and out of Fall River. Drivers wishing to travel north to I-495, and east and west to I-95, routinely use Mass. Route 79 to do so. As a result, MassDOT is committed to shortening the duration of construction-period impacts to better help motorists get on their way.
