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Whittier Bridge Statistics |
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58 years old |
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1,346 feet long |
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73,000 vehicles/day (current) |
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81,000 vehicles/day (2012 projected) |
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MassDOT's Highway Division is undertaking the Whittier Bridge/I-95 Improvement Project, which will
directly affect the towns of Newburyport, Amesbury and Salisbury.
The project is part of the Commonwealth's Accelerated Bridge Program, which has
earmarked $3 billion to rehabilitate, repair and replace bridges throughout the
Commonwealth. Currently there are over 500 "structurally deficient and functionally
obsolete" bridges in the Commonwealth, and the goal of the program is to reduce
that number by 250 over a period of eight years. The centerpiece of the Whittier
Bridge/I-95 Improvement project is the replacement of the John Greenleaf Whittier
Memorial Bridge over the Merrimack River. The new structure will have four travel
lanes, a high-speed shoulder and a breakdown lane in each direction. The project
will provide additional I-95 lane capacity to accommodate projected 20-year traffic
volumes, improve safety and to be consistent with the current approaches to the
south and north of the project. It also includes the replacement or reconstruction
of four adjacent bridges along I-95 in Amesbury and Newburyport. In addition, there
will be highway widening improvements from the existing six lanes to eight lanes
along the 3.5-mile project alignment from Exit 57 in Newburyport to Exit 59 in Salisbury.
The estimated project cost is currently $285 million. The project is scheduled to be advertised
in Spring 2012. Construction is expected to last approximately 4-5 years depending
on the construction methods used. MassHighway intends to implement innovative design
and construction techniques to expedite both the design and construction
of this project.
Anticipated Environmental Permitting
The Whittier Bridge/I-95 Improvement Project will combine state and federal environmental
review in a joint process. Filing the Environmental Notification Form (ENF) kicked
off the state review process. The Secretary of Environmental Affairs will provide
a scope of work for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (the MEPA process), and
state officials will consult with federal agencies operating under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
After the environmental issues have been identified, the Highway Division will submit a draft
state/federal document known as a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental
Assessment, or DEIR/EA. MassHighway will seek public review of this combined document.
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A view of the Whittier Bridge from the west side of Interstate 95, showing the barge
used for interim repairs.
The project will address issues such as deteriorated bridge floor beams.
Northbound traffic on the Whittier Bridge. Proposed improvements call for a fourth
travel lane in each direction as well as the addition of a high speed shoulder and
breakdown lane.
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