Stalled Bridge Project to Resume This Spring

Reconstruction of the Water Street bridge over the Waters River will resume this spring, according to state and local officials.

A reader told Danvers Patch that she had seen work occurring on the bridge and that has nothing to do with the planned repairs, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The city of Salem, which owns the water pipe that goes across the bridge, was going to put an insertion valve and some restraints on the pipe and "any activity out there has been related to the water department performing work," said DOT spokesman Michael Verseckes.

The work had been stalled when the previous design for the bridge reconstruction was not working well.

Verseckes said this week that the state government awarded the contract for the work. He did not name the contractor or the project amount but said that a "notice to proceed" will be issued in the next month.

To date, only demolition has occurred.

"So the complete project needs to be performed under the second contract," Verseckes said.

The work will last three years, according to MassDOT, although not all the work will occur on the bridge and some will be channel work on the Waters River.

"This is a complex bridge project due to the multiple phases of construction required due to the fast flowing currents going under the bridge," Verseckes said.

Once work begins, Verseckes said state transportation officials will release a specific work schedule that will outline the timeframe for bridge repair and possible traffic interruptions. Other portions of the project will include "significant channel work under the bridge."