When Will Beverly's Temporary Hall-Whitaker Bridge Finally Open?

BEVERLY, MA — Traffic will once again flow across the Hall-Whitaker Bridge in Beverly within about one month of five years from when it was abruptly shut down in June 2022 because of structural deficiencies.

State Department of Transportation officials and MAS Building & Bridge project management this week revealed the target date of July 27, 2027 as the opening of the temporary replacement bridge, with construction of the temporary bridge to begin this fall.

The temporary bridge is part of the larger bridge replacement project that will result in two new permanent bridges at the Hall-Whitaker location and the location of the current Kernwood Bridge — which has undergone stabilization efforts to make sure it remains viable while the Hall-Whitaker is closed — by 2032.

"The goal of the project is to beat that July 2027 date," Project Manager Scott Mercier said at the Wednesday night forum. "There is a ton of work to do in a very short time frame. But our goal is to certainly beat that date."

Mercier later said he is "very confident" in the ability to meet the July 2027 target.

"We are working very closely with the city and MassDOT to look at ways to improve that date," Mercier said. "It is a relatively large project in a relatively short window. There's a ton of material procurement. Some big pile foundations. There is a lot of complicated work that needs to happen in a very short period of time.

"But we are prepared to do the best we can. I am confident that we are going to be able to make that summer of 2027 (target) with a goal of beating that date as well."

Mercier said the current Hall-Whitaker Bridge will no longer open to marine traffic passing as of Oct. 27, with those vessels needing to travel through that span advised to make plans to do so within the next three weeks.

He said work will begin in the water as early as next month, with the actual bridge installed in pieces over a four-month span between December 2026 and March 2027.

Once the temporary bridge is in place, the former bridge will be torn down to make way for the new permanent bridge. Once that is completed, the temporary bridge will be dismantled.

Officials said that pedestrian and bicycle access to the current Hall-Whitaker Bridge will remain viable throughout construction.

The construction will necessitate increased truck traffic with construction vehicles on Bridge Street from the west, but officials said that heavy traffic will not damage the paving that has been ongoing in the area — causing its own substantial traffic issues — in recent years.

"I always like to put myself in the position of being a resident in the neighborhood," Mercier said. "It's at the forefront of how we plan and build our work. Making sure we're courteous to everyone in the neighborhood. But I don't want to sugarcoat it either. ...

"It's some sizable equipment. There are going to be some concrete trucks coming down the roadway. We are going to do the best we can to plan to make sure that we are not getting real early deliveries the best of our ability. Obviously, coordinating with local police and MassDOT very closely throughout the whole course to try to minimize any major impacts to the residents."

Officials said that noise will be increased for abutters in the area of the bridge during the construction process, but that it will be contained to daytime operations.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)