NEWBURYPORT — After many years of delays, work on the Middle Street bridge is progressing on schedule and under budget.
The bridge, which links the city with West Newbury, was closed to traffic in May 2018 due to a failure in the spandrel wall. The structure sits on the border between the two communities, and each shares a legal obligation to maintain and repair the structure.
After more than six years of research, review, and negotiation, community leaders reached an agreement in late summer 2024 for a 50/50 cost share. Each community received MassDOT Small Bridge grants, and Newburyport was awarded a $1 million MassWorks grant to help defray costs.
S & R Construction, the contractor for the bridge project, has been hard at work since last summer.
“The project has been going very smoothly, and we’re pleased with the work of the construction contractor,” West Newbury Town Administrator Angus Jennings said.
West Newbury officials refer to the structure as the Plummer Spring Road bridge.
The contract for the project indicates that work on the bridge must be completed no later than November. During the initial phase of the project, engineers discovered unsuitable subsurface materials that were inadequate for placing the bridge’s foundations.
The extent of the peat material had not been apparent during the geotechnical analysis during permitting. The material was excavated over the summer, and concrete footings were put in place.
A cost change order to account for the removal of the peat is expected but has not yet been received by either community. Since the initial project cost estimate came in under budget, some additional costs can be absorbed within available appropriations, officials say.
Although this unforeseen complication pushed back the project’s initial anticipated completion date by a month or two, the overall construction work remains ahead of the contracted schedule and within timeframes for all applicable permitting.
According to the West Newbury town website, costs to date for the construction total $2,127,914; grants awarded to both Newburyport and West Newbury have covered those costs in their entirety, with no local dollars expended as of this writing.
Construction is being overseen by West Newbury Highway Superintendent Butch Hills and Jon-Eric White, Newburyport’s city engineer, who provide daily inspections and oversight.
Both agree with Jennings’s assessment that the project is proceeding smoothly, especially now that the problem with the subsurface material has been resolved. Coordination meetings are held every other week, and White describes the collaboration between Newburyport and West Newbury as “excellent,” saying, “Angus and his staff are a pleasure to work with.”
Hills concurs, adding, “This is a very good working situation. There’s equal involvement and agreement.”
Both men said they are pleased with the timetable for completion of the bridge. Construction is more than 50% complete. The contractor expects to continue the work throughout the winter and into the spring, with an estimated completion date of early summer, which would be well in advance of the contractual requirement for completion by November.
Drivers will be allowed back on the bridge as soon as all work has been completed.