WESTFIELD – Mayor Brian P. Sullivan Thursday announced that portions of the parks surrounding the Great River Bridge will be closed for an undetermined period of time for safety reasons.
This week, city officials discovered portions of concrete barriers between the public plaza and the Westfield River had loosened and given way. City leaders have reached out to state engineers to determine the cause of the failure and will work to put in place a permanent solution.
The areas in question are along the northern bank of the Westfield River in Half Mile Falls Park between the twin bridges, and in Women’s Temperance Park, west of North Elm Street; and Kane-Wojtkiewicz Park on the southern bank of the River, between the twin bridges.
The Department of Public Works has installed fencing around the impacted areas.
Particularly as the Westfield River is cresting following heavy rains, city officials decided to limit access to the area out of an abundance of caution.
