Weymouth gets help to replace span over Herring Brook
Boston Globe
By Johanna Seltz GLOBE CORRESPONDENT APRIL 06, 2017
The town of Weymouth has received a $500,000 grant toward replacing its Commercial Street Bridge over Herring Brook in Jackson Square, a popular viewing spot to watch the herring migration each spring.
Construction, which could start as early as August, is expected to take about four months, entail detouring pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and cost about $1 million, according to Nicholas Bulens in the mayor’s office.
“The Commercial Street Bridge is more than just transportation infrastructure; it’s something that connects people to opportunities in our village center while protecting one of Weymouth’s most important natural and cultural resources,” Mayor Robert Hedlund said in a recent press release.
The state money, part of $16 million awarded to 36 communities last month, comes from the Municipal Small Bridge Program, which helps communities replace or preserve locally-owned bridges that are between 10 feet and 20 feet long. The bridges are not eligible for federal aid, and an increasing number are in dire shape.
Weymouth’s Commercial Street Bridge is structurally deficient, according to state inspection reports, and since 1999 has been limited to vehicles weighing five tons or less.
The town plans to replace the bridge with a pre-cast concrete arch that will not affect the width or flow of the Herring Brook, officials said.
Johanna Seltz can be reached at seltzjohanna@gmail.com.
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