Both will be closed 2 years or longer; pedestrian bridges will be built when the main bridges are closed.
The Davitt, top, and Willimansett bridges in Chicopee are scheduled to undergo reconstruction starting in summer 2011.CHICOPEE – Construction on two major bridges in the city is expected to begin soon, forcing both to be closed for two years or longer.
A contract to rebuild the Willimansett Bridge at a cost of $19.2 million has been awarded to Pihl Inc., of Canton, and work is expected to be starting soon. Construction bids to replace the Davitt Bridge for $10.2 million are due in June, according to a release submitted by State Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee and Sens. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield and Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield.
“It is always challenging. What happens when you close a structure in a high traffic area you tend to get bottlenecks in other areas that the traffic is diverted to. The benefit is always on the back end when you have a modern and better structure,” Wagner said.
Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette agreed that it will be an inconvenience. Because of that he wrote to officials at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to request extended hours of the work.
“It is never a good thing when a bridge is out of service, but it has to be done. We will work with merchants in downtown Chicopee (and Willimansett), and there is access on both sides of the bridges from (Interstate) 391,” he said.
There are weight restrictions on both bridges because each is deteriorated, Bissonnette said.
“The most important thing about both bridges is they will be safe after this is done,” he said.
The contracts do call for extended hours of construction to reduce the amount of time when the bridges are closed.
For the Willimansett Bridge, the contractor is expected to run two shifts, so construction will run 16 hours a day, five days a week, Wagner said.
The bids for the Davitt Bridge call for the contractor to work 10-hour days, six days a week, he said.
The extended hours mean both projects will cost more, but the bridges will re-open sooner, Bissonnette said.
Still, each is expected to be closed for at least two years. Because contractors have plenty of preparation work to do before they close the bridges, it has not been determined exactly when the two will be closed, officials said.
A pedestrian bridge will cross both spans to make it easier for residents, Wagner said.
The completion of the two projects as well as the planned resurfacing of Route 33 will mean every major roadway and bridge in Chicopee has been reconstructed over the past 20 years, Wagner said.
“The Davitt Bridge ties in nicely with the completion of work on Front Street and Center Street and the re-paving on sidewalks and new lighting,” Bissonnette said.