Braga Bridge safety lighting project is ready for Phase 2, but now the price has doubled

FALL RIVER — About a year ago, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation switched on new color-changing LED lighting that turned the center span of the Braga Bridge a serene blue at night. The project’s second, more substantial phase is due to begin soon — at double the original price.

The project being undertaken by MassDOT is not only about prettying up the bridge with colorful lights. That’s just one part of an extensive safety improvement project.

On April 27, the MassDOT board of directors recently recommended the approval of a $16.8 million contract to complete phase 2 of lighting and safety upgrades to the bridge. It'll bring the bridge up to safety standards, but at twice the estimated cost from last year. Here’s what’s being done and why:

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What work will MassDOT do to the Braga Bridge?

It’s an overhaul of the bridge’s lighting and electrical systems.

According to MassDOT, the bridge is overdue for a full replacement of its electrical system and load center (basically, its breaker box). It also needs new navigation and aviation lighting systems — safety lights that are required for approaching vessels and aircraft. Workers will also need to build a new maintenance access platform for the load center, replace all the lighting assemblies, and make many other associated repairs.

And yes, workers will complete what's known as the “aesthetic lighting” part of the project — the color-changing LEDs will light up the entire truss of the bridge when it's done. The LEDs can change to seven different colors, including purple, pink, yellow and more for special occasions, though its default is "Braga blue." In mid-April, the bridge was lit up in orange for two days in honor of National Work Zone Awareness Week.

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Why is all this necessary?

Simply put, age. The electric wiring on the bridge is over 35 years old and past its useful life. Much of that infrastructure dates to a deck replacement contract from 1986.

It’s also about safety. The MassDOT board noted in a presentation that the “current condition for Load Center access is unsafe and hazardous. … Internal components show advanced wear and housing have progressive corrosion.”

The navigational lighting is also past its prime, and the aviation beacons are “only intermittingly functional” despite maintenance.

They’ll be replacing some signs too. “One overhead sign structure has already been removed due to signs of eventual failure," reads part of the presentation. “The other sign was also set in the 1986 Deck Replacement Contract.”

As for the colorful LEDs, “aesthetic lighting was at the request of local government and city officials.”

How much is this going to cost?

Last year around this time, when the first phase of the project was switched on, the project had an $8 million estimated price tag. But at the time, the design phase was incomplete. The MassDOT board is now urging the approval of a contract with Coviello Electric Inc. of North Reading that’s more than twice that price.

According to MassDOT communications director Kristen Pennucci, that $8 million “was a preliminary estimate based on assumptions and comparisons to similar work on other bridges. After a full engineering design was performed for all necessary materials needed, the cost was adjusted, due in part to inflation and the availability of materials."

When will the Braga Bridge electrical work start?

Pennucci said the MassDOT board will hire a contractor soon. “It is expected work on the project will begin this summer,” she said.

MassDOT’s presentation says the project will take about three years to complete.

When construction time comes, expect closures of the right-hand lane and shoulder on both sides of the bridge, with work expected to take place overnight between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: MassDOT to redo electricity, lighting on Braga Bridge for safety