AASHTO Journal, 29 June 2012
Massachusetts Department of Transportation broke ground this week on a project to replace an almost 100-year-old bridge with some help from its Accelerated Bridge Program.
The Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge in Worcester, built in 1916, was deemed structurally deficient and in need of replacement. The $89.9 million project will widen the bridge from two to three travel lanes in each direction and add sidewalks and bicycle lanes on each side of the bridge in order to continue to support the 53,000 vehicles it services each day, as well as pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Federal funding will cover 80 percent of the project.
“Our first responsibility as stewards of the Commonwealth’s transportation assets is to ensure that residents and visitors are safe traveling on our roads and bridges,” said MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey in a statement. “The Accelerated Bridge Program allows us to make the necessary improvements and repairs like these today that will keep people safe and encourage economic growth across Massachusetts.”
MassDOT’s Accelerated Bridge Program was created in 2008 and has since created or sustained more than 15,400 direct construction jobs and roughly 38,000 indirect jobs.
More information on MassDOT’s Accelerated Bridge Program is available at bit.ly/MassDOTaccbridge.