Town of Saugus Receives $500,000 MassDOT Grant to Construct New, Safer Water Street Bridge
(Saugus, MA) March 30, 2017 – Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree is pleased to announce that the Town of Saugus has been awarded a $500,000 grant through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Municipal Small Bridge Program to construct a new, safer and more reliable bridge to replace the existing bridge on Route 129 at the Saugus/Wakefield border.
The Town of Saugus was honored for this accomplishment at the 1st Municipal Small Bridge Program Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, at the Massachusetts State House. Town representatives were joined by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack, Highway Administrator Thomas Tinlin, and other municipal award recipients.
“It is an honor that the Town of Saugus was selected as a grant recipient of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Small Bridge Program,” said Town Manager Crabtree.
“This grant will help provide safer, more reliable infrastructure to the residents of Saugus and surrounding communities. I would like to thank the Department of Transportation for this generous investment, as well as the Town of Saugus Planner Krista Leahy and Department of Public Works Director Brendan O’Regan for their efforts in identifying and compiling this successful grant application.”
The Municipal Small Bridge Program allows this bridge project to be funded entirely through the grant, saving the taxpayers of Saugus $500,000 in projected engineering and construction costs.
The grant will allow the Town to replace the existing 15-foot bridge, which is over 100 years old and in poor condition. Over the years, flooding of the Saugus River has contributed to the erosion of the pavement and supporting structure of the bridge, known as the Water Street Bridge.
In hopes of repairing this community asset, the Town of Saugus worked in conjunction with the Town of Wakefield to compile data for the application. Now a grant recipient, the Town of Saugus will continue to work with the Town of Wakefield to select an engineer for the project.
Once an engineer is selected, the existing bridge will undergo a complete renovation. A new, current granite slab structure with an RCP box culvert, wing walls, proper railings, and wearing surface will be installed. All work will be completed through phased construction or road closure with a visible detour route.
“The Water Street Bridge is frequently used each day for emergency, essential, and commercial and industrial services,” said Town Manager Crabtree. “Small infrastructure repairs such as this are absolutely essential for the safety and convenience of the community.”
About the Municipal Small Bridge Program
According to MassDOT, the Small Bridge Program was signed into law on August 10, 2016 by Governor Charlie Baker. This five-year, $50M program provides reimbursable assistance to cities and towns of up to $500K per year to aid in the replacement and preservation of municipally owned bridges with spans between 10 and 20 feet. These bridges are not eligible for federal aid under existing bridge replacement or rehabilitation programs and an increasing number of them are at high risk for full or partial closure in the near future due to their present condition.
This is a need and merit based program that seeks to fund those applications that demonstrate a critical need (i.e. emergency closure, detrimental detour routes for first responders) or will substantially extend the life of an existing bridge.
All applications are submitted by the city or town to their local district highway office. From there, projects are screened for eligibility and forwarded to MassDOT's Bridge Section in Boston with a recommendation. Projects are again be evaluated and scored, with final recommendations being made to the Chief Engineer, who then issues a final decision to each municipality.
About The Town of Saugus
The Town of Saugus, Massachusetts, is a family-friendly, historic neighborhood Town located along the north shore, ten miles north of Boston. First settled in 1629, Saugus is home to historic sites, top-tier public services, and a thriving business community. Strong community support, a forward-thinking approach to town government, rich recreational opportunities, affordable choices, and easy access to all the amenities that Boston has to offer – they all contribute to make Saugus a Town where businesses flourish and families make their home.
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