Long Island Bridge fight continues as Quincy fights license. What the city's appeal says

QUINCY − The city has appealed the state Department of Environmental Protection's decision to grant a license for a proposal to rebuild the Long Island Bridge, calling Boston's license application "egregiously deficient."

The department's Waterways Regulation Program had granted the Chapter 91 license Aug. 9.

Boston plans to provide substance abuse treatment and other services on the island, which is accessible by land only through Quincy's Squantum neighborhood.

Chapter 91 is the Public Waterfront Act, which is the state's "primary tool for protection and promotion of public use of its tidelands and other waterways."

On Aug. 30, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch filed a 140-page appeal of the license to MassDEP's Office of Appeals and Dispute Resolution.

“The Boston application – which includes proposed reuse of the original 1951 piers and a bridge profile that poses an unreasonable threat to navigation, public health, safety and the environment – is egregiously deficient,” the appeal reads.

Are the 70-year-old Long Island bridge piers structurally sound?

The appeal argues that more than 70 years of exposure to saltwater has undermined the piers. The effects of freezing and thawing cycles, as well as a phenomenon known as "alkali silica reaction," have caused cracking both above and below the waterline, the appeal says.

Commonly known as "concrete cancer," alkali silica reaction can cause expansion and cracking in concrete over time.

Quincy says more testing is needed to determine the condition of the piers. Boston, while acknowledging the need for more testing, has said it will test only once construction has begun, the appeal claims.

The appeal says Boston has acknowledged the need for replacing and removing some damaged concrete. Quincy has criticized the proposed method for these repairs: the use of limpets. They are clamped to the sides of the piers under the waterline, allowing access to workers.

Quincy says cofferdams, which sit on the ocean floor and wall off surrounding water, will be needed to fix damage to piers under the mud line. The use of cofferdams could upset the surrounding environment more significantly than Boston has indicated in its plans, Quincy maintains.

The appeal says limpets do not provide access below the mud line, where damage from alkali silica reaction may exist.

The appeal cites the conclusion of Quincy City Engineer Paul Costello.

"Boston is not achieving the overall standard of care needed to evaluate the full depth of the existing piers," Costello wrote in a 2019 letter addressed to MassDEP. "Without doing so, the integrity of the bridge foundation is being compromised and the stability of the bridge is in doubt.”

Would a new Long Island Bridge get in the way of boats under Boston's plan?

Although the U.S. Coast Guard recently authorized the project's vertical clearance of 51.75 feet, Quincy's appeal states that Boston's own data, collected in 2021, shows the bridge will impede vessels traveling through the area.

Citing the study, the appeal says 425 transits of the bridge area wouldn't have been possible if the bridge had been there. An additional 1,590 transits may have been obstructed, depending on the tides, it says.

Rise in sea levels would exacerbate this issue, the appeal says. A study conducted by Boston predicted 2.4 to 10.5 feet of sea level rise by the year 2100. The appeal concludes that the bridge's vertical clearance will "shrink in time" and "impair even more vessels to pass freely."

Could Boston develop something other than addiction treatment, homeless shelter on the island?

The appeal challenges MassDEP's finding that the project's social benefits outweigh any "detriment to the rights of the public in tidelands."

While Boston has promised to restore access to an addiction treatment center and homeless shelter on the island, it hasn't imposed any "requirement or special condition binding Boston to these uses on Long Island," the appeal says.

The appeal notes that ferry service would provide a less disruptive and more timely mode of transportation to the island. It says ferries have carried middle school children to Camp Harbor View daily every summer since 2007.

Quincy officials expressed suspicion of possible ulterior motives connected with the bridge project.

“After demolition of the original bridge span, Boston explored using Long Island for high-end residential and commercial development," the appeal reads. "There is nothing in the Special Waterways License conditions that would bar the bridge from being repurposed for access to such developments.”

The appeal notes that the project includes no public amenities, such as walkways on the island's perimeter or public fishing areas. Rather, Boston has completely cut off public access to Moon Island and Long Island, a deprivation of public access that the appeal says runs counter to the Waterfront Protection Act.

The appeal argues that the project threatens to harm nearby shellfisheries. Quincy Public Works Commissioner Al Grazioso, who is quoted in the appeal, wrote that the bridge's sole access road, Moon Island Road, has shown signs of "slope failure" in multiple locations.

Road collapse spurred by increased traffic loads would spill materials into the ocean, harming shellfish beds on both sides of Moon Island Road, the causeway connecting Squantum to Moon Island, the appeal says, arguing that MassDEP should have assessed these areas in its review of Boston's application.

Responding to Quincy's appeal, a spokesperson for the city of the Boston made the following statement via email:

“Reopening the public health campus on Long Island is a key priority for the City of Boston and public health leaders across the region. The campus is a vital and missing piece of the regional health care system. It requires a bridge," the statement reads.

"The City of Boston has been successful in every one of the 10 permit proceedings, due to thorough design and engineering, which call for strengthening the existing piers and minimizing environmental impacts. The project has been reviewed by several third-party regulators. We are confident that DEP’s Chapter 91 license determination will be upheld and the project will quickly move to the next phase.

"We look forward to engaging with Quincy and other stakeholders from across the region on planning recovery services on the island. The many people counting on this restored campus have waited long enough.”

What will happen next with Quincy's Long Island Bridge appeal?

MassDEP's Office of Appeals and Dispute Reconciliation ordered Quincy and Boston to confer about a possible settlement of their differences by Sept. 18. A joint status report will be due Sept. 27, when an additional four weeks for continued negotiations would be granted if necessary.

"We welcome the opportunity to talk more with Boston, because we haven't heard much from them," Quincy City Solicitor Jim Timmins told The Patriot Ledger in a phone interview.

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Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: License to rebuild Long Island Bridge being fought in court by Quincy