NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The state Department of Transportation is holding a public hearing on potential plans for the Veterans Memorial Bridge. 

 

The hearing will take place Tuesday, July 29, at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall. More information here.

 

The 60-year-old bridge is the subject of two planning studies:

 

The first was undertaken by the state in 2021 to address the deteriorating conditions of the city-owned span. The $16 million project is at 75 percent design and scheduled to go out to bid for 2026.

 

The second study is part of a federal Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. The city has partnered with Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art on a $750,000 grant on ways to connect the downtown to the museum, which will involved removing the overpass. 

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey at a City Council meeting last month had clarified the city is "working two pipelines" on dealing with the massive span. The bridge has been on the federally funded Transportation Improvement Program  for years, she said, "and we still want to secure that position."

 

"At the same time, we are still doing the feasibility study to repair, replace or restitch," she said. "Those conversations are ongoing, and we hope very shortly, by the end of the summer, both of those projects will merge, and we will make a decision on that."

 

The mayor said the two projects are a "little bit confusing" but the city did not want to stop the MassDOT project in case funding isn't available for the reconnecting project funding — and maybe leverage those state dollars toward removal.

 

The bridge was deemed structurally deficient in late 2023 and the four lanes on the 171-foot span reduced to two at its midpoint. They were reopened recently after temporary steel framing was installed underneath the weak spot. 

 

The proposed project consists of restoring the condition of the bridge along with bicycle accommodations consisting of a usable shoulder.

 

The reconnecting project recently determined a preference for removing the bridge altogether based on input from residents and officials. Traffic would continue on Marshall Street and the westbound traffic would be restored to West Main Street. 

 

Designers say the bridge's removal would open up space for a riverwalk (in conjunction with the ongoing planning to rehabilitate the flood control chutes and naturalize the river where possible), as well as green space and retail and housing development. 

 

Project inquiries, written statements and other exhibits regarding the proposed MassDOT plans may be submitted to Carrie E. Lavallee, chief engineer, at massdotmajorprojects@dot.state.ma.us or via mail to Suite 7210, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Major Projects, Project File No. 612505. Statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the hearing transcript must be emailed or postmarked no later than ten (10) business days after the hearing is hosted.