By Bonnie Adams, Government Editor
Shrewsbury – The design for the new Kenneth F. Burns Bridge, which will replace the current structure, is close to being finalized and, if all goes according to plan, the actual construction will start in May 2012.
Approximately 100 local and state officials, as well as interested residents of Shrewsbury and Worcester, gathered Sept. 21 for a public hearing at the Worcester Technical High School to hear details of the design proposal for the new bridge.
Michael O”Dowd, a project manager with Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), told the audience that the current bridge, which spans Lake Quinsigamond and connects Shrewsbury and Worcester via Route 9, was deemed unsafe and needed to be entirely replaced after a routine inspection in 2008. To rehabilitate the structure would have been too cost-prohibitive, he said, thus the bridge was placed on the list to-be-replaced as part of the Patrick-Murray administration's Accelerated Bridge Program.
Currently, the bridge only has two lanes in each direction. The new bridge will have three lanes in each direction, widened shoulders and sidewalks, additional bicycle lanes, and decks where pedestrians may sit and view the lake and any associated activities on the lake, such as regattas.
The existing bridge is a reinforced concrete deck arch-type, with six arch spans. The new bridge will be a five-span steel-deck arch structure.
Gary Bua, a design consultant with Tran Systems who is working with MassDOT, said a design committee consisting of local and state officials had come up with several concepts that would make the bridge entrances have more of a “gateway appeal.”
One concept, he said, had vertical “obelisk-type monuments” that could be lit up at each entrance. Another, in keeping with a nautical theme, was a sail-type shape with oars on them that could be back-lit.
Fred Gottemoeller is a project architect working with MassDOT.
“One dramatic change people will notice on the new design is that you will be able to see through the bridge's arches when on the lake,” he said.
At night, lines of LED lights would be lit underneath the bridge itself. Fixtures on the bridge would shed light far enough to illuminate the road but not the water, he added.
Several members of the audience expressed gratitude regarding the work that has been done in the design process but noted that what was really important was that the actual construction of the bridge be done as quickly as possible.
State Rep. Matthew Beaton, R-Shrewsbury, said, “You'se done a great job – thank you for that. In the town of Shrewsbury we want to see the project move along in a timely manner. The Route 9 corridor is a big part of our business base.”
Shrewsbury Selectman Maurice DePalo agreed with Beaton and added he felt the additional designs were “overbearing – why can's we let the bridge and lake speak for itself?”
State Rep. James O”Day, D-West Boylston, noted that during Tropical Storm Irene, raw sewerage had seeped into the lake.
“Are there things near the lake or in it that needs to be addressed before the construction starts?” he asked.
“My understanding that it was just because of Irene,” O”Dowd said. “It was probably a once-in-100-year event. There is still a treatment center on the northwest quadrant. That will still be there.”
The next step for the project team will be to contact design team contractors for “Requests for Qualifications,” O”Dowd said. After those are reviewed, candidates will be asked to submit “Requests for Qualification.”
The project is slated to start in May 2012 and anticipated to finish in May 2015. It is expected to cost approximately $145 million – the Federal Highway Administration is funding approximately 80 percent of the costs and MassDOT is funding the remaining 20 percent.
