The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has unveiled a new plan for the replacement of an old railroad bridge across Haverhill's South Elm Street that will primarily be built from a mid-air platform to prevent the potential chaos of simultaneous construction projects in that area of town.
Haverhill radio station WHAV reported on its website July 14 that when originally proposed back in March, plans were already in the works to improve the complex intersection of South Elm Street, Railroad Avenue and Comeau Bridge on the south bank of the Merrimack River as part of a Procopio Companies effort to construct The Beck, a 290-unit apartment development in that area.
The scheduled replacement of the state-owned railroad bridge also had the potential of conflicting with the planned reconstruction of the Ralph T. Basiliere Bridge downriver.
Speaking before the Haverhill City Council July 12, Community Development Director Andrew K. Herlihy said the issues have been resolved due to the efforts of the city's legislative delegation, Mayor James J. Fiorentini, and the council itself.
"The state allowed us to move our MassWorks grant back a full year with no penalty and, more importantly, for the MBTA to move their project up by a year or more," Herlihy told the city council. "This will allow us to do both the traffic improvement work to support [Procopio's] Beck project and replace this railroad bridge at the same time."
Originally, the MBTA wanted to use property next to the Joseph Comeau Bridge as a staging site for the span over South Elm Street. The land had been envisioned by Procopio as a showcase public park, but Herlihy said that that conflict has been eliminated.
"Instead, what is going to happen, the MBTA is going to construct the bridge on an overhead platform," he explained. "Two lanes of traffic will be passing through underneath all the time and, at least one sidewalk available at all times, and [the contractors] will construct [the railroad] bridge over the next year."
When the work is finished, the old bridge will be removed and the new one slid into its place — a process that will be completed over a 55-hour weekend, WHAV noted.
Herlihy added, however, that temporary supports needed for the project will encroach on traffic in that area of town for about a three-month period, requiring a flag crew to direct pedestrian and automobile traffic.
Concerns Raised Before Vote
When Haverhill Councilor Melinda E. Barrett, who had previously asked if the new bridge could be made wider to allow an added right-turn lane below, she received an explanation at the July 12 meeting from Karl E. Eckstrom, senior director of Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT) Bridge and Structures Department.
"To make the bridge longer and effectively open it up to make the roadway wider is a much more invasive project and much more time consuming, and the abutments that are there are historic," he told Barrett. "They would probably have to remain in place anyway."
Herlihy added that widening the bridge would also increase the cost by millions of dollars and slow the project's duration, causing it to overlap with construction of the Basiliere Bridge.
He noted that the railroad overpass should be completed in late 2024 or early 2025 — just in time for the Basiliere Bridge project to get under way.
Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua also expressed reservations about the project, asking Eckstrom if the cost will increase due to inflation.
"A year ago, we were planning on something in the neighborhood of $8.5 million to $9 million," Eckstrom noted. "Today, we're focused on spending close to $13 million."
Despite the negatives, Haverhill's city councilors generally agreed the new plan is the best track to follow, WHAV reported. In the end, they gave MBTA permission to use city property by a vote of 6-1, with Bevilacqua opposed and two other members absent.
Procopio Building More Than Apartments
The Procopio Companies, based in Middleton, Mass., is creating The Beck on land that was a vacant and overgrown factory near the Bradford Commuter Rail station. Its plans call for the project to eventually be a vibrant community-oriented, mixed-use development. In addition, The Beck will offer transit-oriented housing benefits, add 3.2 acres of public parks, playgrounds and active trails to increase walkability and recreational uses for residents and community members alike, and allow the community to enjoy the tranquility and spectacular vistas of the Merrimack River.
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