Politics & Government

What Is The Status Of The Brown Street/Whipple Road Bridge Project?

Readers growing impatient, as they wait for key commuter roadway to re-open.

Question: What is the status of the Brown Street Bridge?

Question: When will the Whipple Road Bridge be fixed?

Question: Are they ever going to fix the Brown Street Bridge?

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Answer: Above is the theme of three separate e-mails we have received over the past two weeks. Clearly, the patience of Tewksbury residents is growing thin when it comes to a project they believe will help to ease Route 38 traffic congestion during the morning and afternoon commutes.

It has been nearly two years since flood damage forced the closure of the small bridge, which connects Whipple Road and Brown Street. Technically, the bridge itself is in Wilmington and Billerica, though a good portion of Brown Street, as it approaches the bridge, is in Tewksbury.

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The three communities have agreed to share the responsibility for fixing the bridge. This includes sharing the costs and design approval.

According to Carlos Jaquez, _,the preliminary design is complete and the project is in the process of gaining final environmental approval from the Conservation Commissions of Wilmington, Billerica  and Tewksbury.

After that, said Jaquez the final design (being put together by the firm CME out of Connecticut) should be done by this spring.

After that, construction can begin immediately.

Jaquez does not have a concrete timetable for completion of construction. However, the project is only a repair job as opposed to a complete replacement, that construction period should be limited.

According to Jaquez, the design costs are expected to cost roughly $15,000 per town, while construction costs are expected to total $250,000-$300,000 overall.

 

 

 


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