METHUEN — The state has reopened the James Stanley Overpass, completing a $10 million bridge reconstruction project 17 months ahead of schedule.
"It was done so quickly, we couldn't even do a ribbon-cutting on it before the bridge was reopened," state Sen. Steven A. Baddour, D-Methuen, said of the accelerated work on the Route 28 bridge that crosses over Route 213.
"It's nice to see the reforms that I've been fighting for over the last five years are making a difference," said Baddour, the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation. Baddour had put pressure on the former MassHighway to speed up bridge reconstruction projects.
Gov. Deval Patrick credited the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division with streamlining the process.
"We are completing projects ahead of schedule here in Methuen and across the Commonwealth, and that's great news for our residents and businesses," Patrick said.
The project involved replacing the four-lane Route 28 overpass with a new two-span steel bride with 5-foot sidewalks.
When the project got underway last fall, workers originally planned to build one two-lane temporary bridge to reroute northbound traffic off the Stanley Overpass. Their plan was to keep two lanes of traffic traveling south on the overpass while they demolished and reconstructed it one half at a time,
But crews relocated the overhead utilities farther east than planned, giving workers space to erect two temporary bridges. That enabled them to remove all traffic from the overpass and complete the work much faster. The target opening was reduced by a full year to April 2010. The work continued at an even quicker pace, resulting in this week's opening.
"This delivers a real traffic improvement for thousands of motorists before the 2009 holidays rather than waiting until spring of 2011," Transportation Secretary and CEO Jeffrey Mullan said.
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas said the project will alleviate traffic congestion while providing an essential connection between interstates 495 and 93.
"Residents will be able to travel more safely through the area during the busy holiday season, often fraught with hazardous weather, without having to navigate through a construction site as well," the Lowell Democrat said.
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