WESTFIELD – Construction crews began the demolition of the Pochassic Street Bridge Saturday, and officials said the $2.7 million project to build the long-awaited new one will likely be complete by next year. Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said the Massachusetts Department of Transportation gave the contractor approval to work up until midnight Saturday on the demolition phase of the...
Construction crews Saturday began the demolition of the Pochassic Street Bridge to make way for the long-awaited new one. The demolition work is expected to be complete by the end of the weekend.
WESTFIELD – Construction crews began the demolition of the Pochassic Street Bridge Saturday, and officials said the $2.7 million project to build the long-awaited new one will likely be complete by next year.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said the Massachusetts Department of Transportation gave the contractor approval to work up until midnight Saturday on the demolition phase of the project, and City Engineer Mark S. Cressotti added that the work should be done by Sunday night.
“They’re trying to get a significant amount of work done this weekend and next weekend,” Cressotti said. “We’re shooting to have it done for the end of the season. That’s a desire of mine, but there are no assurances.”
The mayor noted that the quicker this phase of the project goes, the sooner the overall project will be complete.
“MassDOT has allowed for the contractor to extend their work hour until midnight on Saturday in order to expedite the demolition of the Pochassic Street Bridge,” Knapik said. “I am hopeful time saved on this phase of the project will allow for a quicker construction schedule and early completion.”
The temporary wooden walkway that was erected to allow for pedestrian access will be dismantled after the new bridge project is complete.
“It’s a state project, and the commonwealth allowed the continued use of the walkway,” Cressotti said.
The bridge, located immediately north of the $57 million Great River Bridge construction and reconstruction project that took four years to complete, has been closed since 2010 when DOT officials determined structural deterioration made it unsafe for travel.
The closing of the Pochassic Street Bridge, a main artery to the Drug Store Hill neighborhoods, severed direct traffic flow to the that area of the city, forcing residents and motorists to detour to Notre Dame Street off North Elm Street to access Montgomery Road.
R. Bates & Sons of Clinton is the contractor for the project, which is being financed with federal and state funding, 80 percent of which is federal and 20 percent coming from the state as allocated in the Pioneer Valley Region’s 2011 Transportation Improvement Plan.