It’s almost Columbus Day—which promises spectacular weather—and time for a progress report on the Bates Bridge project.
As you can tell from the activity on both ends of the bridge, the project is moving along. In fact, the first layer of new pavement has been installed on sections of Orchard Avenue and Old Ferry Road in Haverhill. A portion of Coffin Avenue closed as part of the next stage (Stage 2) in the plans. During this time, Groveland Street will remain open and work will be concentrated on two projects: constructing a parking area for the abutters and boaters and removing existing pavement on a section of Coffin Avenue. Following that, areas directly abutting the bridge will be on-hold until next spring, which Stage 2 continues into.
We are also waiting on more information about the underwater cable, which has been found. Because it is National Grid’s old cable, it will be their responsibility to coordinate removal. We will keep you posted as to how this will affect the project moving forward, as soon as we get word from MassDOT.
Next Tuesday, October 12, this office will be hosting an informal Bates Bridge Briefing at Groveland Town Hall from 7 P.M. to 8 P.M. Please stop by to see bridge plans and talk with us personally. Until then, you can always get in touch with Heidi Michitson at michitson@comcast.net.
