METHUEN — Workers installed a footbridge over the Spicket River yesterday morning, marking the beginning of the finishing touches in the $360,000 reconstruction of Spiggott Falls Riverwalk Park.
Floodwater heavily damaged the park during the Mother's Day storm in 2006. The river swelled and washed away the footbridge that connected the two sides of the park.
Workers from T Ford Company Inc., a Georgetown-based civil and environmental contractor, installed the new steel 52.2-foot-long by 10-foot-wide bridge. They have some work left to do to the structure, like pouring concrete on the top, where people will walk.
It will be another two or three weeks before the bridge is open, but that is the final phase of the project, officials said.
In addition to installing the bridge, the contractor's crews made other repairs like rebuilding a retaining wall, reseeding and regrading, and fixing the storm revetment.
The city had to negotiate with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to agree on the price and design. FEMA paid for the reconstruction. Workers started repairing the park in April.
The bridge that was destroyed was level with the flood plain, said Department of Public Works Director Raymond DiFiore. The new bridge is above the flood plain, DiFiore said.
"It'll be safer and less of a problem if we ever run into the same type of weather conditions," he said.
The park is downtown, on Osgood Street. It's within walking distance of many shops and apartments. It has small grass fields, a playground, a gazebo, walking paths, picnic tables and benches.
Mayor William Manzi called it "a great asset," and said he's happy to have it repaired.
"I think that, overall, (it's) just aesthetically beautiful and a great place to go and have a little fun or quiet time," Manzi said.
