Stephen Makris, Director of Engineering for C&C Consulting Engineers LLC, discussed the disrepair of the Cowles bridge during a public information session on Thursday. (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- The Massachusetts Department of Transportation held a public information session to unveil the plan for the reconstruction of Cowles Bridge on Route 10/202 where Southwick Road passes over Little River Thursday evening at the intersection of Mill and South Maple streets
The meeting featured MassDOT officials and engineers from the firm, C&C Consulting Engineers, LLC who explained the process for constructing a new bridge and what the final product will look like. The plan that was unveiled was at the 25% design stage plan. This means the plans are developed to a point where MassDOT and the engineering firm can make public comments.
The total cost for the project is estimated to be 22 million dollars at the expense of the Federal Highway Administration and MassDOT according to John Fallon of MassDOT.
“80% will come from the FHA and 20% will come from MassDOT,” said Fallon.
Fallon added that the 100% design stage should be finished by late 2019 and construction should begin in the Spring of 2020.
A portion of Cowles Bridge, which is along Southwick Road.
Stephen Makris, Director of Engineering for C&C, detailed the reasons for the replacement of the bridge on US highway 202 and State Route 10.
“There are prior repairs on the bridge and a fair amount of corrosion that’s visible from a distance,” said Makris, “It’s structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.”
The bridge has a reduced load capacity that limits the size of vehicles that can use it. Last year, a waiver had to be granted to allow emergency vehicles to cross the bridge but only when absolutely necessary.
“We’re replacing the bridge in its entirety,” said Makris, “it cannot be repaired in a reasonable amount of time for a reasonable amount of money,”
The new bridge design will widen the bridge and add turning lanes on the bridge itself and on Mill Street when going towards the bridge. The width of the bridge will increase from 30 feet to 52 feet and will allow for bike lanes on either side of the road with a buffer line. The bridge will also feature vintage deck lighting similar to what is found across Westfield’s downtown.
During construction, traffic will be maintained due to how busy the road is and because it gives access to a significant portion of the city. The usable lanes will shift based on where in the construction process the bridge is. At some points during construction, the existing bridge will be used as a lane of traffic. The new bridge will be built slightly to the East of where the current bridge currently stands.
The construction of the bridge will include new ‘smart’ traffic signals in multiple places. These traffic signals will be programmed to communicate with each other in order to maximize the efficiency of the flow of traffic.
“For City View Road, we are keeping the traffic signals,” said Jarret Groccia, Senior Project Manager for C&C, “in both places we will have new signals that match the style already used in the city of Westfield.”
Groccia said that the sidewalks will be widened to six feet and will be wheelchair accessible. Crosswalks will be added for pedestrians to cross the bridge as well. The construction project will also leave space for a walking trail underneath the bridge.
During construction, there will be detours of City View Road due to how narrow it is, according to Groccia.
“There is not enough width on the road to only have one lane open at a time,” said Groccia.
Residents who have a question or would like to comment on the project may do so within 10 days of Thursday’s meeting. All comments and questions will be included in the record for the project and will be considered.
