AMESBURY — Keeping a promise made to local citizens, the firm hired to rebuild the 1st Lt. Derek Hines Memorial Bridge estimates that the project will take 21�Ñ2 years to complete, according to information provided by the state.
When the state first started floating its plan to replace the bridge several months ago, it estimated it would take between 3 and 31�Ñ2 years. Local officials complained, and state Transportation Administrator Luisa Paiewonsky promised a year would be shaved off that time schedule.
The state still has not announced exactly when the Hines bridge will close to motorists and work will begin. It's expected to begin sometime in 2010.
The "best value bidder," Barletta Heavy Division, will replace the heavily traveled bridge that connects Amesbury and Newburyport over the Merrimack River. The turnstyle bridge, built in the 1960s, has long been deteriorating and has been eyed for replacement.
The state Department of Transportation initially expected the time frame for the bridge replacement would be longer — 37 months or 1,094 days — but officials said last week they don't specify "means and methods" when outlining initial estimates.
"We leave means and methods to the contractor in most cases. The design-build team projects that it can complete the project more quickly than the original estimate," MassDOT spokesman Adam Hurtubise wrote in an e-mail yesterday. "MassDOT still needs to approve the project according to state and federal design standards. We will review and approve any design plans before construction begins."
The $30.7 million contract authorized this week by the MassDOT Board of Directors requires completing the design and construction of the bridge structure, related roadway approaches and navigable channel works within the limits of the project. The state had initially budgeted over $33 million for the project, and the board said in its decision that the depressed economy helped bring in lower bids.
In November 2008, the bridge was shut down suddenly when it was struck by a barge carrying a National Grid transformer; the impact extensively damaged the northern pier, moving it 8 inches. The abrupt closing hurt local businesses in Amesbury and Newburyport, inconvenienced drivers and caused traffic jams in Salisbury as cars were rerouted onto routes 1 and 110.
Temporary repairs have allowed the bridge to reopen in order to allow the three communities to prepare for the long-term closure.
State officials said this week that the barge company has paid $659,400 to complete repairs needed to reopen the bridge.
The bridge project also includes an estimated police detail cost of $100,000.
"There are other streets near the project site on which police officers will be needed for traffic control, particularly when heavy equipment is involved," Hurtubise wrote in an e-mail yesterday.
The project is being funded by both the federal Highway Department and the state Department of Transportation. The federal funding totals 80 percent, and the state totals 20 percent.
Gov. Deval Patrick issued a statement this week through the MassDOT.
"I am pleased to announce that the MassDOT Board has voted to authorize replacement of the 1st Lt. Derek S. Hines Memorial Bridge, a vital link between Amesbury and Newburyport," Patrick said in his statement. "To address decades of neglect, the Hines Bridge is one of hundreds we are repairing or replacing with an unprecedented investment in our roads and bridges."
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