A undertaking to switch a key rail bridge main into North Station utilizing $472 million in federal funds will take eight years as soon as building begins and a contract will probably be “on the street” for the job subsequent yr, MBTA Basic Supervisor Phillip Eng mentioned on the transit hub Thursday morning.
The bridge, generally known as the North Station Draw One Bridge, is a essential piece of infrastructure for the native rail community, carrying each MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains and serving roughly 11.2 million passengers every year, based on Massachusetts federal lawmakers.
The federal grant to switch the 100-year-old bridge — and renovate Platform F at North Station — is the most important the MBTA has received thus far, based on the transit company. At a press convention in the midst of the station, Eng mentioned constructing a brand new bridge will enhance security and provides “peace of mind to everybody.”
Eng mentioned the cash will probably be used to assemble three vertical elevate bridges, a sign tower, indicators, management tower, present for a “comprehensive upgrade” of monitor and sign infrastructure, and generate 14,500 jobs.
A contract for the undertaking will probably be “on the street next year,” Eng mentioned.
“The projections earlier were eight years to completion. However, I’m going to challenge ourselves, and we’re going to look to beat that. But that was the early indication of the construction duration,” he mentioned.
The present Nice Melancholy-era bridge spans the Charles River, connecting the cities of Boston and Cambridge. The Haverhill, Lowell, Newburyport/Rockport, and Fitchburg Commuter Rail Strains all cross the bridge.
Gov. Maura Healey mentioned the alternative undertaking will improve prepare and platform capability.
“We’re going to do this without daily commutes for commuters,” she mentioned. “We’re going to ensure that people, ideas, goods, and capital will continue to flow, and, in fact, will flow better as we help grow our economy.”
The {dollars} to switch the bridge come from the Nationwide Infrastructure Venture help program, generally known as MEGA, as a part of the Multimodal Venture Discretionary Grant program administered by the U.S. Division of Transportation.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren mentioned the funding into the bridge is “long overdue.”
“(This) is a game changer for thousands of riders who pass through North Station every day, and it will make our public transit system safer and more reliable across the Commonwealth and throughout the entire region,” the Cambridge Democrat mentioned.
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