The Longfellow Bridge, which connects Boston to Cambridge and carries the Red Line, will finally receive a makeover after years of debating design parameters and agency responsibility.
Governor Mitt Romney announced his approval for a $70 million restoration of the Longfellow Bridge in a press conference near the Community Boathouse Friday.
Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, said a five-year-long controversy was finally drawing to an end with the renovations.
‘What’s significant about today’s event is that in the past there’s been a lot of back and forth between environmental officials and constructors to reach a consensus [on restoring the bridge],’ he said.
Felix Brown, assistant press secretary for environmental affairs for the Massachusetts District Commission, credited the Romney team for the move.
‘It’s a new administration and they’ve taken the initiative,’ he said.
Romney approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between government agencies to start the bridge’s reconstruction, which could begin as early as 2006. Restoring the bridge is part of a ‘Fix It First’ pledge to repair existing infrastructure before pouring money into new transportation networks, according to Romney.
Mass. Transportation Secretary Daniel Grabauskas described the move as an ‘increase in communication and cooperation’ between government agencies that represented ‘a new way of doing things in the Commonwealth.’
But for the daily 50,000 drivers and 90,000 Red Line passengers, keeping the bridge open, even during reconstruction, will be vital to everyday transportation between Boston and Cambridge.
‘Commuters depend on the bridge,’ said Lydia Rivera, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. ‘We agree with the governor completely.’ But, Rivera added that ‘Red Line passengers need that bridge to stay open, so it has to.’
Romney promised that the MBTA does not need to worry about the construction infringing on its business.
‘We are not going to close the bridge down while repairs are underway,’ said Romney.
However, the question of how to restore the bridge remains to be discussed before the project begins. Officials have not yet begun debating how to undertake the project or what complications or delays keeping the bridge open might cause for construction.
‘We are going to be figuring out in the coming months what we are going to be doing with the bridge,’ Carlisle said. ‘But the traffic mitigation plan will certainly reflect the high volume of traffic between Boston and Cambridge.’
The historic bridge was built in 1906 and has been deteriorating since its last restoration in the 1950s, Carlisle said.
‘There are cracks in the masonry, loose stones, rusted beams. It’s just time for a repair,’ Carlisle said.
The bridge ‘has caused no problems as of yet,’ said Rivera, but ‘you need to maintain your infrastructure.’
‘The goal for this project is to make this reconstruction represent the historical qualities of this bridge. The goal is not to improve it or change it,’ Browne said.
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