When Will The Central Street Bridge Project Be Completed?

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The Central Street Bridge project, under the supervision of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, was not completed as originally promised, as many Framingham residents know. The bridge in Saxonville was scheduled to re-open in late August.

The new target date is late fall - possibly the end of October, early November, according to MassDOT.

One of the critical aspects of the project was the installation of steel deck beams, which were delivered in July.

The installation of the beams were completed in August, on time, under the new fall time schedule.

“The next critical date to meet is the pouring of the new bridge deck before the week of Sept. 25,” said Framingham Town Manager Bob Halpin to Framingham Selectmen last month.

Framingham posted a video of the bridge progress last week, posting ”construction activities on the Central Street Bridge in Framingham are progressing.”

The bridge closed in early January. MassDOT, which is overseeing the project, said the bridge had deteriorated and needed replaced.

Built in 1920, the Anthony Colonna Bridge, known by many as the Central Street Bridge, is located on Central Street spanning the Sudbury River overlooking the Saxonville mills.

There bridge underwent a major rehabilitation and most of the substructure elements were built in 1972. It was constructed of precast box beams and supported by concrete abutments on bedrock. The northwest and southwest granite block wing walls are the only elements remaining from the 1920 bridge.

The state originally estimated the Central Street Bridge project at $6.2 million.

The proposed project consists of replacing the existing Central Street bridge over the Sudbury River in its present location with minor improvements to the approach roadways. The bridge will be closed during construction with a detour for traffic utilizing the Wickford Road bridge, which was rehabilitated as part of this project prior to the Central Street bridge.

The construction bid price was $4.4 million.

The Wickford Road Bridge closed in March 2013, so MassDOT could make necessary repairs. The Commonwealth said it would be a 4-month project. It ended up being an 18-month project, with the bridge not re-opening until July 2014