Residents frustrated over bridge closure, lack of answers
Jun. 26—BEVERLY — Residents on Thursday night expressed frustration over the sudden closure of the Hall-Whitaker Bridge and the lack of answers about when a new or temporary bridge will be built.
About 100 people attended a meeting at Beverly High School to get an update from Mayor Mike Cahill on the bridge closure. But Cahill said the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which owns the bridge and is in charge of replacing it, has not provided answers yet about whether a temporary bridge would be built, how long it would take, or how long it will take to build a permanent bridge.
"My hope is they're going to deliver on that answer sometime later this summer," Cahill said.
The state permanently closed the bridge over the Bass River on June 17, saying it was no longer safe for vehicles. The closure cut off a major link on Bridge Street between the Ryal Side section of the city and the downtown and has caused traffic backups and concern from residents who live on side streets that are now being used as cut-throughs.
"Kids have almost been hit," said Woodland Avenue resident Keri Archibald, who lives near the Ayers Ryal Side Elementary School. "We need to do something about this neighborhood."
Ryal Side resident Eric Gagnon said his biggest concern was how the bridge was allowed to deteriorate to the point of being unsafe while the city was using state money to complete several other projects over the years.
"You've taken DOT money to do Rantoul Street — while the bridge crumbled," Gagnon said to Cahill. "You've taken DOT money to do Cabot Street — while the bridge crumbled. You've taken DOT money to do Elliott Street — while the bridge crumbled. You've taken DOT money to do rotaries — while the bridge crumbled."
"All I can tell you is we have been advocating for those two bridges (the Hall-Whitaker and the Kernwood Bridge) a lot," Cahill said. "I'm not sure how the state has prioritized or failed to prioritize different pieces of infrastructure. We have been consistently sounding this alarm."
Lovely said she understands residents' frustration and said she and other officials are pushing for a solution as soon as possible.
"We know you're already feeling the pain," Lovely said. "It feels like you've been severed from downtown Beverly. The urgency is here. We know it and MassDOT knows it."
Fire Chief Peter O'Connor said the bridge closure has forced the fire department to switch "first response" responsibility for the Ryal Side area from the department's downtown fire station to the North Beverly fire station. He said that will add two minutes to response times in some locations, particularly in the lower end of Bridge Street near the bridge.
"I don't like to see response times going in the opposite direction," O'Connor said. "In our opinion this was the best way to lessen the impact on the Ryal Side area."
Rowell Avenue resident Paul Gentile, who owns Gentile Brewing Company on Park Street, said the bridge closure prompted him to borrow a bike and ride that to work rather that drive all the way around via Elliott Street. The bridge remains open to bikes and pedestrians, and Gentile said it's important that that remain the case.
"If we can continue getting across that bridge safely, pedestrians and bikes, that would be huge," he said.
Resident John Powers said he spent the last three days standing out on Woodland Avenue and counting the number of cars that were using the street as a cut-through. He praised police for helping with the traffic problem.
"Tuesday was chaos. Wednesday was organized chaos. (Thursday) wasn't bad," Powers said.
Cahill said he has spoken with Gov. Charlie Baker about the matter and that he and other officials will continue to push hard for answers from MassDOT.
"None of us are going to say anything to minimize this," Cahill told the audience. "This flat-out stinks. Some of you may want to use stronger language."
Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, pleighton@gloucestertimes.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.
