'Ill-advised': Quincy asks US senators, congressman to help fight Long Island Bridge plan

QUINCY − State Rep. Bruce Ayers and Ward 6 Councilor Bill Harris have asked members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to intervene in a project they called "hasty" and "ill-advised."

The request addresses the city's battle with Boston over plans to rebuild the Long Island Bridge, which cleared another preconstruction hurdle in June when the Coast Guard approved the project.

Ayers, D-Quincy, and Harris sent a letter to U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch condemning the Coast Guard's approval.

The letter lists several concerns and criticisms related to the project and asks the delegation to help get the Coast Guard to explain its decision.

What are some of the reasons Quincy opposes the Long Island Bridge?

Ayers and Harris wrote that the concrete piers that would support the proposed bridge have corroded and deteriorated to the point of being unsafe. They say the vertical clearance of 51 feet in the design falls well short of the standard 65 feet common in bridge construction.

"Our constituents deserve to know what went into this determination," said Ayers, who represents Squantum, the Quincy neighborhood closest to the proposed bridge. Boston wants to offer substance abuse services on the island, and traffic to the bridge would go through Squantum.

Harris, who represents Squantum on the Quincy City Council, said he was "dumbfounded" by the Coast Guard's approval.

"When the ruling came, we knew that we had to move forward," he said. "We have requested a meeting with the delegation to sit face to face and discuss this and dig into how (the Coast Guard) could come up with such a decision."

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In an email to The Patriot Ledger, Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer Lt. Samantha Corcoran said licensed professional engineers reviewed the proposal for integrity in construction and design. She said the Coast Guard's only role is to establish minimum clearances.

"We do not have a role in reviewing adequacy of design or construction methods," she wrote.

Corcoran wrote the 65-foot standard raised by Harris and Ayers "is typically required of bridges on the intercoastal waterway where it is critical that bridges on the same reach of waterway have the same vertical clearance."

She said the Long Island Bridge is not in the intercoastal waterway, and that after extensive surveys of vessels in Boston Harbor, the Coast Guard found that the new bridge requires a minimum clearance of just under 52 feet.

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What is the Long Island Bridge replacement project?

The Long Island Bridge opened in 1951, connecting Moon Island and Long Island. Long Island became home to 14 buildings providing public health services to vulnerable Bostonians. The campus included a homeless shelter, juvenile stabilization programs, substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment.

Boston still runs a summer camp, Camp Harborview, for underserved Boston children on the island every year.

In 2014, the bridge was closed because of safety concerns, and its superstructure was demolished the following year. The original 15 piers and abutments were left intact to be incorporated into a replacement bridge, according to court documents.

In 2018, then-Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the city’s intention to rebuild the bridge and restore the public health services on the island, including transitional housing, workforce training and treatment for substance abuse disorders.

Why Quincy objects to the Long Island Bridge project

Quincy's conservation commission denied Boston's application for a permit in September 2018, saying the project would violate the state Wetlands Protection Act and Regulations. The two cities have argued that point in several court cases since then, and Boston has prevailed each time.

Quincy has questioned the structural integrity of the 73-year-old piers, saying they have corroded over time. The city-based this conclusion on the 2018 report of its engineering consultant, David Gress, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire.

The so-called "Gress Report" describes the "extremely distressed and poor conditions of concrete" due to alkalai-silica reaction. Commonly known as "concrete cancer," alkalai-silica reaction can cause expansion and cracking in concrete over time.

Quincy says future work on the piers would cause greater environmental harm than Boston has estimated.

Why Harris and Ayers disagree with the Coast Guard's decision

In addition to what Ayers calls the deteriorated state of the support piers, he told The Patriot Ledger that Boston's design plans fail to meet current standards in bridge construction.

"It doesn't comply with the 65-foot air draft that is standard with all bridge construction now," Ayers said. "This only allows for 51 feet. There are standards for a reason. Engineering designs have changed and the Coast Guard is privy to all those improvements to design. We want them to be held to the same standard."

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The letter says Boston's intent to treat substance abuse and addiction is "admirable" but "deeply flawed." In an interview with The Patriot Ledger, Harris said he knows the need to address the opioid crisis from first-hand experience.

"My daughter’s an emergency room nurse at Boston Medical Center," he said. "My wife has been there 40 years. She’s a registered nurse there. She’s been in the ER. I worked in the ER at night as unit coordinator, as a second job. I’ve been there. I’ve seen what has happened there. It’s heartbreaking."

Harris said Quincy's opposition to the project does not reflect callousness to the plight of those suffering from substance abuse issues.

"This has nothing to do with nimbyism," he said. "Look at what Quincy has been doing, the work that has been done at Father Bill's. My heart is broken that I've had to take this stance. But it's the right stance on a bad plan."

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What has to happen before construction does or doesn't take place

On its project website, Boston says construction would take about three years once all required permits are obtained. To minimize impacts on nearby neighborhoods and the sea floor, the bridge superstructure would largely be assembled off-site and floated into position on barges, the website says.

Before that can happen, Harris says Boston will have to pass a number of roadblocks, including literal roadblocks.

"We’ve banned transport and anything but local traffic," Harris said. "That’s kind of where that is. There’s an ordinance that we passed and it went through. From Shoreham, which is the last street on the right ... we’ll be turning vehicles around."

Shoreham Street is the last right off Dorchester Street, which turns into Moon Island Road, the access road for the proposed bridge.

Harris said Boston still needs permits from Quincy regulatory bodies.

"No matter what, the first three pylons are in the jurisdiction of Quincy," he said. "So they have to come before our planning and zoning board and conservation again."

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Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Long Island Bridge: Quincy legislators fight Coast Guard approval