You Can Drive Over The Wickford Road Bridge

Scores of residents clapped and cheered, as a classic white Ford Mustang drove across the Wickford Bridge just after 1:15 p.m. Monday, July 28.

The car driven by a Framingham resident, was the first vehicle to cross the bridge in more than a year.

The Wickford Road Bridge closed in March 2013, so MassDOT could make necessary repairs. The Commonwealth said it would be a 4-month project. It ended up being an 18-month project, with delay, after delay, after delay.

On Monday, before vehicles were allowed to drive over the bridge, MassDOT held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, completed with a red ribbon and politicians.

“When you want to open a new bridge you have to listen to all the politicians speak first,” joked Framingham Selectmen Chair Charles Sisitsky.

“Today we are here to celebrate the re-opening of the Wickford Road Bridge, which will be followed by the closure of the Central Street Bridge,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Frank DePaola. “At MassDOT we fully understand that the closing of a bridge completely can cause an inconvenience to some. We all know that rebuilding our bridges can come at somewhat of a high cost. Construction can cause traffic congestion and delays but the cost of doing nothing is far greater. With that in mind, we at MassDOT Place special emphasis on sequencing jobs in a way that minimizes the inconvenience and delays.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Now that the Wickford Road Bridge is open, you can expect the Central Street Bridge to close sometime in August. It is scheduled as a 14-month long project by MassDOT.

“These are the type of events that are wonderful to come to,” said Framingham State Rep. Chris Walsh. “After all the trouble of people having to go around and make everybody’s lives a little more difficult, we actually get to say this is how government makes our lives just a little bit better.”

State Rep. Tom Sannicandro said the Wickford Road Bridge is part of the” state’s effort sinking a billion dollars into our roads to keep us competitive with the rest of the country and the rest of the world.”

The re-opening of the Wickford Bridge is great news for Framingham residents, said Sannicandro. “Thanks to the collaborative effort of the Town of Framingham, MassDOT, and the Legislature, residents will be able to see the tangible results of their tax dollars at work in this important quality of life infrastructure investment.

“We know it has been a great inconvenience to the commuters and to the neighborhood,” said Sisitsky.

The rehabilitation of the Wickford Road Bridge involved the replacement of the entire bridge superstructure and the rehabilitation of the existing abutments and piers. The replacement of the bridge provided a 30-foot wide roadway with a 5-1/2 foot sidewalk on each side of the bridge.

Originally, the bridge was only to have been closed for 4 months.

​However, there were several issues ranging from delays in construction of the the steel bridge beams to the asphalt plants closing in December for the season to weather issues. Then, there was an issue with the contractor this spring that delayed a re-start on the bridge until May.

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Photo Credit: Susan Petroni - Cutline: First vehicle to drive over the Wickford Road Bridge.

To view a slideshow of photos from the ceremony, visit the Framingham Patch Facebook page at this link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.888089781219489.1073741848.147678425260632&type=3&uploaded=14​