The Orange Street railroad bridge is one of three to be demolished beginning March 9. (GOOGLE EARTH PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – Construction on the long-awaited central section of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail has begun. Next week, existing railroad bridges on Chapel Street, Orange Street, and Thomas Street will be demolished, according to Assistant Civil Engineer Jeremy Cigal.
Cigal said the removal of the bridges will be a big improvement to the neighborhood, as the new bridges, which are expected to go up in the fall of 2020, will be elevated to 14’6” for proper height clearance. The path itself will be 12-feet wide, lit and landscaped with trees and shrubs, benches and bike racks. Cigal said the new bridges will be similar to the one on East Silver Street by Stop & Shop.
The central downtown section of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail is the final leg to be completed for the project which has taken more than 20 years from conception to reality and will connect to the recently completed Westfield River Bridge and on to the Women’s Temperance Park and the Esplanade.
Cigal said that New England Infrastructure (NEI), the company doing the construction work, will secure the job site and manage detours. Some impacts to traffic are expected, he said.
NEI has provided the city with a four-week look ahead schedule for the project. The company stated now that the preliminary matters are out of the way, they intend to ramp up the construction activities “pretty quickly.”
March 4 clearing of brush began along the length of the project. Brush removal will be followed by felling and clearing of trees within the limits of the work. Trees to remain have been flagged at the site.
Demolition of the existing bridges is scheduled to begin March 9. Work will begin at the Thomas Street bridge (2-3 days), followed by Chapel Street Bridge (2-3 days), and then Orange Street bridge (2-3 days).
Detours will be implemented at 6:30 to 7 a.m. and the roadway will be reopened each day by 3:30 to 4 p.m. Demolition will be performed using an excavator equipped with a shear attachment. The roadway will be closed at the start of work at 6:30 a.m., and shielding measures will be installed to protect the roadway and sidewalks.
Demolition activities will continue through the day, and the roadway will be re-opened to traffic at the end of the work shift (3:30-4 p.m.). All demolition debris will be cleaned and removed from the travel way daily prior to opening the roadway to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
NEI stated that throughout the work, they do not anticipate construction equipment or activities will impede access of adjacent abutters.
NEI will ensure access to all abutting properties are maintained at all times, according to the company.
Installation of deep anchor dowels at abutments is scheduled to begin on March 16. The work required to install anchor dowels at each of the bridges will follow behind the demolition activities. This work will be performed from atop the existing abutment structures at Thomas, Chapel, Orange and Main street bridges, and is not anticipated to affect vehicular or pedestrian traffic on the adjacent roadways.
Removal of existing railroad timbers and rails is also scheduled to begin on March 16 and will continue for several weeks. Existing timbers and rails will be stockpiled at access points established for each segment of the rail trail until enough material is available to load and transport for disposal offsite.
Existing railroad steel tracks will be stockpiled and made available to the railroad company for removal at their convenience. This work is anticipated to begin at the northern limits of the project and progress in a southerly direction.
Artist rendering of the new Main St. Bridge, expected to go up in the spring of 2021. (CITY OF WESTFIELD PHOTO)
Installation of the new Main Street bridge is currently anticipated in the spring of 2021. Future updates will be provided.
The historic Elm Street bridge rehabilitation will occur in phases to minimize impacts to traffic. The bridge will need to be raised several inches prior to cleaning and painting of the bridge. That work will start this construction season and future updates will be provided as the work approaches.
Overall construction will proceed through this construction season and into next year’s season. Final completion is currently anticipated next fall (2021).
“We would like to stress that the work is just starting up so long-term schedules are subject to change, and the city will provide periodic updates,” Cigal said. Project plans are on the city website at www.cityofwestfield.org under the Engineering Department. Anyone with questions may call Engineering at (413) 572-6219.
