ATHOL – “Everything is coming along” and on schedule for the Exchange Street Bridge reconstruction project, according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Douglas Walsh on Tuesday.
Walsh said six to seven trenches had to be jackhammered to chisel out old concrete to increase ratings on floor beams, eliminating the weight limit restriction. “There should be no problem with the fire department’s ladder truck going through,” he said.
Debris from the work being done is collected beneath the bridge, suspended by cable over Millers River. The pedestrian railings along the sidewalks will be all new.
Walsh said there is supposed to be “substantial completion” by the end of the year and the bridge is scheduled to open in December.
Replacement of the Crescent Street bridge over the Millers River is expected to start April 1, he said. Northern Construction will do some work to the bridge next month and possibly apply anti-skid coating. Walsh said detour signs will be put up and covered with plastic bags. Work on the Crescent Street bridge cannot begin until the Exchange Street bridge is finished, or by April 1, he said.