Route 79 bridges start demolition today. Detours in place, with waterfront views to come.

Dan Medeiros, The Herald News
·2 min read

FALL RIVER — Construction on Route 79 is about to open up views of the city’s waterfront that haven’t been seen in almost half a century.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced that the elevated high-speed expressway along the waterfront, including bridges, will be demolished starting today. This phase will also remove the expressway’s retaining walls and supporting soil from Heritage State Park to the Veterans Memorial Bridge, reducing the Route 79 expressway to flat surface.

Starting today, people on the northbound side of Davol Street will soon be able to see the waterfront unobstructed by concrete and green metal bridges for the first time since 1976, when the expressway was built.

How do you get there from here? Your Route 79 shutdown and construction questions answered

The U-turn bridge on Davol Street that carried the Route 79 expressway along Fall River's waterfront will be demolished starting Wednesday, March 29.
The U-turn bridge on Davol Street that carried the Route 79 expressway along Fall River's waterfront will be demolished starting Wednesday, March 29.

What is this project supposed to do?

The Route 79 reconstruction project started in February, part of a yearslong effort to transform the Route 79 expressway and Davol Street into a ground-level urban boulevard. The plan, which is expected to be complete in mid-2026, will create more street access points to Fall River’s waterfront and will open up 19 acres of developable land.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation released this image indicating the scope of the work that will begin on Route 79 on Fall River's waterfront starting Feb. 27.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation released this image indicating the scope of the work that will begin on Route 79 on Fall River's waterfront starting Feb. 27.

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Will there be more detours?

Yes – MassDOT says detours will be in place for the demolition of the bridge over the southern U-turn, which is near the Cove Restaurant and Marina.

Starting today, a detour will be in place for northbound-to-southbound drivers on Davol Street who need to make a U-turn:

  • Proceed north along Davol Street to President Avenue

  • Turn left at the intersection with President Avenue, then left again onto Davol Street southbound

For southbound-to-northbound drivers, detours will be in place starting April 3:

  • Proceed south along Davol Street to Water Street

  • Turn right at the Water Street intersection, then continue to Anawan Street

  • Turn left at Anawan Street, then left again at the next traffic signal onto Route 138, which leads to Davol Street northbound

MassDOT says all the detour routes will be clearly signed and marked, and only one detour will occur at a time.

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: Route 79 bridges start demolition in Fall River; detours scheduled