Brookline's 100-Year-Old Davis Path Footbridge To Be Demolished

BROOKLINE, MA — The Davis Path Pedestrian Footbridge has carried pedestrians over the D line in Brookline Village for more than 100 years, is coming down, town officials announced Friday. Last month it was quietly closed after town officials found it could pose a danger to users and the MBTA track below it.

Davis Path begins on White Place and ends at Boylston Street across from Lincoln School where Walnut Path picks up and links the neighborhood west of Brookline Village with Boylston Street and Boylston Street Playground at Route 9.

Town Administrator Mel Kleckner said work to demolish and rebuild the Davis Path Pedestrian Footbridge will begin at the end of the month.

The footbridge was closed to pedestrians on April 11 after the town's structural engineering consultant, LiRo Group, determined that the bridge posed a potential hazard. After more study the consultant recommended demolishing the old bridge and building a new one.

The work will be done in three phases:

• Phase one will create a demolition plan, which includes getting approval from the MBTA to access its right-of-way. Once those plans are approved, work will then begin on the immediate demolition of the bridge span while maintaining the existing bridge abutments currently in place. This work is expected to take place at the end of the month and last approximately one week.
• Phase 2 will consist of the design and construction of a temporary bridge supported on the existing bridge abutments to restore pedestrian access. This work will begin once the demolition of the old bridge is finished. It's not clear yet how long this will take.
• Phase 3 will include design and construction of a permanent replacement bridge. This work is expected to take several years.

"We would like to thank the community for their patience as we've worked to figure out what the next steps should be for the pedestrian bridge to ensure the safety of those using it," Kleckner said in a news release. "We will continue to work diligently to begin this demolition and rebuild work so that residents can once again utilize this important community asset."

Previously: Davis Path Pedestrian Footbridge Closed April 11

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).

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