Fall River's Braga Bridge has a new look. The price tag for this colorful update: $8M.
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FALL RIVER — It was a well-kept secret, but Tuesday night the Massachusetts Department of Transportation unveiled one of its latest projects when it flipped the switch to illuminate the Braga Bridge.
The Braga Bridge, spanning from Fall River to Somerset on I-195 over the Taunton River, is now the fifth bridge in the Commonwealth outfitted with a state-of-the-art programmable LED lighting installation.
It’s the first of two phases of the estimated $8 million lighting project on the Braga Bridge, named in honor of Navy man Charles M. Braga Jr., who died age 22 during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
A small crowd of state and local leaders watched the launching of the lights from the boardwalk at Heritage State Park, including Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito who is credited with bringing the project to fruition, along with Jamey Tesler, Secretary of Transportation and CEO of MassDOT.
The first phase of lighting the Braga
According to MassDOT bridge operations engineer Bill Travers, the first phase of the lighting project partially illuminating the center part of the Braga Bridge span is temporary with 150 LED lights at a cost of $650,000.
“All of the fixtures will be used in the final phase,” said Travers. “Everything will be reused and incorporated.”
For now, the system in place is capable of illuminating about seven different colors, but the “Braga blue” will be the default color, but with the capability to change colors for special occasions.
Colors that won’t be used are red and green because they are not allowed under maritime law as they are used in vessel navigation.
Phase II will light entire truss of bridge
Phase II, which is currently in the 25 percent design stage, will be much more impressive when completed.
“It will be much bigger. It will light up the entire truss of the bridge,” said Travers, explaining it is the portion of the bridge above the roadway. “What’s here now is every light we could find because of the material shortages and delivery chain issues that we have. I don’t know the number on the final project, but it will be much more.”
In addition to the entire structure being illuminated, there will also be lights on the outside of Braga Bridge.
“So, it will be much more visible up and down the channel,” said Travers.
In the temporary system, it has to be controlled from the pier, but once the final installation is complete, MassDOT will have the capability of controlling the lighting remotely.
MassDOT is hoping to complete phase II sometime at the end of next summer or early fall.
“But it depends on the supply chain,” said Travers
Rep. Carole Fiola wanted a 'beacon' for the region
Illuminating the Braga Bridge, the state’s longest span at more than one mile, has been talked about since 2014 and a vision of state Rep. Carole Fiola, who pitched the project back then to create a positive “beacon” for the region.
Polito said about six months ago when she was meeting with local legislators and some local business people, Fiola mentioned the beauty of the Braga Bridge.
“But it was around this time of night and it looked a little sad because it didn’t have the color and the illumination that represents hope and feeling and love,” said Polito.
The lieutenant governor immediately got on the phone after that meeting to make the project happen.
“I said if we can illuminate this bridge similar to the others, it would really tie together all of the things that this community has been working so hard on with more housing and more economic development and a vibrant waterfront tied in with Route 79 and another connection point which is the River Line connecting this community to Boston, and more importantly the folks up in Boston to this community,” said Polito.
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Getting the lighting project off the ground encountered “a lot of stumbling blocks” since 2014, said Fiola, adding Polito “made it happen.”
The hundreds of thousands of people who cross over the now illuminated Braga Bridge will take a closer look at Fall River, said Fiola.
“They will see and stop and think, ‘what is happening in this community. Maybe I need to take a look at this beautiful waterfront and all the things this community has to offer,’” said Fiola.
Lighting the Braga Bridge, said Tesler, will bring brightness and visibility to the region.
“This is one of the projects we’ve been able to invest in this area,” said Tesler, which also includes the $100 million Route 79 project set to begin in the fall and the South Coast rail project which is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023.
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The Braga Bridge now joins the ranks of illuminated spans in Massachusetts that includes the Zakim and Longfellow bridges in Boston, the Fore River Bridge in Quincy and Weymouth and the Burns Bridge in Worcester.
Jo C. Goode may be reached at jgoode@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism and subscribe today!
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River's Braga Bridge will be lit up with colorful lights
